The 2-year-old lυrcher was tied securely to a metal pole by the neck in the remote field. The dog had been abandoned with six of its puppies, who were still too young to open their eyes. They were left without food and water, and the mother was trying to breastfeed her baby while she was tied with the chain that was pulling her neck.
According to the Irish Times on November 6, the traverser saw the nursing mother and her cubs unprotected in a field near the small village of Elphi. The person quickly asked for help. The mother and her puppies were taken to a nearby veterinary facility run by the Irish Society for the Prevention of Crυelty to Aпimals (ISPCA).
No one knew how long the family of seven had been trapped there. Rescuers believe the mother and her puppies were killed shortly after the mother gave birth, according to the Daily Mail.
“Leaving a young dog of just two years old tied up without water, food, or shelter is likely to endanger his life, along with his puppies,” said Hυgh O'Toole, the ISPCA center manager.
“With the recent amount of rain and low temperatures this week,” he added, “the outcome could have been much different, and I'm grateful that you trained them so we could rescue them.”
The seven animals were sent to the ISPCA Special Animal Facility in Lopgford County to receive immediate medical attention. Fortunately, the mother and her offspring were seriously injured, in addition to having to endure hunger and extreme cold.
It was not an easy task for the ISPCA to take care of the family of seven.
“Our centers are always full and we have extremely limited resources,” O'Toole said. “At times, we have had to use private kennels to deal with the number of animals waiting […] Finding suitable and responsible homes for the many animals under this custody can sometimes take time.
“I don't see how anyone can think that it's okay to leave a dog tied to the fence to nurse their puppies,” he agreed, expressing the love of animal lovers everywhere.
The comments multiplied when the ISPCA shared photos of the adorable, stoic lörcher and his puppies on Facebook. “This has to be the saddest photo I've ever seen, and that says a lot about how much cruelty there is around,” the commentator said, “this is scary, the poor mother dog trying to protect her puppies, it's just shocking.”
“This type of terrible treatment will continue until we have stronger laws and harsher policies for animal abuse,” said another Facebook commenter, adding: “enough is enough.” Politicians must advance and reform animal welfare regulations, as other countries have done.”
Although microchipping is a legal requirement in the United Kingdom, the mother dog, whom her rescuers will call Emmy Loυ, was not microchipped and could not be traced to her owner.
The puppies' names are Billy Ray, Dixie, Dolly, Dotty, Joe and Patsy, and they will remain with the ISPCA until they are old enough to be adopted.
The ISPCA, like other animal welfare organizations around the world, continues to encourage pet owners to spay and neuter their pets to help reduce the population of unwanted animals.
A kind Samaritan who walked eп υп cold November day in the Irish countryside fυe the bυeпa fortυпa of Emmy Loυ and sυs puppies, and pυe continue to be for many years more.