A mum has revealed how her family are heartbroken after they brought home a puppy that tragically died the following day.
Poppy Smith, 25, from Slough, had seen an ad for Springer Spaniel puppies on Gumtree. The puppies were being sold for £600 and after a few messages, Poppy and the seller arranged to meet at an address.
When Poppy and her family arrived, they were greeted by a man standing in the street with a puppy in a crate. The poor puppy was in a shocking state, and so Poppy went away to think.
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After leaving, Poppy says they wanted to try and help the dog, and so paid £400 before taking him home in the hopes they could nurse him back to health.
Poppy told TeamDogs: "We felt absolutely disgusted that we had left the poor puppy there and arranged to meet later on to collect him.
"When I called the man and said we are coming back right now to get him he said he wasn't there and wouldn't be back till later, so at 8.20 pm we paid cash and took the poor puppy.
“We got the puppy home and started finding lice, fleas, etc all over him. He was covered in dandruff and mites.
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"I gave him a good bath hoping that he was just dirty and needed a good clean and some proper TLC.
“He was lethargic, very sleepy and not running around like most puppies. We assumed that maybe it's because he's missing his mum or brothers and sisters but by the morning he had been sick twice which was a clear and speckled red colour. He had the runs that was almost a strawberry red colour and we had never seen this before.
"We decided to go down to the vets and they booked him in for an emergency appointment."
Unfortunately the vet told the family that the puppy was suffering from parvo virus, had a twisted stomach and would be surprised if he survived more than two hours.
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The family made the incredibly difficult decision to put the puppy to sleep. Losing the pup has broken their hearts - they say they can’t face getting another dog after suffering such a devastating loss.
“We were just so saddened that we couldn't help him, we tried our best and we loved him all the time in our care we are still grieving this loss," Poppy continued.
“We won't be getting one (another dog) anytime soon more because it’s just so upsetting and we are still grieving the empty feeling you have after losing a puppy is unbearable and none of us is ready to go through it again.
“This puppy was bought as a birthday present for my stepdad from my mum, who suffered a stroke four years ago. It was to get some more life back in him and make him more active and have a responsibility.”
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A spokesperson for Gumtree said: “We take the welfare of animals extremely seriously and were saddened to hear about Mrs Smith’s experience.
“All ads on our platform have a 'report' button, which we strongly encourage prospective buyers to use immediately if they have any doubts or suspicions about a seller or any concerns about an animal’s welfare.
"Reporting a suspicious advert or seller to us allows our dedicated trust and safety team to investigate and take any necessary action, such as removing the ad, blocking the offender from the site and assisting law enforcement to secure convictions.
“We work with Pets Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG) – the UK’s trade body covering online animal sales made up of 25 welfare organisations including Dogs Trust, Battersea Dogs & Cats, RSPCA and DEFRA among others – to comply with all of their 27 standards. These industry-endorsed standards improve animal welfare in an ecommerce environment.
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“We encourage anyone thinking of welcoming an animal into their family to familiarise themselves with our advice on safely rehoming pets online.”
Featured Image Credit: BERKSHIRE LIVE/BPM MEDIATopics: Animals