Puppies are lucky to be alive (From Bournemouth Echo)

Puppies are lucky to be alive

7:00pm Friday 2nd January 2009 in

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TWO puppies are lucky to be alive after being thrown into a river to drown on a freezing New Year’s Day.

The youngsters, thought to be around six weeks old, were saved after a householder heard them trying to scramble up the river bank into a garden in Throop Lane, Bournemouth, at around 10.30pm.

The householder alerted his neighbour and they discovered one puppy out in the open and the other shivering behind some logs.

One took the two male mastiff type puppies into his home and dried them off.

He kept the puppies warm overnight with a hot water bottle and alerted the RSPCA the next morning.

Just minutes before the soaking wet puppies were discovered, a car was heard in an unmade road called Pigshoot Lane, metres from the garden and up river from where they were found.

The householder, who did not wish to be named, said: “The puppies were probably dumped into the river from a car in Pigshoot Lane as people sometimes fly-tip as it is quite private.

“My neighbour heard them in distress in the water, called me and then we came out and found the dogs having managed to climb up the river bank, which is luckily not too steep.

“It was very dark and they were not easy to find, but they were very cold and wet and would not have lasted much longer if my neighbour had not been so vigilant and heard them.”

RSPCA inspector Graham Hammond who is investigating the incident, described it as “illegal and immoral”.

He said: “All the evidence points to the fact that somebody was trying to drown these puppies and I would urge anyone with information about this incident to come forward.

“There are serious penalties for anyone convicted of harming an animal.”

The puppies have been checked by a vet and found to be in general good health. They are now being cared for by the RSPCA.

Anyone convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal faces a maximum £20,000 fine and/or six months in prison.