In a remote field, a lurcher who was only two years old was chained tightly to a metal fence post using her collar. What made this situation even more heartbreaking was that the dog had been abandoned along with six puppies. These puppies were too small to open their eyes and the dog was unable to provide them with food and drink as she was bound by the chain that was straining at her collar. A passerby who saw the helpless mother and her babies in a field near Elphin quickly requested help on November 6th. The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA) then took the mother and her puppies to a nearby vet facility.
It was unclear for how long the family of seven dogs had been stranded before being rescued. The mother and her puppies were believed to have been abandoned shortly after the mother gave birth. The lack of water, food, and shelter posed a threat to the mother and her young pups, who were barely two years old. Hugh O’Toole, the manager of the ISPCA center, expressed his gratitude for being notified of the situation. He acknowledged that the recent rains and cold temperatures could have resulted in a different outcome. The canines were promptly taken to the ISPCA’s national animal facility in County Longford for medical attention. While they had to endure hunger and the freezing conditions, fortunately, none of the dogs suffered any severe injuries.
The ISPCA faced a difficult challenge when they had to handle a large family of seven. Due to limited resources and capacity, they had to rely on private boarding kennels to accommodate the many animals waiting to be taken in. It can also take some time to find responsible and suitable homes for all the animals under their care. It’s outrageous that some people think it’s acceptable to abandon a dog tied to a fence just to breed puppies, as shared by the anger of animal advocates.
The ISPCA received an outpouring of comments when they posted photos of a courageous lurcher and her puppies on Facebook. A commenter expressed that it was the saddest photo ever seen, and this type of cruelty needs to stop. Another Facebook user stated that there must be stronger laws and harsher consequences for animal abuse, similar to what other countries have done. It is mandatory to microchip dogs in the UK, but Emmy Lou, the mother dog, was not chipped and could not be traced to an owner.
Six adorable puppies, named Billy Ray, Dixie, Dolly, Dotty, June, and Patsy, have found a temporary home at the ISPCA until they are ready to be adopted. The ISPCA, just like other animal welfare organizations worldwide, promotes spaying and neutering pets as a way to control the population of unwanted animals. Luckily for Emmy Lou and her little ones, they were fortunate to have been discovered by a kind-hearted passerby during a chilly November day in the Irish countryside. With any luck, their good fortune may continue for many years to come.