A U.K. animal rescue agency was forced to confirm that a startling photo of dozens of rescue dogs crammed into an abandoned lounge space was real, after many thought it was AI-generated.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), the world’s oldest and largest animal welfare charity, said it rescued 87 dogs from an undisclosed location within the U.K., while the rest were taken in by the Dogs Trust, one other animal rescue organization.
The charity said it found 250 dogs in total and shared an Instagram image of lots of them huddled inside a decrepit-looking constructing.
Shortly after sharing the photo, the charity was accused online of using artificial intelligence to create it and was forced to make clear that the image was real.
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“We will confirm that AI has not been used to create this image. As much as we wish this image wasn’t real, sadly, it very much is – and we’re being called to an increasing number of multi-animal reports like this. We don’t need to make use of AI as we’ve countless stories to share in regards to the animals our frontline teams are helping,” it wrote in a comment beneath the unique photograph.
The charity explained that it sees incidents like this often and that they occur for a lot of reasons, corresponding to “mental health conditions, disability, bereavements, and serious financial issues.”
“These cases are sometimes complex, and the people involved need assistance and support to get back onto the appropriate path or to access the services they need themselves,” it wrote.
The owner of the 250 poodle-cross dogs was an especially vulnerable elderly person, the charity added.
“The numbers and living conditions of the dogs had rapidly spiralled uncontrolled, and help was looked for them once someone discovered how the owner had been living,” it continued.
Jo Hirst, a superintendent for the RSPCA, told The Guardian that the owners won’t be prosecuted because they’re deemed “extremely vulnerable.”
Mass rescues like this are on the rise, in response to the charity, which responded to over 75 incidents last 12 months, each involving 100 or more animals.
Situations like these place immense strain on resources, the charity added, saying it was grateful to the opposite charities and public bodies that support us during these complex, multi-agency operations.
Cases like this have also been reported across Canada.
In October last 12 months, a coalition of Alberta animal rescue groups seized greater than 290 animals from two properties in northern Alberta.
The Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society (AARCS) said the rescue took place near Valleyview, Alta., about 350 km northwest of Edmonton, and involved the RCMP, Canadian Animal Task Force (CATF) and a coalition of greater than a dozen other animal rescue organizations from across the province.
The rescue involved dogs, cats, livestock and numerous horses who had been living in extremely poor conditions and needed urgent help.
In 2025, the Ontario SPCA said it helped 6,325 animals be adopted, including 1,917 dogs, 4,106 cats, and 302 small animals.
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