Disturbing discovery hidden in long grass near busy Perth road

A man has stumbled on a disturbing scene hidden among long, wet grass near a busy Perth intersection.

He made a desperate call to authorities after finding nine two-day-old puppies “callously” abandoned in a field behind a suburban unit block around 6pm last Monday. The dogs were rushed by a ranger to Perth Vets Emergency before a clinic contacted RSPCA WA the next morning.

Photos show the bush at the corner of Lord Street and Guildford Road in Bassendean where the puppies were dumped, and the close proximity to two high-traffic roads. Other images captured the brown and black puppies being bottle fed by staff and sleeping huddled together in a plastic crate.

Tragically, one of the dogs died before the group could be transferred to the RSPCA, and this week it was revealed four of the remaining eight puppies have also died. An RSPCA WA spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia the four dogs still in care are “doing really well” and will hopefully soon enter foster homes.

'Defenceless' puppies left on 'cold, wet' grass

The RSPCA’s Inspector Peta Janssen said she was devastated to see the puppies — believed to be an American Staffy mix — weighed just 500 grams each.

“Imagine leaving nine tiny, defenceless puppies lying out in the open on cold, wet grass. Why the person didn’t take them to a shelter such as RSPCA, or to a vet clinic is beyond me,” she said, adding she was also concerned for their mum.

“The pups looked well-fed so I’m guessing she would have had good milk flow and would have suffered physically and emotionally when they were taken away from her so suddenly.”

Desperate search for offender

Despite “exhaustive investigations” into the dumping, the RSPCA hasn’t been able to identify the person responsible.

“There’s no recorded CCTV footage and door knocking has failed to turn up anyone who saw anything, or who even has knowledge of a pregnant dog in the area over the past weeks,” Inspector Janssen said. Local rangers are also helping in the search but have “hit a brick wall too”.

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“That’s why I’m reaching out to members of the public to see if anyone has seen or heard anything relevant,” she explained. “At this stage, we don’t even know if the puppies were born locally or if someone drove them to Bassendean. So, even if you know of a dog that was pregnant but there are no puppies around, please get in touch.”

Anyone with information about the litter of dumped puppies is asked to contact the RSPCA WA 24-hour Cruelty Hotline on 1300 278 358 or online at rspcawa.org.au.

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