Dogs dumped in shocking animal cruelty spike across southeast
A six-week-old rottweiler is lucky to be alive after a good Samaritan found him in a blood-stained box on the side of a Hampton Park road. But thanks to volunteer vets, this is how he made had a miraculous recovery.
Inner South
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A badly injured puppy was left for dead on a bloodied blanket inside a cardboard box, dumped on the side of a busy Hampton Park road.
Six-week-old Bear was found unresponsive and suffering from gruesome injuries including a laceration to his face and a swollen and crusted genital region.
A motorist made the shocking discovery after she noticed the small box about 8.30am on October 9 and pulled over to investigate when she was driving back at 1pm.
The woman was shocked to find the dying puppy inside.
Australian Animal Protection Society communications officer Charlie Keele said Bear “would not have made it” if the good Samaritan hadn’t stopped.
Vets believe he was born with a condition where his genitals did not form correctly, leaving him unable to urinate properly.
It is unknown how he received the laceration to his face.
“His internal organs were starting to fail because of his genital condition, and we suspect the scabbing formed because he was trying to bite and pick at it,” Ms Keene said.
The little pup underwent six hours of surgery and is expected to make a full recovery.
An online fundraiser “Care for Bear” has been set up to cover his ongoing medical costs.
“His vitals were deteriorating … our clinic didn’t have a specific catheter to suit such a small puppy so a staff member rushed out to find one. In the meantime, the vet and nurses got to work to keep the little guy alive,” Ms Keele said.
“Bear was taken into surgery around 2pm and emerged around 8pm … needless to say our team are amazing for giving him a fighting chance.”
The pup went home with one of the nurses where he was kept in an incubator and eventually taken off his drip.
He will be monitored around the clock until he shows significant signs of progress and is ready to home with a nurse who kindly decided to adopt him.
The incident comes after two more dogs were found abandoned in Melbourne’s southeast over the past three weeks, including nine-month-old border collie Bruno who was believed to have been let out of a car which then drove off on Greenpatch Drive, Bangholme, last Thursday, and nine-year-old rottweiler Duke who was found wandering alone at Tirhatuan Park at Dandenong North on September 25.
Duke has already found a loving home and puppy Bruno will be made available for adoption when his agitation and fear subsides.
Ms Keele urged people with unwanted animals to be kind enough to give them a second chance at life instead of leaving them to fend for themselves.
She said the staff had “definitely noticed” a spike in abandoned animals over the past two months, but dumped pets only formed a small percentage of the total number of animals who came through their doors.
“No matter how desperate the situation is we strongly advise against giving away animals to unknown persons or leaving your animal somewhere to fend for itself … this would be very stressful for your animal — they may fall into the wrong hands, risk being hurt or suffer a terrible outcome,” she said.
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“We understand people could be going through a tough time themselves, but there is no judgment here and you can hand them in with no questions asked.
“We just want the animals to be safe.”
Based in Bangholme, the society is a non-profit, volunteer-operated charity which has cared for more than 280 dogs and 800 cats since July last year.