Abandoned puppies reunited after rehoming

Jack and Poppy have been adopted by separate families, but were recently reunited alongside their rescuer, Anthony Joynes

Two puppies who were left abandoned inside an empty flat have been reunited after being separately rehomed.

Staffordshire bull terriers Jack and Poppy were barricaded inside a flat in Liverpool with an old fridge freezer blocking the door and left to die, the RSPCA has said.

The brother and sister puppies were found starving - so weak they had to be carried from the flat.

They were taken to the RSPCA's Greater Manchester Animal Hospital in Salford after being rescued in September last year and have both since been adopted.

Abandoned Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppies, Jack (left) and sister Poppy (right), struggled to open their eyes when they were found

Inspector Anthony Joynes said the discovery of the two abandoned dogs was "one of the saddest sights of my career", adding "they were like skeletons".

"When we arrived they were hours from death, and the property was strewn with empty food cans covered in teeth marks where the pups had scavenged for weeks in a desperate attempt to survive," he said.

"It must have been so traumatising for them.”

Emily Rodgers, of Wrexham, adopted Jack in November 2023.

The 44-year-old said: “It makes me emotional to think of how Jack was found, but at least he can put that well and truly behind him now - and he has a family who adore him."

Simone Smith, 43, adopted Poppy and said "she is an amazing dog" and "so loving”.

Jack and Poppy were taken to an animal hospital for treatment

The RSPCA said the number of animals being abandoned in England and Wales during the winter period has risen significantly - by half as much again - over the past three years.

It said pets being dumped by owners on Merseyside had risen by a quarter over the past two years.

A total of 680 animals were abandoned in the region last year - a 24% rise from 530 cases in 2021.

The charity said dogs had been left in empty flats, sick kittens left in cardboard boxes and pet rabbits dumped in the wild.

One dog was found dumped in a skip in Warrington, Cheshire.

It released the figures as part of its Join The Christmas Rescue campaign "to highlight the battle front line rescuers face ahead of what is expected to be another bleak winter".