A three week old puppy has miraculously escaped serious injury after being thrown over a two metre fence at an animal shelter in Taminda.
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Volunteers at the Heaven Can Wait shelter found the “extremely scared and sick” puppy on Friday morning, aptly naming him Bounce.
The HCW Shelter is a not for profit organisation that takes dogs that have overstayed their welcome at the pound, and tries to re-home them, while also having a team of foster carers that provide temporary homes and care.
In recent months the shelter has had several dogs left tied up to the fence overnight, although once they found that a dog had been thrown over the fence president Kate Davies had enough, and has installed CCTV cameras to catch the culprits.
Ms Davies said that having dogs either left tied to the fence, or even thrown over the fence, is the last thing the shelter or the dogs need.
“Fortunately Bounce bounced rather well, but he easily could have broke his back or his legs,” she said.
“It turns out he had a stomach infection and wasn’t doing very well, but he is bouncing back and in foster care at the moment.
“People have to realise that we can’t keep the dogs, they have to go to the pound for in-pound time – it is very frustrating and a pain in the neck for us because it takes a lot of time and energy that could be used looking after the dogs we have.”
Ms Davies said that the Tamworth Regional Council Pound has also been experiencing a lot of dogs left tied to the fence, or once again even thrown over the fence.
“I think they installed CCTV cameras a few weeks ago as well,” she said.
“Maybe that is why we have been seeing a few more here.”
Council were contacted although declined to comment.
There has however been at least one lucky story to come out of the fiasco, with Drover the Husky, who was left tied to the fence some weeks ago.
Last week Drover was re-united with his former Foster Carer from over four years ago, 450 km away at Sydney’s Arctic Breed Shelter.
“If you ‘find’ a pup or dog, or if you want to get rid of your own please have the decency to do the right thing and wait until you can hand it over to someone,” Ms Davies said.
“Don't tie them to fences, leave them at front doors like a thief in the night and especially don't throw them over fences.”