Staffordshire bull terrier Duchess was abandoned, and only survived because of the goodwill of a neighbour, who fed her through a letterbox.
When she was eventually rescued, she had lost lots of fur because of a severe flea infestation and was underweight.
Duchess found a loving, “forever home” with Fiona Rees-Davies in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, but tragically, a cancerous tumour meant their happiness was short-lived.
Her treatment is not uncommon – cruelty to dogs in Wales has risen by 19% according to the latest RSPCA figures for 2024 and 2025, and by 55% over the last five years.
The figures show Staffordshire bull terriers and bulldog type dogs make up almost a quarter (23%) of deliberate cruelty cases.
Some experts believe the XL bully ban, external and “alpha-style dog training” is encouraging mistreatment of related types.
The ban was brought in after the UK government said the breed had been “disproportionately involved” in deaths recorded since 2021.
But teaching assistant Fiona thinks there is now also a stigma around other “muscular” dogs – including Staffordshire bull terriers.
“Often when we were walking, she was wagging her tail, happy to see other dogs, but people would tend to cross the road,” Fiona said.
“Duchess would turn back and look at me as if to say, ‘what have I done wrong?’ because she just wanted to say hello.
“People would think, ‘oh, she’s a nasty dog’.
“And of course she wasn’t – and they [Staffordshire bull terriers] aren’t.”