A gorgeous five-week-old puppy was left facing a cold Christmas after being heartlessly abandoned in a cardboard box outside a BETTING SHOP – the day before Christmas Eve.
The tiny Staffordshire Bull Terrier Cross was taken to the Dogs Trust and staff are now battling to improve her condition after she was found in a weak and fragile state.
However, with no room at the inn, staff will be taking the pretty pup home with them for Christmas where she will receive round-the-clock care to help her gain strength and recover from her ordeal.
Amanda Sands, Dogs Trust Leeds Rehoming Manager, believes Betty is one of the first Christmas casualties.
She said: “We suspect Betty may have been bought as a Christmas present and dumped when her owners realised the work involved in looking after such a young puppy.
“At Betty‘s age, she shouldn’t even have left her Mum, let alone been abandoned in a box in the cold.”
Staff at the centre believe that a poor diet has contributed to Betty‘s weakness and has stunted her growth.
Amanda said: “Our centre looks after thousands of abandoned and unwanted dogs every year but it still shocks us to think that someone could so callously abandon a puppy in these circumstances.
“Her odds of making a full recovery are on the up, but if someone hadn’t found her Betty would almost certainly have died.”
Despite 37 years of the Dogs Trust iconic slogan ‘A dog is for life, not just for Christmas’, the organisation still sees an overwhelming number of abandoned pooches.
Amanda said: “Every year we see a number of dogs handed into our rehoming centres in the days and weeks following Christmas when the appeal of a cute puppy has worn off.
“It seems that people are still giving puppies as Christmas presents without considering the long term ramifications.
“Dogs can provide a world of happiness and enjoyment and we urge anyone considering a new addition to the family to think it through properly and care for the dog for its entire life.”
For anyone interested in adopting from the Dogs Trust, visit 0300 303 0292 or visit www.dogstrust.org.uk.
