A litter of seven red Labrador puppies who were ''discarded like rubbish'' in an abandoned crate by the road have been rescued and will now be trained to become police dogs. The timid little pups were only 10-12 weeks when they were found dumped just off the A249 in Kent. They were described as ''skinny, terrified and mange-ridden.''
After their cruel start in life the poor puppies were too afraid to leave their shelter crate when they were discovered, the Mirror reports. Out of the seven, one pup named Achilles sadly died from an unknown illness but his siblings have all been taken care of by a stray dog service and are in good health.
The litter who are now being cared for by the council have since had two vaccines, been microchipped and are now lively playful pups. They are now off to a foster family where they'll get to live as puppies until they're mature enough to begin their training, and if they don't make the cut, they'll be privately rehomed.
A spokesperson for Swale Borough Council's Stray Dog Service said: "This may be the cutest picture we've posted all year, don't the pups look fantastic? They've just come back from their second vaccinations and are bright eyed and bushy tailed, a far cry from when we picked them up just a few weeks ago.
"Now they're almost back to full health, we're finally able to share what their futures hold. In a few weeks time, we'll be saying a very teary goodbye as the pups move to foster homes, taking the first step in their careers as sniffer dogs for the prison service.
''We know that by making this choice we open ourselves up to negativity, as it isn't what everyone deems to be a happy ending, but we're overjoyed for our babies. They'll live their first year with foster families, getting to be puppies and mature a bit before starting their training.
''Any pups who don't make the cut will be rehomed privately so really, everyone wins. Just think, they've gone from being discarded like rubbish to having a future fighting crime, what an amazing turnaround.
"Kelly and Billy have done a phenomenal job caring for the pups and we couldn't be more grateful. As always, thank you for your support."
The puppies' rescuers have been applauded by dog lovers online, with one person saying: "Dogs with jobs! What an absolutely perfect outcome after a wretched start." As the rising cost of living puts immense financial pressures on households across the UK, a record number of pets are being abandoned on the streets and in rescue centres.
According to the RSPCA, the number of animals being dumped is rapidly rising with a 17 percent increase from 2020 to 2021 and a 24 percent increase in 2022. The animal charity's frontline team discovered five newborn puppies left to die on a front doorstep in Morden, South London, on Sunday.
Heartbreaking photos show the young litter huddling together in a blanket to keep warm. It is estimated three of the dogs are around five weeks old, and the littlest two pups just days old.
It comes days after five newborn puppies with umbilical cords still attached were abandoned in the woods in Sheffield. They were only hours old and "extremely vulnerable", but thankfully received emergency round-the-clock care.
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