Outrage has been sparked after two German Shepherds were abandoned on a bitterly cold mountainside. The dogs were found at Bedwas mountain on Wednesday afternoon, following reports of them being left there by an individual who then drove away.
Good Samaritans spent over two hours rounding up the frightened canines before they could be safely taken to Hope Rescue. A spokesperson for the rescue centre described the dogs as scared, underweight, and with matted fur, and implored pet owners facing difficulties to seek assistance promptly to prevent animal suffering.
Ryan Dinapoli, 29, was among those who rescued the dogs. He said he had been in the area taking his own dogs to the vet when he saw a social media post appealing for help to catch the pair. Speaking to WalesOnline, he said: “We made contact with the man [who posted on social media] and met him at the location at around 3.15pm. He had been up there since around 2pm keeping an eye on the dogs with his partner.
“They had been trying to catch the dogs with no luck. When we got there the dogs looked extremely malnourished, extremely dirty and very scared. They were petrified and wouldn’t come anywhere near us. A couple more people turned up and we herded the dogs like sheep.
“We managed to pin them into a corner, slowly edging closer to them. We managed to get close enough to the black dog to lasso her and put my hand on her head to gain trust and show that I wasn’t going to hurt her. I stayed on the floor with the black dog and the tan dog wouldn’t leave its side, which did us a favour as another man tried to get the tan dog.”
An owner of four dogs himself, Ryan said he is heartbroken by the situation. He said: “It was devastating, it really breaks my heart. The field was very steep, it was icy and around -1C. It also started snowing and started getting dark. They were the worst conditions you could think of, but we got the result we wanted in the end.”
Clark, the tan dog with ribs visible
(Image: Hope Rescue)
Ryan said the ordeal had gone on until around 5.30pm, when he put the dogs in his car and drove them to Hope Rescue in Pontyclun. Sara Rosser, head of operations at Hope Rescue, said the dogs are in poor condition and require intensive grooming, but she is hopeful they will make a full recovery.
She said: “We have a bit of work to do, they are very underweight and really matted. It’s hard to see on the photos how muddy and how matted their coats actually are. This is a long-term case of neglect.
“Despite what was a really distressing ordeal for them, they are really sweet. They are really scared but they are trying desperately hard to make friends with the staff. They are going to be a lovely pair of dogs once they are back to full health.”
Sara said staff have named the black female dog Lois and the tan male dog Clark. She said Lois is four-years-old and Clark is estimated to be around three. Once the pair are ready to be rehomed, she said it is likely that they will need to stay together since they are bonded.
She said: “At the moment they are hugely attached to each other. They want to do everything together. They sleep together and have been cuddling up together. We have got them in a nice big kennel together to give them some comfort. The early signs are that we will try to find them a home together.
Mud on Lois’ back
(Image: Hope Rescue)
“Because they were found straying they will have to stay with us for seven days, then after that, as long as they are doing well and putting on weight normally, we will assess them for what sort of home they are looking for and hopefully then they will be able to go up for adoption quite quickly. But especially with things like their grooming, it is going to be a bit of an ordeal for them because of how matted they are, so we just want to take it nice and slowly so we make sure we build up trust with them.”
Sara said sadly this isn’t the first case of reportedly abandoned animals they have dealt with so far in 2025. She urged anyone struggling to look after their pets to make contact with the rescue. She said: “We are only on January 9 and already this year this is our second case of dogs abandoned locally in a poor condition. We had two matted Cockapoos a week ago, we’ve also had puppies in with skin conditions. It feels relentless.
“I think what people don’t always see is the fall out for the dogs to be abandoned in that way is hugely distressing. The team is all here because they love animals and they want the best for them, but it can take an emotional toll. We try very hard to focus on the positives, that those dogs are safe and we can do the best for them.
“We understand sometimes situations can be desperate, but this is not the way to go about it. It’s not right for the animals and it’s not right for the people helping them. We would urge people to reach out early. While all rescues are under pressure, if we haven’t got room to help those animals we can signpost to other organisations and we can offer advice to prevent it from getting to this point.”
Thanking everyone involved in saving the dogs, she said: “We are so grateful. Even though it has been such a distressing situation, it has already been so heartwarming to see how hard people worked to protect them, and the community spirit. We’ve had so many messages of support and shares which has been amazing. We are very grateful to those people who helped catch them.”
Sara said Hope Rescue is appealing for information about the dogs, how they ended up on the mountain and how they came to be in such poor condition. People with information can contact the refuge in confidence on 01443 226659 or email enquiries@hoperescue.org.uk.
Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox
Find out what’s happening near you