AN APPEAL has been launched to find the owners of two puppies dumped in a cardboard box at Hopwood Services.
They were left out in temperatures of more than 30°C and were lucky to be found alive when they were discovered.
The two distressed Boston Terrier-type dogs, who are thought to be eight to ten weeks old, were left by bins at the motorway pull-in at lunchtime on August 3 in the scorching heat.
A passing motorist had stopped off at the Welcome Break off the M42 when her children decided to look inside a covered cardboard box.
The mother rushed the pups, who were clearly distressed and one was suffering from heatstroke, to a local vet’s for treatment.
The larger of the two puppies was seriously ill with heat-stroke and was in respiratory distress. He had to have oxygen and was cooled down with wet towels. His temperature was 41°C which would have killed him if he was left untreated much longer.
The young dogs are now doing well in foster care and have been named Billy and Bobby.
Insp Herchy Boal, who is investigating the incident, said: “It really is disgusting that someone would just throw out these puppies away as though they were rubbish.
“It was by pure chance that these dogs were found by the passing motorist and if they had been left much longer they could have easily died from heat stroke as the temperatures were really high and beginning to climb further.
“The cardboard box had the lid shut and it was like an oven in there for them.
“I am keen to find who dumped the puppies and will be looking at CCTV taken from the service station as part of my investigation.
“The cardboard box they were found in was also distinctive as it has the logo of an international removal company on it which also may help identify the person responsible.”
She added last summer the team of inspectors and officers investigated more complaints of abandoned animals than they had done for two years which shows a worrying trend that things might be getting worse.
“We try to help as many animals as we can but we have just 332 inspectors which means one inspector for every 162,000 people so we have to prioritise the animals who are suffering most.
“We see every type of animal abandoned from dogs, cats and small animals to horses, farm animals and even exotic animals like pythons just left out on the street in their vivariums.
“Every animal has specific welfare needs and it’s so dangerous to leave any animal abandoned and having to fend for itself.
“There’s no saying why people choose to abandon their animals, or why this rises in the summer – possibly people dump their animals when they head off on holiday and haven’t found anyone to look after their pet when they’re away.
“Or maybe they feel less guilty, leaving a pet to fend for itself in the warmer weather, compared to the cold winter months.”
Visit www.rspca.org.uk/penny to help the charity with its busy summer rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming thousands of animals.
