Three abused dogs ‘thrown from van’ near Omagh

THREE discarded dogs believed to have been abused as part of an unethical breeding operation were recently found dumped on the outskirts of Omagh.

Two older females and a younger male – described as being ‘pugs or pug-mixes’ – were reportedly thrown from a van on the Kevlin Road, about 100 metres beyond Coolnagard village.

The dogs were discovered by a resident who lives near the place were the dogs were abandoned, who then took the animals to a professional canine carer that lives nearby.

“When I first saw the dogs, it nearly broke my heart,” began Aoife McAleer, owner of ‘Paws ‘n’ Relax Pet Spa and Dog Walking’.

“I could tell immediately by the females’ teets that they had both recently had litters of pups.

“One of them seemed to be well beyond breeding age. Her face was going grey and she just didn’t look like a dog that could safely bear pups.

“In addition to that, both the females had skin conditions, had lost patches of hair, and looked too thin.”

Aoife then turned her attention to the younger male.

“To my eye, he looked to be an older pup. He was not in good shape either.

“Given that the two females had recently had litters, and the male was just at the tail end of his time as a pup, I would wager that these dogs came from a puppy farm, or some other kind of unethical breeding situation.”

After Aoife performed a rudimentary check up on the dogs, the police were then contacted.

“We told them that everything; that the dogs had been thrown from a van, that their condition suggested mistreatment, and that we thought they had probably came from a puppy farm. Unfortunately, though, the police said there was nothing they could do.”

The next call that was made went to Campsie Vets, who then turned them over to Fermanagh and Omagh District Council’s dog warden.

“I received messages from two different people who said they would be willing to re-home them. I passed their details onto the dog warden.”

When contacted by the TyroneHerald about the incident, Fermanagh and Omagh District Council said, ”The council’s dog wardens were contacted regarding unattended dogs on Kevlin Road, Omagh. In accordance with procedures, a number of stray dogs were handed over to dog control and are now under the care of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council. Investigations are ongoing at this time, therefore we cannot comment any further on this matter.”

Concluding they said, “If anyone has any further information on this case, or becomes aware of unattended dogs, they should contact the council’s dog warden team. Reports are investigated thoroughly and where necessary, formal action is taken.”