Four puppies, two with their umbilical cords still attached, dumped in Hemel Hempstead river
Four helpless puppies – just hours old – were killed after being discovered in a river.
Their bodies were found by a member of the public in the river off Water Gardens south car park on Sunday, March 16. They weren’t in a bag or a pet carrier but loose on the river’s waterbed.
They were likely very young, suspected to be just hours old, with two of the puppies still having their umbilical cords attached.
The breed of the dogs is unknown but they are thought to be a larger breed due to the size of the puppies considering their young age.
Sarah Jones, RSPCA animal rescue officer (ARO), attended the site and worked with the council to remove the bodies.
She said: “This was an incredibly distressing discovery for the member of the public who found these poor, dead puppies in the river. There are no injuries on the puppies or obvious cause of death so we’re unsure if they died before being in the water or if they were drowned, which would be unthinkably sad.
"This is a very public place and so we’re urging anyone who may have seen something suspicious to please get in touch with us as we’re keen to find out what happened to these young dogs.”
If you have any info or were around the area (What3Words: tips.update.mason) contact the RSPCA on 0300 123 8018.