Tiny pup dies in Laois woods after three are dumped

A NEWBORN puppy drowned in a drain in a remote Laois woodland this week, after he and two others were cruelly dumped and left to die.

The heartbreaking discovery was made by a woman out walking in the area, who kindly brought the puppies home before contacting an animal rescue.

The surviving pair, just a few days old, are in the care of Cara Rescue Dogs volunteers, who are appealing for help in finding those responsible for what they described as ‘horrible’ cruelty. According to the Laois-based charity, both surviving pups were hypothermic and ‘barely clinging to life’ when they were found.

The charity said: ‘These puppies didn't wander into the forest. Someone brought them there. They were newborn domestic puppies who should have been safe, warm and feeding from their mammy.’ 

All three dogs, who appear to be Akita or Shiba Inu-type breed, were discovered in Woodbrook woodlands near Portarlington on Wednesday.

Local woman Phil was on a woodland stroll when she heard what she thought was a bird squeaking. She found one tiny puppy and then almost stepped on another, too weak even to cry. Beside them lay the third, already dead.

Phil rescued the surviving pair, whom she named Emma and Molly and cared for them through the night, keeping them warm and feeding them regularly. They were taken in by Cara Rescue Dogs on Thursday.

Volunteers are convinced that the litter was dumped and that it was not a case of a stray dog giving birth in the woods.

In a social media post on Thursday, the Cara group said: ‘We're appealing for help finding the person who appears to have ‘accidentally’ left three puppies, just three to four days old, in a remote wooded area.

‘Sadly, we have news for you. One of your puppies is dead. The tiny pup appears to have drowned in a drain, likely suffering a terrifying death. The other two were found nearby, cold, weak, hypothermic and barely clinging to life.

‘What exactly did you imagine would happen? That puppies who can barely squirm a few inches would fend for themselves? Or did you consider that they might starve, freeze, be taken by wildlife or drown? Because one of them did.

‘These puppies didn't wander into the forest. Someone brought them there. They weren't fox cubs. They were newborn domestic puppies … The two survivors are now in our care. They're extremely vulnerable and every hour is a milestone.’ 

The rescue group added: ‘Only weeks ago, Cara appealed publicly to anyone struggling with unwanted or vulnerable dogs or puppies to contact us. We will try to help. Please don't suggest that leaving newborn puppies in a drain was the only option. There are ALWAYS better options.

‘Somewhere, a mother dog is missing her babies. Somewhere, someone knows exactly what happened. That person went home to a warm house while three tiny lives were left in the cold. One didn't survive. So if you ‘misplaced’ three puppies in Woodbrook yesterday, we'd be delighted to hear your explanation.’ 

Paying tribute to Phil for her kindness, Cara volunteers said: ‘People like Phil are rare and so valuable to this life. We are forever grateful to her.’ 

In an update on Friday, the charity said the surviving pups are stable and settled in a foster home with Rachel, an invaluable member of the group’s life-saving foster team.

Rachel feels they are possibly around nine days old. We will have a better idea when their eyes open. These pups were definitely NOT born in the woods. They were left there. And mammy dog was definitely NOT in the vicinity. Hard to believe, but someone did this. We couldn't leave the deceased little boy behind, so we have now given him a dignified resting place.

‘The next few weeks will be delicate, but we know they have the absolute best possible chance of surviving thanks to all the team involved and also you, our dedicated faithful followers.’