An exhausted dog was found cruelly chained to a gate along with her six newborn puppies. It has also been reported that the vulnerable pups were so young that they had not even opened their eyes yet.

A passerby spotted the abandoned pooch and her offspring in a field in Elphin, a small town in County Roscommon, Ireland.

The individual freed the animals and took them to a vet at the ISPCA National Animal Centre in Longford for urgent attention.

Fortunately, aside from being cold, frightened and hungry, they did not appear to have developed any serious health issues following the distressing ordeal.

It is not know how long they had been abandoned in the field but they are still being closely monitored by staff at the centre.

"A lurcher dog was found nursing her six newborn puppies yesterday while chained to a gate in a field near Elphin, Co. Roscommon," ISPCA wrote on its Facebook page. "A kind-hearted member of the public discovered them and alerted the Gardaí and the ISPCA. The dog and her puppies were transported to the ISPCA National Animal Centre in Longford for urgent veterinary assessment".

A spokesman for the centre explained that the dog was scanned for a chip to trace her owner but, despite it being a legal requirement, she was not microchipped. The charity is now advising pet owners to spay or neuter their pets as soon as possible to avoid any unwanted offspring.

The dog has since been named Emmy Lou and her puppies are called Billy Ray, Dixie, Dolly, Dotty, June and Patsy. They will remain at the ISPCA centre until the New Year when the pups will be old enough to be given a new home.

An exhausted dog was found cruelly chained to a gate along with her six newborn puppies. It has also been reported that the vulnerable pups were so young that they had not even opened their eyes yet.

A passerby spotted the abandoned pooch and her offspring in a field in Elphin, a small town in County Roscommon, Ireland.

The individual freed the animals and took them to a vet at the ISPCA National Animal Centre in Longford for urgent attention.

Fortunately, aside from being cold, frightened and hungry, they did not appear to have developed any serious health issues following the distressing ordeal.

It is not know how long they had been abandoned in the field but they are still being closely monitored by staff at the centre.

"A lurcher dog was found nursing her six newborn puppies yesterday while chained to a gate in a field near Elphin, Co. Roscommon," ISPCA wrote on its Facebook page. "A kind-hearted member of the public discovered them and alerted the Gardaí and the ISPCA. The dog and her puppies were transported to the ISPCA National Animal Centre in Longford for urgent veterinary assessment".

A spokesman for the centre explained that the dog was scanned for a chip to trace her owner but, despite it being a legal requirement, she was not microchipped. The charity is now advising pet owners to spay or neuter their pets as soon as possible to avoid any unwanted offspring.

The dog has since been named Emmy Lou and her puppies are called Billy Ray, Dixie, Dolly, Dotty, June and Patsy. They will remain at the ISPCA centre until the New Year when the pups will be old enough to be given a new home.