Abandoned puppies face being put down

Seven innocent puppies who were abandoned last week are facing death because the Athlone and West Midlands Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) does not have enough money to vaccinate them. The mixed breed puppies, along with an eight puppy, were abandoned outside the ASPCA sanctuary in Tang last week and are now facing a trip to the pound due to the society being unable to pay for vaccinations. ASPCA Inspector Paul McCormack said it would break his heart to have to send the puppies to the pound, the first time the society would have to do this, but said it is a real prospect unless they can come up with the money to vaccinate them. Mr McCormack told the Westmeath Independent this week that some time between Thursday night and Friday morning a box of eight puppies was dropped outside the gate of the animal sanctuary in Tang. One of the puppies has since received a home after being vaccinated by the person who took him in. Of the remaining seven puppies, Paul said: "We can't afford to vaccinate them. We are desperately looking for funds so we can vaccinate them. We have them in isolation. Unless they are vaccinated we won't know what to do with them. Without money we will be forced to send them to the pound. We've never had to do that before but with little or no money in the account we might be forced to do that. It breaks my heart." Mr McCormack said every week the society is getting phone calls from people looking for them to take in dogs and he said abandoned horses and donkeys are also a huge problem, with Westmeath and Roscommon county councils inundated with calls about abandoned horses. He said he suspected the puppies were about six weeks old and they usually preferred if they are not separated from the mother until they are eight weeks old. The society will not rehome puppies until they aer vaccinated and micro chipped. It costs roughly €45 to vaccinate a dog and Mr McCormack said that if people were interested in taking in one of the puppies they could pay the society to have them vaccinated and then they must be kept for another two weeks to get a booster before going to their new home.