Puppy dumped in St Helens car park
The RSPCA is appealing for people to come forward with information after a poorly puppy was dumped in St Helens.
The pomeranian puppy was handed in to the RSPCA after being found out in a car park on Monday, 12 September. He was immediately taken to a vets where he was being treated for symptoms of parvo - a virus which can be fatal to dogs.
Sadly, he died overnight after his condition deteriorated.
RSPCA inspector Helen Smith said: “This poor dog was only a couple of months old. He was lethargic, terrified, whimpering, freezing cold and wet when he arrived. It was heartbreaking.
“The person who handed in the dog was not able to say exactly where he found the dog, other than it was in a car park in St Helen’s.
“We wish we had more information than this so we do urge anyone who has any information at all to contact us on 0300 123 8018. Perhaps you recognise the puppy or you have heard someone say that they did this - anything at all which you think could help us, please do get in touch.”
The puppy is the latest in a string of abandoned dogs locally in the last three weeks. A six-week-old spaniel puppy was dumped in a supermarket car park in Leigh on 25 August and the RSPCA also received reports of another dumped spaniel puppy found in a car park of Tesco, in Leigh, on 8 September.
Both are now recovering.
Inspector Smith said: “We don’t know whether there is a link in these cases or not, but are very concerned that we seem to be seeing this string of poorly puppies being abandoned in the area.
“We urge anyone in the area who has recently bought a spaniel puppy or a pomeranian puppy in the last few weeks to contact us on 0300 123 8018 so we can investigate this further.”
The RSPCA is also investigating other recent abandonments in Merseyside. A four-month-old crossbreed puppy, also with parvo symptoms, was dumped in Queens Drive, Liverpool, on Thursday (15 September). The dog sadly died the next day.
And an emaciated female Staffordshire bull terrier covered in mange was dumped outside a rescue centre in Huyton on Monday, 5 September. She was so poorly that she was put to sleep on veterinary advice to prevent further suffering.