A newborn puppy hurled out of a moving car “like a piece of rubbish” has miraculously survived.
Puzzle the terrier was found lying on Burgoyne Road, Sunbury, Surrey, Southeast England, on March 5 after a passerby heard her squealing in agony. The good Samaritan wrapped the days-old pup, who was suffering from cuts and bruises, in a jacket and called the RSPCA, who rushed her to a vet.
Puzzle weighed just 83 grams (0.18 pounds)—less than an adult hamster—and could fit in the palm of a hand.
Despite her injuries and tiny size, Puzzle survived and is being hand-reared by RSPCA inspector Leanna Hone.
“Puzzle is doing really well and is getting stronger and stronger every day, which is great,” Ms. Hone said. “She’s feeding every two to three hours, so it’s a full-time job taking care of her.
“Thankfully, the wounds on her head and nose are starting to heal, so we’re relieved that she hasn’t suffered any serious damage.”
The RSPCA has launched an investigation to track down the person who threw Puzzle from the car.
“Poor Puzzle was so tiny, weighing just 83 grams [0.18 pounds], and her eyes were still closed,“ RSPCA inspector Natalie Kitchin said. ”We believe she’s only a few days old.”
Vets found a nasty cut on her head and some scuffs on her nose but were grateful to discover Puzzle wasn’t seriously injured.
From her injuries and where she was found, it was determined that Puzzle had been thrown out of a moving vehicle.
“It’s shocking to think that somebody could take her away from her mother just a few days after she was born and chuck her out of a car onto the road like a bit of rubbish,“ Ms. Kitchin said. ”She’s lucky to be alive.
“We’d like to say a huge thank you to the member of the public who heard her distressed cries and rescued her to take her to the vets; I’m sure they saved her life.”
It’s speculated that she was abandoned because of a birth defect on her lip, which might have made feeding difficult.
“We fear that her owners may have abandoned her instead of seeking veterinary treatment due to the costs associated with any corrective surgery.“ Ms. Kitchin said. “I’d like to hear from anyone who recognizes this puppy or who may have information about where she’s come from or who was responsible for dumping her.”
Ms. Kitchin expressed her concern for the mother of the pup and Puzzle’s other littermates and their welfare
Last year, the RSPCA responded to 20,999 reports about animals being abandoned, more than in 2022, 2021, and 2020.
