A kind-hearted Dublin couple helped save an abandoned pregnant dog who was on the brink of death.
Lurcher, Rainbow, was found severely malnourished when she wandered into their garden ready to give birth late on St Patrick's Day this year. Poor Rainbow was dehydrated and completely exhausted.
The couple sat with Rainbow all night as she gave birth to 10 puppies. They brought the mother and her babies to Dogs Trust the following day.
Read more: Dublin dog shelter pleas for help due to 'emergency' overcrowding
Rainbow, as she was lovingly named by the Dogs Trust staff, was so malnourished that she was unable to produce enough milk for her puppies, an expert said. Veterinary and Welfare Manager Niamh Curran-Kelly said: "It broke our hearts to see the condition Rainbow was in when she arrived; she had clearly been straying for a while.
"Despite our best efforts and round the clock bottle feeding, only four of her puppies survived. Rainbow’s body simply hadn’t been able to produce healthy puppies due to starvation.
"It’s a miracle any survived so, we are very happy and relieved that Rainbow and her four pups are now thriving and almost ready for their forever homes!"
Dogs Trust fears more dogs like Rainbow will be abandoned as surrender requests are at an all-time high. Regional Rehoming Manager Eimear Cassidy said: "We are seeing a huge rise in the number of people looking to surrender dogs into our care, which is extremely worrying.
"What we really need now are more foster homes all around Ireland and people willing to take on dogs who need extra training and space to settle in.
"Due to the pandemic, many of the dogs in our care missed out on vital socialisation so they can be very worried and therefore not suited to homes with young children due to their fearfulness. If you think you can give one of our adult dogs a quiet, temporary home, we would love to hear from you."
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