Four puppies were left for dead after being abandoned in freezing conditions, in a historical university campus – at just two weeks old.
The RSPCA was today investigating after the tiny pups were found shoved in a plastic bin liner at Whiteknights Lake, near the University of Reading in Berkshire.
A curious walker who inspected the bag was stunned to find four puppies, still too young to be unable to open their eyes, dumped under a tree, a spokesman for the RSPCA said.
After the distressing discovery, RSPCA staff rushed to the scene and rescued the pups.
The spokesman said the puppies were lucky to be alive after they were left for dead and were rushed to a veterinary surgery for emergency treatment.
It was believed the pups are just two weeks old and the two girls have been named Ivy and Tinsel and the boys Ruby and Chestnut, the spokesman said.
All of the animals are now being looked after by a foster carer but the RSPCA has launched an appeal for information.
Four puppies just two weeks old which were left for dead after being abandoned in freezing conditions, were discovered in a historical university campus
The tiny animals were left to shiver and starve to death in a plastic bin liner before being spotted by a passerby
‘The puppies were very lucky to have been found – at this age there was no way they would have survived on their own. They are very young and do not yet have their eyes open.
‘They were rushed to a vet where they received immediate treatment.
‘They are now with a foster carer, who is looking after them around the clock as they are completely reliant on hand-rearing to replicate the care their mum should be giving them.
‘It is heartbreaking to think someone could just put them in a bag and leave them to die – there is never an excuse for treating animals with such cruelty.’
Whiteknights Park is some two miles south of the centre of Reading and the campus is 321 acres in size. It is home to lakes, conservation meadows and woodlands as well as being home to most of the university’s academic departments and several halls of residence.
The small puppies were dumped under a tree in a plastic bag which was investigated by a suspicious walker
Whiteknights Lake on a freezing morning where the animals were discovered on Wednesday
The land has a rich history and has been the home to advisers to monarchs for hundreds of years before its sale to George Spencer-Churchill, great-great-grandfather to Winston, in 1798.
The estate was the scene of vast extravagance and wild entertainments between 1798 and 1819 with extravagant gardens and rare plants, until George Spencer now the Duke of Marlborough, became bankrupt and moved to Blenheim Palace.
The estate was sold off and the house demolished in 1840 – supposedly by a mob of the Duke’s angry creditors.