CALLOUS dog owners dumped a litter of puppies in a field before a Vale rehoming centre gave them a new lease of life.

A carer at the National Canine Defence League's (NCDL's) Wickhamford centre appealed to people to think twice before abandoning dogs or to have pets neutered before they could produce unwanted pups.

Togg, a Labrador crossbreed, was shoved into a small cardboard box and abandoned, together with his two brothers and a sister.

Fortunately, the starving litter was saved and taken to the NCDL at Wickhamford.

Dedicated canine carers at the centre had to feed the dogs - which were too young to be separated from their mother - every two hours as they hand reared them.

Against the odds, the pups survived and are thriving, 11 weeks after being left for dead. Togg has found a new home with one of the carers, Kate Carless.

She said: "Togg and his brothers and sisters were probably dumped because they were the result of an unplanned pregnancy.

"Sadly, their case is not unusual, as many people don't have their bitches spayed and are then unable to cope when a litter of bouncy pups arrives.

"Pups are cute but they take a huge amount of time, effort, and money to care for.

"In order to stop any more puppies like Togg being dumped, I urge all dog owners to have their pet neutered now, if they are not intending to breed from them."

Although the NCDL never destroys a healthy dog in its care, a new survey by the organisation showed that 13 per cent of 113,500 stray dogs nationally last year were killed.

The NCDL's chief executive, Clariss Baldwin, said: "The killing of healthy stray and abandoned dogs is sickening and must stop.

"What dog owners must realise is that it's their irresponsibility that is condemning these poor animals to death."