Bucket of tiny puppies dumped just days before Christmas

Now vets and staff at the Southwater-based RSPCA are battling to save the five-week-old pups, thought to be lurchers, which are suffering from parvovirus.

The virus is potentially deadly and is common among puppy-farmed dogs.

Meanwhile, the RSPCA is investigating and asking anyone with information to come forward.

RSPCA Inspector Rob Jackson said: “Someone knocked on a house door in Chobham before running off. When the house owners opened the door the puppies were on the doorstep in the bucket. It is just unbelievable.

“To dump an animal at any time of year is heartless but to do it just before Christmas is callous. It is quite possible they were bred to be sold as Christmas presents but were then dumped when they became ill. We may never know - but what is certain is that no animal deserves this kind of treatment.

“These poor pups are young and still very much dependent on their mum and, of course, human care. They were just left on that doorstep on a cold, wet winter’s day without a second thought.

“We would urge anyone who knows about what happened to contact us as soon as possible on our hotline 0300 123 4999.”

The six pups - named after Santa’s reindeer Cupid, Dasher, Blitzen, Rudolf, Prancer and Dancer - are now being cared for by staff at RSPCA Millbrook.

Centre supervisor Claire Jones said: “This family of puppies are Lurcher types and they are all about five to six weeks old and we imagine they are all from the same litter.

“It is so sad. I cannot even imagine why anyone would do that sort of thing - especially bearing in mind just how ill they are.

“These puppies needed urgent vet attention - but instead of taking them to a vet the person just left them on a doorstep.

“It was really cold and had the householder not answered the door or been in we don’t know how long they would’ve stayed there or what would’ve happened to them.

“At the moment the puppies are all still under vet treatment as they are very poorly. We are doing everything we can for them.”

The RSPCA has already investigated 1,137 abandonments across the country since the beginning of December.

To help the RSPCA investigate cases like this text HELP to 78866 to give £3 (Text costs £3 + one standard network rate message)