AN animal shelter is raising funds to help with the care of five young puppies abandoned within a week.
The puppies, aged between nine and 12 weeks, were taken in by the Mid Ulster Rehoming Centre for Dogs after members of the public found them a “stone’s throw away” from each other around the Stewartstown area.
Each puppy has severe health issues. Oscar a King Charles Cavalier, has restricted vision and is showing signs of improvement, while Buddy, a Labrador mix, has undergone surgery to remove an ulcerated eye.
In a social media update on Buddy’s condition the centre said that his surgery could have “been prevented if immediate veterinary attention had been sought”.
Coco, a Dachshund, has an untreated leg injury, while the remaining two Dachshund pups are suffering from severe untreated mange.
Nicole Cunningham, a volunteer at the centre, said the dogs will require extensive care.
The centre believes the pups were abandoned as their conditions worsened and the breeder or owner wanted to avoid the cost of vet bills.
“The pups are probably going to be here for five to six months, they have a long road ahead of them. Mange isn’t something that is healed over night, one of them is completely bald, not a hair on their body,” she added.
“They’re here because whoever had them looked them and thought it was going to cost them money and didn’t think it was worth it.”
Nicole urged the public “adopt don’t shop”.
She added: “I understand why people buy, but at at the same time you are lining the pockets of breeders, and that is all some of them care about. It gets to that stage in the cycle where if the breeder can’t rehome them, they will end up here with us anyways,” she said.
The centre is currently taking donations towards the care of the pups. Donations can be made here.
