Mother and puppies seized by OIPA. OIPA Italy animal control officers rescued a mother with four puppies from neglect and hardship in the province of Alessandria, leading to the sanctioning of the person responsible for keeping them in that condition and the reporting of the owner for abandonment as per article 727 of the Italian Penal Code. The little family are now safe and waiting to be adopted after being transferred to a shelter following their rescue.

«During our visit to a farmhouse, we came across a mother dog and her four puppies. The mother was tethered to a short chain, in violation of a regional law that prohibits to keep dogs on a chain. She had a heavy padlock around her neck and she was seeking refuge under a crumbling porch with no shelter – declared Oipa animal control officers of Alessandria – «We learned that, when she was pregnant, she was abandoned by a woman living in the farmhouse. When she left, the new tenants decided to keep the dog, who in the meantime had given birth to four puppies, confining her and feeding her only with bread and water.”

The four puppies were free in the yard surrounded by various dangers, including a large uncovered well.