A PUPPY found in a pet carrier dumped beside a rural Wiltshire road was "discarded like rubbish and left to die". 

The RSPCA is appealing for information following the discovery to help with its investigation. 

The tan and white coloured female dog was found in a grey plastic animal carrier on Monday (February 15) by a member of the public who called the animal welfare charity. 

The RSPCA believe the puppy may have been alive when she was dumped by the roadside. 

Salisbury Journal:

RSPCA inspector Steph Daly said: “It’s not clear when she was dumped in the area or how long she may have been dead but we’d be keen to hear from anyone who may recognise her or know where she has come from.

“We fear she may have been alive when she was dumped as the pet carrier had faeces inside it when she was found, suggesting she sadly died while trapped in the carrier.

“It’s difficult to say exactly what breed of dog she is, although the vet believes she was a Jack Russell cross, and it is thought she is around six weeks old.

“It’s shocking to think she was simply discarded like rubbish and left to die at the roadside.

"Anyone with information should contact our appeal line on 0300 123 8018.”

The puppy was found on Edington Road in Steeple Ashton at around 2.30pm on Monday (February 15).

Salisbury Journal:

The RSPCA recently launched its #ForPupsSake campaign which is calling on the UK Government to change the law to stop puppy imports and crackdown on dogs being sold illegally on the black market.

The demand for puppies, it says, has soared in the UK during the pandemic, which may be inadvertently fuelling the puppy trade both here and abroad, as polling revealed that 38 per cent of UK adults considering getting a dog in the next six months would buy one that had been smuggled into the country from abroad.

The RSPCA said this trade has a "tragic toll" on young dogs and their mothers with the charity recently taking in a litter of sick puppies from a puppy farm, as well as rescuing a suspected breeding bitch who was dumped dying in freezing conditions as she was no longer useful for producing pups.

The charity’s #ForPupsSake campaign is urging the UK Government to increase the minimum age that puppies can be brought into the UK from 15 weeks to 24 weeks as well as introducing better enforcement checks at the borders.

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