Two puppies were left abandoned under a railway bridge tethered by a piece of rope. The female and male Cane Corso pups - who are only about four-months-old - were found in Moss Road, Stretford, on Saturday, May 13.
Today the RSPCA, whose care they are now in, said irresponsible breeding may be the reason why the pair were dumped. The charity says the young dogs could have been left by their owner after they failed to sell.
Described as nervous in nature, they were discovered by a member of the public who kindly went home to get leads for them before they were collected from her house by one of the charity’s animal rescue officers, Helen Chapman, the following morning.
READ MORE: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community
Both pups are currently being cared for at Greater Manchester Animal Hospital where they will be neutered and then rehomed. The Italian breed of mastiff was developed to guard property and hunt big game but they can be a good family pet as they are bred to be loyal and loving.
Helen, who has made enquiries in the local area, said: “We don’t know where these puppies have come from but we suspect they may have been abandoned by a breeder after failing to sell, or perhaps the owner couldn’t afford their veterinary care or wasn’t prepared to get them neutered. We also can’t rule out the possibility that they were left here after being found by someone, although we think this is a less likely scenario.
“They were both quite anxious little characters who didn’t look like they’d experienced much of the outside world, although of course it must have been a distressing experience for very young animals to be left in an unfamiliar and noisy environment. It was extremely fortunate that they didn’t escape onto the busy road and get injured or cause an accident.
“We’d appeal to anyone who may recognise them, knows anyone who has bred a litter of cane corso puppies locally recently or was driving or walking in the area at the time to contact our appeal line on 0300 123 8018.”
More animals being abandoned
Cases of abandonment continue to rise. Last month (April) alone, the RSPCA received 1,508 reports to its emergency line about an animal being abandoned. That compares with 1,370 incidents for the same month last year, a rise of 9.6 per cent.
The animal welfare charity encourages people to consider adopting instead of buying a puppy and has thousands of dogs available for rehoming every year including all different breeds, ages, shapes and sizes.
The charity says If you're buying a puppy be sensible and follow these steps:
*Use the Puppy Contract to help you find a breeder, ask the right questions, and find a happy and healthy dog
*Be cautious if you're following online adverts and look out for bad breeders or dealers
*Visit the puppy at home and see them with their mum, visit more than once and ask lots of questions - remember your puppy cannot leave mum until he is at least eight weeks old
*Check the seller is licensed and ask for health checks and veterinary paperwork
*Never pay cash, be pressured into buying quickly or arrange to meet a seller anywhere outside of the place they bred the pup
*If anything seems dodgy then walk away and contact the relevant authorities.
READ NEXT:
Woman arrested and 15 dogs seized after Jonathan Hogg, 37, mauled to death
'The pink café in Trafford Palazzo has lost its mind if it thinks our food was worth £70'
"My £125 mistake in a Manchester city centre car park that I don't want others to make"
Ancoats crimewave has locals 's***ting themselves' - others want to turn vigilante
