Three husky puppies have been taken into the care of an animal welfare charity after being abandoned in a crate by the side of a road.

The pups – thought to be around three or four months old – were left in filthy, soiled conditions with no food or water in West Kingsdown last Thursday.

A member of the public who made the discovery took them to the local vets who alerted the RSPCA.

Staff from the vets then dropped the puppies at the animal welfare charity who believe the dogs may have been abandoned after failing to sell.

Inspector Kirsten Ormerod said: “They were very smelly and covered in their own diarrhoea so they had a bath and a clean-up before being checked by vets.”

She added: “We’ve seen a massive surge in dog ownership during lockdown and many people have seen this as an easy opportunity to make some money by breeding and selling puppies.

"We believe these puppies, who are around 12 to 16 weeks old, may have failed to sell so they were abandoned having passed their ‘cute’ stage when they’re most marketable and most valuable.

“Sadly, we’re expecting to see more dogs being abandoned over the coming months as the demand starts to slow and as those who took dogs on during lockdown are faced with financial, working and family pressures or struggle to cope with under-socialised dogs who cannot be left home alone.”

Kirsten and her colleagues are investigating who is responsible for abandoning the puppies.

They have been named Harry, Hermione and Ron after the Harry Potter characters and in a nod to their mischievous nature.

She added: “The pups are, thankfully, in good health and are full of beans. They can’t sit still for a second and are little fluffy balls of energy!

“The trio are very cheeky and inquisitive and we’re sure they’ll be getting into lots of trouble so we thought they suited the names of the famous threesome who were always in the wrong place at the wrong time!”

Anyone with information about who may have dumped Harry, Hermione and Ron should contact the RSPCA’s inspector appeal line on 0300 123 8018.

The puppies are not yet available for rehoming and so people are asked not to contact the centre to inquire.

If they’re not claimed, then they’ll go up for adoption once they’ve been given the all-clear from vets.

To help the RSPCA continue rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming animals in desperate need of care click here or call our donation line on 0300 123 8181.

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