Newborn puppies killed and left by roadside in Carlow

THERE was outright disgust and horror in Carlow town when two newborn puppies were left to die, or possibly even killed, on Monday morning in freezing conditions.

Daniel Comiskey Sullivan (20), who lives near the Burrin Road, was returning home from a local grocery shop when he spotted a small animal on the grass near the football pitch, while there was also a plastic bag with at least one puppy in it on the Burrin Road. The puppy lying on the grass looked like it had been injured, possibly with its throat cut, and was covered in blood.

“At first I thought it was a large mouse when I saw it lying on the grass, but then I looked closer and saw it was a tiny puppy. Then I saw a crumpled-up bag with a head hanging out of it. I could see there was at least another puppy in that,” said Daniel.

Distraught and unsure of what to do, Daniel called his mother Sallyann Sullivan, who in turn called the council. Daniel then met a council worker, accompanied him to the scene and showed him where the plastic bag was and he took it away.

In the meantime, the puppy which had been lying on the grass was removed by an animal lover and brought to a vet. Both puppies were still warm when Daniel found them but, unfortunately, they were dead.

“It’s terrible. How could anyone do that? There are so many people who could have taken care of those puppies,” said Daniel.

Sallyann posted the story on Facebook to highlight the situation. The story provoked a huge response, with people expressing their disgust that someone could do such a heinous thing to two vulnerable animals. 

Concern was also raised about the welfare of the mother of the pups, with people calling for the owner of the dog to turn her over to an animal rescue centre or the ISPCA.

Tina, who runs the Carlow Lost and Found Pets page on Facebook, told The Nationalist that it was “sickening”.

Tina said: “Those puppies were newborn with their umbilical cords still attached. It’s sickening. What kind of person would do that? You wouldn’t usually find a bag with pups in it in such a public place, but we reckon that with the bad weather, the person couldn’t get out to the countryside to abandon them there. There was no need at all for that person to do that. No animal rescue centre would turn away a pregnant dog.

“There are always people out there to help. We are very concerned about the mother. I would urge the person who owns the dog to contact a rescue centre and give them the dog. There’s no need for this to happen. It’s heartbreaking.”