Charlie the boxer is thought to have been locked up and left

It was an increase of more than 1,000 on the 6,259 reports in 2003, the RSPCA said.

But there were also fewer convictions, with 34 in 2004 compared to 47 the previous year.

Across the UK, inspectors saw more than 70,000 animals whose basic needs for food, water and shelter were ignored.

The RSPCA is using the rise in cruelty cases to call for changes to existing welfare legislation.

In Wales, the RSPCA also reported that 53 people ignored its advice and warnings in 2004, compared to 28 in 2003.

Both Last Hope's ears had been cut off

Meanwhile, the number of rescues and collections remained similar, with 9,380 in 2004 as opposed to 9,410 in 2003.

An RSPCA spokesman in Wales said the jump in the number of complaints and also the increase in people ignoring advice seemed inconsistent.

"Awareness of the problems probably have risen, but ignorance of responsibility has increased too - it is hard to marry the two," he said.

In December 2004, a man who mutilated a greyhound and left it to die on Fochriw Mountain, near Merthyr Tydfil, south Wales, was jailed for six months.

Andrew Gough, from near Caerphilly, was also banned from keeping animals for life after shooting the dog and hacking off its ears in a bid to stop it being identified.

Shooting fears

Last month, a three-legged boxer dog which was emaciated and with overgrown claws was handed in at Rhyl police station. The dog, called Charlie, was believed to have been locked up and abandoned.

In June, there were also concerns that a goose and gosling found dead beside a pond in south Wales might have been shot.

The figures released by the RSPCA on Wednesday also revealed that, in Wales and the West of England, farm animals were most often involved in problems, followed by dogs and puppies.