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Eleven newborn puppies with umbilical cords still attached found in woods

Dedicated RSPCA staff are providing round-the-clock care to a litter of newborn puppies who were found abandoned in a bin bag in the woods just hours after being born.

The litter of 11 newborn pups was found by passersby who were walking through a wooded area off Heath Lane, Huddersfield, on Monday 20 June when they spotted a rubbish bag and went to investigate.

RSPCA deputy chief inspector Sara Jordan, who is now investigating, said: "It's so lucky that there were people passing who went to look inside this bag because the puppies were only hours old and were extremely vulnerable.

"They had been dumped in the woodland, in a bag, and all still had their umbilical cords attached. The finders rushed them to a local vet who checked them all over and estimated that they were just a few hours old. Sadly, one of the puppies was struggling to breathe and was very sick so they made the difficult decision to put her to sleep."

The RSPCA is now investigating to find out who is responsible for abandoning the puppies and their mother - who staff fear may be at risk.

Dedicated RSPCA staff are now providing the puppies, who should be with their mothers until at least eight weeks old, with round-the-clock care.

Sara has taken one of the puppies on while the others have been fostered by experienced staff and experts. They will remain with their fosterers until they're old enough to begin their searches for new homes.

Staff aren't yet sure what breed they are but believe they could be German shepherds.