Mayo SPCA rescue eleven puppies abandoned in Castlebar

Mayo SPCA have rescued eleven puppies from a box in Castlebar.

The rescue organisation, situated in Ballyhaunis, were notified of the puppies on Monday evening.

The rescued puppies, who are ‘no more than four to five weeks old’, are ‘desperately missing their mother’.

Mayo SPCA are also concerned about the mother dog, as this time is crucial for both the puppies and the mother.

The puppies are being treated for worms at the rescue centre, and will be weaned onto solid food before they are ready for adoption. They will also need to be vaccinated. 

_{The puppies are no more than five weeks old  (Photo: @mayo_spca on Instagram)}

The organisation is unsure of the breed of the dogs, however, said they appear to have ‘some German shepherd in there which means they could grow into large dogs’.

In an Instagram post, Mayo SPCA commented: “Eleven additional puppies is a huge amount of work and expense, at a time that we are already struggling with kitten season - but we are very glad to welcome these little souls, and we promise them all a better time ahead now.

“To the heartless person who chose this option when there were so many others: contact us or the dog warden BEFORE separating a mother and babies not to mention spaying your dog in the first place, please do the right thing now and get care for your dog and never, ever put her or innocent puppies in this situation again.”

_{While the breed of the puppies is unknown, they are believed to be a German sheprard mix  (Photo: @mayo_spca on Instagram)}

Previously speaking to The Mayo News for the July/August Mayo Life magazine, Lucie Kavanagh of Mayo SPCA explained how the organisation can struggle due to lack of funding and volunteers.

The ladies at the shelter said there are many ways in which the public can help.

“There are probably a few answers to that - donations, definitely. 

“We’re always looking for people to fundraise, because the volunteers here are so stretched with the workload, it's impossible to find the time to fundraise, so sometimes if people could take on a fundraising project, we will give all the support and advertise it,” explained dog sitter and foster, Ms Kavanagh.

“There’s never enough volunteers. The more volunteers that come in, it means not only do the animals get cared for, but there’s a little bit more time to help them with their socialisation, or just to get them to trust people again,” she continued.

For more information, and to donate towards the puppies' care, see Mayo SPCA’s donate page.