The ISPCA have thanked a member of the public and the gardaí for rescuing a newborn puppy in Donegal.

In the early hours of this morning, a member of the public discovered the tiny dog in a hedge near Ard O'Donnell in Letterkenny.

The puppy was brought to Letterkenny garda station, where the staff made him as comfortable as possible.

The pooch, named 'Starsky', was given his own 'K9 unit' with warm blankets, and he was fed warm milk with a syringe overnight.

ISPCA inspector Kevin McGinley was contacted by the Letterkenny garda station and came to pick up the puppy, which is only 10 days old.

Inspector McGinley said: "They didn't only look after the little pup, they went the extra mile and showed so much compassion. It was a lovely gesture".

"I have to say in all my years working with the ISPCA, this is one of the most heart-warming gestures I have ever come across".

As Starsky is so young, he will need to be fed by syringe and bottle for the coming weeks until he is old enough for solid foods.

The puppy was found alone and with no identification, so an owner has not been found.

"The mother could have left the puppy for a while and went looking for food, or it could have simply been abandoned. We would encourage anyone with any information about the puppy to come forward," added Inspector McGinley.

They are appealing for those with information about the puppy to contact the ISPCA National Animal Cruelty Helpline in confidence on 1890-515-515.