Puppies dumped in Essex are reunited with mum in 'miracle'

The seven two-week-old puppies were found by a member of the public left in a shoebox outside Braintree Council’s office and taken into the RSPCA’s Danaher Animal Home in Wethersfield.

Danaher’s General Manager Sam Garvey said: “We have no idea what happened to the puppies or where they came from but we’re incredibly grateful to the kind passerby who found them and brought them into our care.

“We believe the puppies are terrier crosses, but they were far too little to be away from their mum, so I took them home with me to hand-rear them and keep a close eye on them.

“I had to feed them every few hours and thankfully they’ve been doing well and continue to get stronger and stronger.”

The puppies were left abandoned in Braintree (Image: Danaher)

Sam continued: “Then, something special happened.

“A local dog warden brought in a dog who’d been found abandoned nearby and she appeared to be the puppies’ mum. It was like a miracle.

“Sadly, she wasn’t in a good condition, she was very scruffy and skinny, but we tried to gently introduce her to the puppies and, although she was happy to see them, they didn’t form the bond we’d all hoped for.”

Crossbreed mum - who the team named Samantha, after manager Sam, who had stepped in as mum to handle the puppies - settled in quickly.

She was dirty and thin with matted fur when was found wandering, but she soon made herself at home.

Crossbreed mum was brought in by a local dog warden (Image: Danaher)

“Samantha was so gentle and loving,” Sam said.

“But although it was lovely to reunite her with the puppies, she didn’t settle right in to take on the role of mum again, as it had been so long, so we decided to keep them separate.

“Thankfully, she found her new home quickly and is settling in wonderfully with her lovely new family.

“The puppies continue to grow and are becoming cheeky, playful dogs in our care.

“They’re not ready for rehoming yet and we’ll put their profiles on our website as soon as they’re up for adoption.

“We’re so incredibly happy that all the puppies are doing really well and have survived this crucial time where they should have been with their mum.”

The puppies were named after the Friends characters Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Monica, Phoebe, Joey and Gunther following a social media competition.