'Overwhelmed' dogs charity appeals for public support after 500 surrender requests

A dogs charity is appealing for public support after being "overwhelmed" with over 500 surrender requests since the beginning of the year. 

The call from Dogs Trust Ireland - which takes in and rehomes dogs from local authority pounds all across Ireland - comes after a member of the public discovered a litter of newborn puppies in a cardboard box in his garden. 

After bringing the puppies to the charity, it was discovered they were no more than five days old. 

Head of Communications at Dogs Trust, Ciara Murran, said, "As a charity that receives no government funding, we are appealing to the public to help support our life-saving work by sponsoring a dog or a puppy playgroup so we can continue to help the dogs who need us the most."

Shocked at the discovery of finding them in his garden, a kind man brought them straight into us so they could receive the lifesaving care they needed. The number of unwanted & abandoned dogs is overwhelming. We need your help: https://t.co/pmMjUEsJ9N pic.twitter.com/7gg7bsq6l8

— Dogs Trust Ireland (@DogsTrust_IE) March 14, 2022

Veterinary and Welfare Manager at Dogs Trust Ireland, Niamh Curran-Kelly, said, "Puppies of this age are completely and utterly dependent on their mum. Their eyes and ears are closed and they’re unable to toilet themselves or regulate their body temperature, so they wouldn’t have survived much longer their own.

"Thankfully, they got to us in time so we could give them the care they needed, including bottle feeding and toileting them every two hours. Sadly, the smallest of the litter passed away, despite veterinary intervention but unfortunately this is quite common with orphaned puppies." 

The four puppies, suspected to be Pomeranian crossbreeds, have since been rehomed. 

Image: Dogs Trust Ireland