Litter of newborn pups found dumped in woodland in Sheffield survive against the odds

The litter of five newborn pups - French-bulldog and Shih tzu types - were found by a passerby walking through Beeley Woods, near Middlewood, on Tuesday, September 13.

The two male and three female puppies were only hours old with their umbilical cords still attached and were extremely vulnerable, the RSPCA said.

They were rushed to a nearby Peak Vets, in Sheffield, where staff slowly warmed up their freezing bodies and were taken into the care of the RSPCA Sheffield branch.

As they were so young to be away from their mum they had to be hand-reared.

RSPCA staff and volunteers were quick to help out by each fostering a pup.

RSPCA deputy chief inspector Sara Jordan, who launched an investigation to find the person responsible for abandoning the puppies, took one of the puppies to hand-rear, who she named Otter.

Her colleague Inspector Leanne Booth took in his brother Lenni, while other volunteers took on sisters Lily, Bea and Clover.

Sadly, Clover died aged eight days old from suspected parvovirus. Lenni also contracted this deadly disease but survived against the odds thanks to the help of Nicole Shorto - a vet nurse based at Peak Vet’s in Sheffield.

Lily is still in the care of the RSPCA as she is in need of on-going veterinary treatment while Bea was adopted by Tanesha Bower - a vet nurse at Peak vet who also hand reared her.

And this week Lenni and brother Otter, who was 16 weeks-old, met up with each other along with their hand-rear saviours and new owners at the Sheffield branch when they visited for a veterinary check up.

Otter was with new owner Tom Buckley, who is a hub manager at the RSPCA call centre in Wath-on-Dearne, while Lenni was with his new mum, Ella Wright, 20, in Rotherham.

Tom, 28, said: “When I heard about Otter’s plight I was keen to offer him a home it really is a miracle the pups survived. I knew Sara was feeding him every two hours through the night while carrying out her day job as an RSPCA inspector - it just shows the dedication and lengths staff go to to help animals in need.

Ella added: “I was told about Lenni and what had happened and was more than happy to adopt him - he is such a lovely pup. I am very grateful for all the hard work the RSPCA have done to help this litter - they could have so easily died - but look how happy and strong they look now.

“We are also supporting the RSPCA’s Winter campaign which aims to raise money to help other abandoned pets like Otter and Lenny.”

The RSPCA has seen a shocking 25% rise in the number of abandonment incidents along with a 13% rise in neglect incidents being dealt with by rescue teams.

For pet owners who are worried about the cost of living crisis, the RSPCA has opened a telephone helpline to support callers and a dedicated Cost of Living Hub with practical help and advice on the website.