Abandoned puppies briefly reunited with mother

The young animals were taken in by the RSPCA's Danaher Animal Home in Wethersfield, Essex

Seven puppies who were found abandoned in a shoebox have been reunited with their mother at an RSPCA home.

The litter of two-week-olds was discovered by a member of the public outside Braintree District Council offices on 3 May and taken into the charity's Danaher Animal Home, in Wethersfield, Essex.

Almost two weeks later - on 15 May - a local dog warden brought in a dog who had also been found abandoned and which appeared to be the puppies' mother.

"It was like a miracle," said Sam Garvey from Danaher Animal Home.

The mother of the puppies was named Samantha, after manager Sam, who’d stepped in to hand rear the puppies

Staff at the charity named the mother of the puppies Samantha, after manager Ms Garvey who had stepped in to hand rear the puppies, which are believed to be terrier crosses.

The charity said Samantha "was not in good condition" when she came to the centre and "was very scruffy and skinny".

However, despite efforts to "gently introduce" her to the puppies, Ms Garvey said "they didn't form the bond we'd all hoped for" and are now being kept separately, with Samantha having since been rehomed.

Ms Garvey said: "We have no idea what happened to the puppies or where they came from but we’re incredibly grateful to the kind passer-by who found them and brought them into our care."

The litter of tiny pups was found in a shoebox abandoned outside Braintree District Council offices on 3 May

The puppies - who were named after the Friends characters Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Monica, Phoebe, Joey and Gunther following a social media competition - are now about seven weeks old.

Ms Garvey said: "The puppies continue to grow and are becoming cheeky, playful dogs in our care. They’re not ready for rehoming yet and we’ll put their profiles on our website as soon as they’re up for adoption.

"We’re so incredibly happy that all of the puppies are doing really well and have survived this crucial time where they should have been with their mum.

"We are appealing to anybody that can to donate a pound for a pup to help us help them."