By Cara Sulieman
A LITTER of young puppies have been found dead at the side of the road after being heartlessly thrown from a speeding car.
One of the pups was found lying on a country road between Markinch and Star by a passing cyclist.
The Scottish SPCA received a call from the distressed woman at around 7pm on Thursday.
When they arrived to investigate the grisly scene they discovered not one – but four dead puppies in total.
A black bag was found hanging from a bush.
The charity fears that whoever dumped the helpless animals threw them out of a car window as they drove past.
Three of the young dogs – thought to be between three and four weeks old – were black and tan, and the fourth was all white.
Scottish SPCA Inspector Steven Gray said that the pups had died from exposure to the elements.
He said: “The results of a post mortem have confirmed that the puppies died from exposure.
“It is most likely that they were alive when they were dumped.
“Although this is a quiet country road, it is used frequently by people travelling between Glenrothes and Kennoway.
“Tried to crawl away”
“We think the puppies were dumped between Wednesday and Thursday. The weather was quite cold in the evenings last week so they had no chance of survival.
“The evidence suggests that they may have been thrown from a car, in a bag, and then they have fallen out onto the ground.
“One puppy was found some distance from the others on its stomach, which could indicate that it had tried to crawl away.
“Taking pups away at such a young age can have health implications for the mother, so we are obviously concerned for her welfare too.
“There is absolutely no excuse for abandoning animals in such a cruel and callous way, particularly puppies which can be re-homed far more easily than adult dogs.”
Similar incidents
The charity is determined to hunt down whoever dumped the puppies and warned that anyone who abandons an animal faces up to 12 months in prison and a £20,000 fine.
Just two weeks ago three Rottweiler pups died after being abandoned in a bin near Dollar in Clackmannanshire and other similar incidents have been reported in Dumfries, Edinburgh and Glasgow in recent months.
Anyone with information relating to the puppies should contact the Scottish SPCA Animal Helpline on 03000 999 999.
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