This is Ruby the rescue cavalier puppy, the latest victim of Ireland’s ruthless puppy farm trade. She was dumped in a ditch like a piece of trash after she was born with deformed front legs and displaced back legs from intensive breeding.
Barely able to crawl, the tiny pup was seen as defective goods. Unable to sell her, Ruby’s breeder dumped her in the ditch in rural west Limerick and left her to starve to death.
Ruby is one of an increasing number of puppies with deformities and other serious conditions rescued from ditches and roadsides around Ireland in recent weeks or sold with serious illness to unsuspecting buyers, usually on Done Deal.
Fortunately, a passer-by heard her pitiful cries and took her to Deel animal rescue in Newcastle West who saved her life.
With funds raised from public donations for urgent veterinary treatment, which included the removal of her entire set of milk teeth, x rays and treatment for a wound to her groin, the puppy survived. After four weeks of round the clock care by fosterer Caroline Brouder, Ruby’s condition improved to the point where she was ready to be adopted.
Ruby is now under the care of orthopedic experts at Village Vets who have kindly offered to look after Ruby’s future treatment – which will include extensive surgery.
The puppy has now been adopted and is very much part of her new family.
Designer dogs that can fetch up to €2,000 on Done Deal are prompting some dog breeders to play Frankenstein but are increasingly producing puppies born with debilitating injuries or fatal illnesses.
The insatiable demand for so called ‘tea cup dogs’ resulted in the runt of a litter bred with another runt to produce a tiny handbag pup. With catastrophic consequences for the dogs and crippling vets costs for unsuspecting buyers.
Nigel the Chihuahua weighed an abnormal 700 grams when he was rescued by Cara Rescue. He was born with hydrocephalus, a common condition in forced breeding of tea cup pups that can be fatal. He lacks coordination which affects his walk and his sight and hearing is affected.
Frank, a Terrier mix also rescued by Cara is two years old and weighs only 1.6kilos. He too has hydrocephalus and hip displacement. Both knee caps are out of place, from living for long periods in a confined place on a suspected puppy farm.
‘Why some people feel the need to breed such unnaturally small dogs is inhumane. Breeders for profit with no thought to painfully cruel life threatening conditions inflicted on the dogs,’ the rescue said.
Nigel and Frank now have the chance of a pain free life of comfort and eventually a forever home where they will be loved, many are not so lucky.
Last month a five week old pug that was hours away from death came into the care of Coolronan rescue.
‘Apart from being left to die, he was skin and bone and full of worms. He’s way too young to be away from his mum. The dog was so emaciated and his back legs were so weak as the pug puppy had no muscle mass at all,’ Coolronan said.
The ISPCA told EVOKE.ie it was concerned about the continued intensive breeding of some breeds of dog which affects their health and welfare with many having to undergo corrective surgery.
‘The public should also be aware that many puppies and dogs advertised for sale online come from large scale commercial dog breeding establishments (puppy farms), some of which have up to 300 or more breeding female dogs.
‘Some unscrupulous large scale breeders will mislead potential buyers into believing that the puppies they are selling were bred in a domestic situation and even go to the extent of setting up fake houses to lure unsuspecting buyers, even,‘ the ISPCA warned.
The trade is worth millions to puppy farmers and third party dealers who buy in bulk and ship the pups to the UK.
Charles Cosgrave MD of Village Vets sees a succession of ill and poorly bred pups coming through his clinics on an all too regular basis. ‘You ask a few questions and you know pretty quick the pup has come from a puppy farm,’ he told Evoke. He criticised Ireland’s puppy farm laws as ‘not fit for purpose.‘
Yet this is our law. You would be embarrassed to go anywhere and tell anyone that our country has put this into law.’
Earlier this year, Minister of State for Rural Affairs Sean Canney announced he was changing the law by introducing a cap on the number of breeding bitches and a possible ban on online advertising. He is also considering a ban on third party dealers to bring Ireland into line with the tougher UK laws.
You can follow Ruby’s Road to Recovery on Instagram here.
