Eight puppies were left to an "unthinkable fate" after being tied to a tree at a former coal mine, with no clue as to who left them or why. The dogs, believed to be Caucasian shepherd crosses, were rescued from Ollerton Pit, in Newark, in a harrowing condition and taken to Jerry Green Dog Rescue for emergency treatment.
The North Lincolnshire centre received an urgent plea for help from a man who had found the puppies "starving, filthy, and covered in fleas" on Saturday. A spokeswoman for the charity told the Mirror : "Tied up and simply abandoned. Left to an unthinkable fate.
"They were filthy, covered in faeces, riddled in fleas with sore skin from countless bites, absolutely ravenous, and one of the pups in our care appears to have a deformed leg which will need veterinary investigation.
"We believe the puppies to be Caucasian shepherd crosses, but it is impossible to be sure given their condition. They are large breed shepherd types, underweight and needing a lot of TLC. We believe they are just 14 to 16 weeks old.
"It doesn't bear thinking about what might have happened to them if they were not found by such a kind stranger."
The puppies will need a "huge amount of care" before they can be rehomed, with the centre asking for donations to help them cover the costs.
"It never gets any less shocking seeing innocent puppies reduced to this condition," she added.
"Going by current trends and the volume of desperate calls we are receiving every day at the moment, there will likely be another tragic case following close behind them. The need is relentless.
"Please help us if you can, we need to always be able to help puppies like this when they need us.
"We know we are asking an awful lot of you, our supporters, at the moment, but we cannot remember a time in recent memory when quite so much has been asked of us.
"The last few months have been nothing short of relentless for the teams in our centres.
"Our emaciated Dogue de Bordeaux puppies, our thirteen sad and terrified shih tzus, countless calls requesting urgent intake every, single day, our teams having to make heart breaking decisions over who we can help, and now this."
It comes after the RSPCA reported a stark increase in the number of animals being dumped on the streets, with a 17 per cent rise from 2020 to 2021 and another 24 per cent increase this year.
Dermot Murphy, chief inspectorate officer at the RSPCA, said: "The idea of putting your cat in a cat carrier and taking them to a secluded spot in the woods before walking away, or chucking your dog out of the car and driving off leaving them desperately running behind the vehicle, is absolutely unthinkable and heartbreaking to most pet owners - but sadly we are seeing animals callously abandoned like this every single day.
"We understand that sometimes the unexpected can happen - the pandemic and cost of living crisis proved that - but there is never an excuse to abandon an animal. There are always other options for anyone who has fallen on hard times and can no longer afford to keep their pet."
To donate to Jerry Green Dog Rescue, visit their website.
Do you have a cute dog story to share? Email paige.freshwater@reachplc.com.
