Eight kelpie-cross puppies found dumped inside roadside bin
Eight five-week old puppies were found by chance inside a roadside bin by a woman and her daughter who stopped for lunch.
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A woman and her six-year-old daughter who stopped for lunch while driving through South Australia’s Riverland found eight five-week old puppies dumped inside a roadside bin.
The passing motorist – who was returning from a family gathering in Renmark – made the discovery on Sunday afternoon after pulling up into a remote truck rest stop between Wigley Flat and Kingston On Murray.
The mother and daughter just began eating some takeaway when the woman heard whimpering coming from a nearby concrete bin and had to kick the lid off in order to open it.
Under some rubbish she found two Drover brand 20kg dog food bags that coathanger wire wrapped around the zip locks.
With the help of her daughter, the woman unwound the wire and found the kelpie-cross puppies, lifting them out of the bags.
Two of the puppies at the bottom of the bag were limp, covered in maggots and unresponsive, and all were badly dehydrated.
Once back in Gawler with the puppies, the woman contacted the RSPCA SA, and an inspector rushed the puppies to a vet.
Sadly, one of the seriously ill dogs died in transit, while the other was euthanised.
The remaining six puppies are expected to fully recover and are in RSPCA SA care.
The organisation’s chief inspector Andrea Lewis said the dumping of the live animals showed an appalling lack of empathy for the suffering it caused.
“This incident falls into the highest end of callous treatment of animals,” Ms Lewis said.
“These puppies were found purely by chance, and we have no idea how long they had been there.
“You would have to assume that whoever did this did not want those puppies to survive because this person has not only left them in a remote location, but they have also put these young animals inside tightly secured bags and then put the bin’s lid down.”
The animal welfare organisation is now appealing to the public to find the culprit and urges anyone with information to contact 1300 4 777 22.
“If you know of anyone who had a litter of puppies that seem to have suddenly disappeared or has a female kelpie-type dog that is showing signs of having recently given birth but there are no puppies, please contact us,” Ms Lewis said.
“Someone might know who did this, and if they do, then they should report what they know to us because whoever did this should be held to account.”
Originally published as Eight kelpie-cross puppies found dumped inside roadside bin