RSPCA asks the public for help to find who dumped Elsa after recently having puppies

Do you recognise this dog? Can you tell us where she has come from? These are the questions being asked by RSPCA investigators who are trying to find those responsible or abandoning a dog in a cage beside a road in Somerset.

The animal welfare charity is appealing for information and calling on people to help trace those responsible after the dog - who is named Elsa according to her microchip - was taken to RSPCA Brent Knoll Animal Centre by a member of the public who reported finding her in a cage beside the road in Burtle, Somerset on Thursday 27 January.

RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer Alison Sparkes said: "It's shocking to think that someone simply intentionally abandoned her, leaving her all alone in a cage at the side of the road.

"Thankfully, she was discovered by a member of the public who was able to bring her to safety with the team at RSPCA Brent Knoll Animal Centre.

"Elsa is such a lovely dog and is doing really well in the care of the team at the centre who are showing her the love and care she deserves. "She was dirty and smelly with overgrown nails and a filthy coat when she arrived at the shelter. She also has very large teats from probably having multiple litters and we're concerned she may have been used for breeding before being dumped.

"We are sadly seeing abandonments rise month on month and are braced for a surge of abandoned and neglected animals as pet ownership soared during lockdown, with an estimated 3.2m people welcoming pets into their lives last year. We're asking people to Join the Rescue this winter to help us help animals and bring abandoned animals to safety.

"Elsa has a microchip, which is registered to her breeder in Worcestershire, but the details had not been updated with the owner's details so investigations are ongoing to try and find where she has come from, and how she came to be abandoned in such a cruel and heartless way."

Anyone with information should call the RSPCA's appeal line on 0300 123 8018.