9 puppies found dumped in plastic bag

They have all made a good recovery, however it was touch and go for the little ones after they were dumped in a plastic bin in a field.

The pups - a mixture of different breeds - were found by RSPCA Inspector Mel Fisher in June last year (2017) inside a plastic bin after she’d had an anonymous phone call about someone selling puppies from a van in the area.

She said: “I’d received reports of someone selling extremely sick puppies from the back of a van in Gerrards Cross so I went to investigate.

“I found a van dumped nearby and, tucked behind some nearby bushes, a large plastic bin with 9 puppies inside.

“It was during a hot spell so they were panting and really quiet because they were in such baking heat.”

She took the puppies to a nearby vets before moving them to the RSPCA’s Blackberry Farm Animal Centre in Aylesbury.

When The Dog Rescuers team visited them a few weeks later, they were the picture of health and happiness.

“They’re doing really well,” Inspector Fisher added. “When they first came in they were lethargic and quiet, they had diarrhoea and [we were] quite worried.

“[When we rescued them] they were so un-puppy like, they were very quiet and very thirsty, and to see them now acting like proper puppies causing chaos is just lovely because they are little personalities again, which is brilliant.”

The puppies - named Agnes, Barbara, Cheryl, Davina, Denise, Jerry, Jim, Joey and Norman - were split into groups according to their sizes and play styles.

The two smallest, spaniel Agnes and pug Norman, were paired off because they liked to play with each other.

“Poor little Norman got bullied a little bit so now we’ve separate them they are getting on really great,” Inspector Fisher said.

“The biggest dogs are Davina and Jim. They are much more boisterous to we have to separate them from the little ones.

“They are really bouncy, really interacting with people. They are full of life, they just play all day.”

Inspector Fisher launched an investigation into how the dogs ended up in the bin but, sadly, hit a dead end. But, after some time in RSPCA care, all of the puppies were soon back to health and were quickly adopted by loving new families.

“It’s been a year since we rescued those puppies and I’m so pleased that they’re now all in lovely new homes,” Inspector Fisher said. “Later this month I’ll be reunited with them all when they return to Blackberry Farm for the annual fun day to take part in the Hero Parade.

“It’ll be lovely to see them all back together and to see them thriving in their new homes.”

One of the pups - chocolate Labrador type Jim - was rehomed by Gloria Westbrook, from Bicester.

Jim, now renamed Magnum, has been with the family for 10 months and is loving his new life.

“He brings a lot of fun and love to our home - and exercise!” Gloria said. “And he enriches our lives with laughter.

“He really is just a great big, bouncy teddy bear.”

The puppies’ story will feature on this week’s episode of Channel 5’s The Dog Rescuers, fronted by Alan Davies.

For more information about offering a home to a rescue dog, visit the RSPCA’s online Find A Pet service. To help the RSPCA continue rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming dogs like these please donate by visiting www.rspca.org.uk/give.