Puppies dumped like rubbish at roadside

Published 22 Jun 2010 08:49 0 Comments

The Scottish SPCA is appealing for information after six puppies were found abandoned in a cardboard box by a roadside in Central Fife.

The four week old crossbreed puppies, four girls and two boys, were discovered by a motorist who had pulled into a lay-by on the B925 road, near Crossgates on 9th June at around 5pm.

He heard the frightened puppies' cries coming from the box, which had been callously dumped on the ground, with a rock placed on top of it.

The concerned motorist picked up the box and took the puppies home, then called Scotland's animal welfare charity for help.

Senior Inspector John Chisholm arrived and took the puppies home with him for the night before transporting them to the charity's Lanarkshire Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre in Hamilton where they are now receiving care and shelter at the centre's dedicated puppy facility.

Inspector Chisholm said, "We believe the puppies were dumped at the lay-by sometime on Wednesday afternoon.

"It's unlikely they were there for any longer than a couple of hours as the cardboard box was still fairly dry and intact.

"This is a busy country road and the lay-by is used regularly by motorists so we are hopeful that someone may have witnesses the puppies being abandoned.

"The puppies, which are approximately four weeks old and likely to be of collie cross type, are all doing well, but they really shouldn't have been taken away from their mother at this early stage in their development.

"We are concerned for the welfare of the mother as we don't know why the pups have been taken away from her and whether she is well herself.

"There is no excuse for abandoning any animal, but to dump six defenceless little puppies like rubbish at the side of a busy road really is cruel."

The Scottish SPCA is urging local people to come forward with any information relating to the puppies.

"Someone may know of a neighbour or family member who has a dog that recently had puppies, which are no longer around," Inspector Chisholm said.

"We're also keen to speak to anyone who passed by or stopped at the lay-by on Wednesday afternoon and noticed someone carrying a cardboard box or acting suspiciously."

Abandoning an animal is an offence and anyone found guilty of doing so can face stiff penalties including up to six months in prison, a £5000 fine and a ban on keeping animals for a fixed period or life. Anyone with information should contact the Scottish SPCA Animal Helpline on 03000 999 999.

Tweet

Post a comment

Your Comment:

Registered users log in here

Username or email

Password

If you are registered with us, you can login here. If you are not registered, do so now.
Once logged in you wont have to complete word verification each time you post.

Prefer not to register?

Screen Name *required

Email (not displayed) *required

Usernames must be 4 - 20 characters. Registration only takes a few minutes. Registered users can also take part in competitions and other features of the site.

Word Verification:
Enter the text as shown.

Return to the main index, get more from this section or browse our News archives.

Follow @dunfermlinep