Almost 500 dogs have been surrendered to an animal welfare charity already this year – including five puppies who were abandoned in a garden in Dublin.
Dogs Trust said the puppies were no more than five days old when they were found by a shocked member of the public in his garden in Finglas.
Dogs Trust Ireland Vet Niamh Curran-Kelly said puppies are “completely and utterly dependent” on their mothers at that age – and would not have survived much longer without proper care.
Puppies this age are unable to regulate their temperature, or even open their eyes, so without help they wouldn’t have survived much longer. Thankfully, they got to us in time so we could give them the care they needed, including bottle feeding and toileting them every two hours. pic.twitter.com/C0ccBw9Kei
— Dogs Trust Ireland (@DogsTrust_IE) March 14, 2022
“Their eyes and ears are closed and they’re unable to toilet themselves or regulate their body temperature, so they wouldn’t have survived much longer their own,” she said.
“Thankfully, they got to us in time so we could give them the care they needed, including bottle feeding and toileting them every two hours.
“Sadly, the smallest of the litter passed away despite veterinary intervention but unfortunately, this is quite common with orphaned puppies.”
Shocked at the discovery of finding them in his garden, a kind man brought them straight into us so they could receive the lifesaving care they needed. The number of unwanted & abandoned dogs is overwhelming. We need your help: https://t.co/pmMjUEsJ9N pic.twitter.com/7gg7bsq6l8
— Dogs Trust Ireland (@DogsTrust_IE) March 14, 2022
The four surviving puppies, thought to be Pomeranian crossbreeds, have now been rehomed and are “settling into loving homes after their traumatic start to life”.
Dogs Trust Ireland Head of Communications Ciara Murran said the charity has been “overwhelmed with almost 500 surrender requests since the beginning of the year”.
“As a charity that receives no government funding, we are appealing to the public to help support our life-saving work by sponsoring a dog or a puppy playgroup so we can continue to help the dogs who need us the most,” she said.
