An appeal has been launched for information after two puppies were found abandoned under a railway bridge in Stretford.
The RSPCA said the Cane Corso puppies, one male and one female, were found by a member of the public on Moss Road on Saturday, May 13, tethered by a piece of rope.
The person who found the puppies, who are thought to be around four-months-old, went to get leads for them and took them back home, before they were collected by the RSPCA.
The animal charity said the puppies are currently being cared for at Greater Manchester Animal Hospital where they will be neutered and then rehomed.
The charity suspects the dogs were dumped on the road after the owner failed to sell them after breeding.
Helen Chapman, a rescue officer who collected the dogs from the home they were brought to, said: "We don’t know where these puppies have come from but we suspect they may have been abandoned by a breeder after failing to sell; or perhaps the owner couldn’t afford their veterinary care or wasn’t prepared to get them neutered.
"We also can’t rule out the possibility that they were left here after being found by someone, although we think this is a less likely scenario."
She added: "They were both quite anxious little characters who didn’t look like they’d experienced much of the outside world, although of course it must have been a distressing experience for very young animals to be left in an unfamiliar and noisy environment.
"It was extremely fortunate that they didn’t escape onto the busy road and get injured or cause an accident."
The RSPCA is appealing to members of the public as they look to establish details about the dogs and why they were dumped.
Anyone who may recognise the dogs, knows anyone who has recently bred a litter of Cane Corso puppies locally or was driving or walking in the area at the time is urged to contact the charity's appeal line on 0300 123 8018.
Cases of abandonments are on the rise, according to the RSPCA, who said it received 1,508 reports to its emergency line about an animal being abandoned in April this year, compared to 1,370 incidents for the same month last year, a rise of 9.6 per cent.
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