Abandoned puppies now ‘living their best lives’

Five out of six puppies rescued after being abandoned in a bin bag have made a full recovery and have been rehomed, the RSPCA has said.

The dogs were found in a layby on Staithes Road, Preston, in East Yorkshire, in July by a motorist who noticed the bag was moving.

The sixth puppy is still undergoing treatment for a spinal issue and an eye condition at the charity’s Hull and East Riding branch, but staff have said his behaviour is generally that of a normal puppy.

Centre manager Carina Porte said: “Just seeing that journey, and them going off to their forever homes with amazing people and living their best lives – that’s why we do this job.”

The black puppies are thought to be French bull and chihuahua crosses, and the litter consists of three females and three males.

When they arrived at the RSCPA site on Clough Road in Hull, staff said they were severely dehydrated because of the hot weather.

Ms Porte said: “They were really lethargic and not in great condition.

“The main worry for us was that they were five weeks old. They should be with their mum. That was a concern as well.”

They were kept under close supervision by the animal care assistants, who even took them to their own homes to bottle feed them.

“We had to give them lots of love and attention. They have needed a lot of care and nursing to get them to where they are today,” Ms Porte added.

Although his siblings have made a full recovery, the sixth puppy, Axel, is being checked by the vet every day and could need surgery in the future.

One of the dogs, Ethel, has been adopted by Danielle Pinder, who works at the centre.

She said: “We fell in love.

“It was so hard seeing them in the early few weeks, but now that they’re running around and playing, it’s just so rewarding.”

Husband and wife Mandy and Steve Wilkinson adopted one of the female puppies, Rosie, three weeks ago and said it has been “like a dream come true”.

Mr Wilkinson said: “Those three weeks have been absolutely fantastic.

“She likes lots of cuddles on the settee with us and the training is going very well. We have never had a dog so switched on as she is.

“A few of my friends have said ‘well done, good for you’. Everyone we speak to has heard about the puppies when they were found and we are so lucky because we have one.”

An RSPCA spokesperson added: “We’re continuing to appeal for information about how these poor pups came to be abandoned, and urge anyone who knows anything to get in touch.”

Staff said they wanted to make sure that incidents like this are avoided in the future.

Ms Porte said: “If anyone is struggling, there’s always people here to help. We might not initially be able to take the animals due to space, but we will always try and help anyway we can.”