Outrage as a 3-days-old puppy and its mum were dumped under a bush

German shepherd Mila and her newborn puppy Mitzi were found abandoned under a bush some months ago causing outrage amongst everyone involved in the rescue operation. Taken into care by the Blue Cross at Burford, Oxfordshire, England, both dogs were nursed back to health and got a chance to start a new life.

‘She would just cower in the back of her kennel and bark’

Blue Cross believes that the mama dog who was named Mila by the charity was used for breeding and dumped because her owner ‘saw no financial incentive’ in keeping her and her one surviving puppy who was born with an open hernia.

Rachel Hazley, Rehabilitation Trainer and Behaviour Advisor at Blue Cross said:

Mila was so scared. She would just cower in the back of her kennel and bark or growl, out of fear. It took two weeks to get near her.

Mila showed signs of separation issues, and while she remained scared of everyone, she needed human company and reassurance to be able to nurse. Her carers took it in turns to stay overnight in the kennels.

The puppy would have died without help

The tiny puppy, who was named Mitzi, wasn’t getting enough milk and would have died without intervention, so Blue Cross's staff and volunteers stepped in to provide supplementary feeding.

Halsey explained that as Mila was too stressed and wasn’t providing the tiny pooch with enough care, the charity took a decision to separate the puppy from her mum.

Mitzi was then two weeks old and went into foster care where she was fed every three to four hours, round-the-clock, and received all the socialisation she needed.

Thanks to the sleepless nights, hard work and dedication of the Burford team, Mitzi survived, and Mila learned that humans could be kind.

Mila and Mitzi spent holidays in their loving homes

Both dogs are now spending their first holiday season with their families, safe and loved.

Mitzi is now called Ash and is living with another dog, Poppy, and a cat, Dave, who was also rehomed from Blue Cross and comes into the centre regularly as an ambassador to help other kennel dogs.

New owner Alison said:

Ash has become a very big part of our family in a very short space of time and it is very easy to forget sometimes that she is still just a big puppy.

Mila, now named Tessa, has also settled into her new home with her family.

Owner Richard said:

She is a very gregarious and sweet-natured dog. She knows how to tell the time now and follows us around when it’s approaching walk time.

After a tough year for both dogs, they’ve made fresh starts and can look forward to a brighter future.

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- Metro: 'Newborn puppy and mum found dumped under bush get loving new homes for Christmas'