Spaniel family abandoned in shipping container and cared for at RSPCA's Block Fen Wimblington find happy ever afters in time for first Christmas

A family of spaniels whose life didn’t start too well - having been found abandoned in a shipping container - are now starting their happy ever afters with their new owners.

A female cocker spaniel and her seven puppies were found living in hay in a shipping container in Buckinghamshire in October by police and RSPCA inspectors.

RSPCA Inspector Stephanie Law said: “The dogs were living in completely inadequate conditions shut inside a storage container. The door was shut tight meaning it was pitch black inside. They were all underweight and I’m not sure the puppies would have survived much longer in that situation.”

Mum, Bamboo, and her pups were removed by police and taken in by the team at RSPCA Block Fen Animal Centre, in Wimblington.

Stephanie added: “No one claimed ownership of the dogs and they needed urgent treatment. The pups had diarrhoea and needed special diets and medication. Thankfully, they all pulled through and thrived in our care and have now all been snapped up by their new families. Their futures look much brighter!”

Billy, Blaze, Bob, Bertie, Bluebell, Bunty and Thomas went off to their new homes in November and are all settling in well.

Tiffany Saunders, kennel supervisor at Block Fen, said: “These dogs were very lucky to be found just in time and, thankfully, they all survived. With lots of TLC from our team they all made an amazing recovery. While they didn’t have a good start in life, things are now looking much brighter for these dogs and we’re so glad they’re all settling into their new homes in time for a magical Christmas.

“While these adorable dogs have found their happy ever afters, many animals will be waiting patiently to find their new family in an RSPCA rescue centre. It will cost us £4,117 to run an animal centre for one day this winter so we’re asking animal lovers to Join the Rescue this Christmas to make sure animals get the care they need this winter.”

Bluebell - now named Ruby - went to live with Darren Sampson and his family in Bedfordshire. Darren said: “Ruby is a bright and friendly girl, she loves her walks and enjoys meeting new people and dogs. She adores the children and they adore her.

“She loves to chase our other spaniel, Monty, around. They’re getting on well although sometimes she can annoy him!

“We’ll all be spending Christmas at home together and we can’t wait to see how Ruby reacts to all the fun and unwrapping the gifts!”

Bunty also has a new name to go with her fresh start. Named Socorro, which means rescue in Spanish, (or Coco for short) she’s settled in with her new family, in Manchester, amazingly well.

Owner Caroline Ford said: “We’re so glad we stuck with trying to rescue a puppy and the children are so excited for their first Christmas with Coco; they want to get her lots of new toys! We’re completely smitten with her.

“It’s been wintry in Manchester so she’s already had her first experience with snow and enjoyed playing in it.”

Patricia Varrall, from Bedfordshire, adopted mum Bamboo, who is now called Rosie . She is settling in well and the family are working with her on her anxieties, which include barking and howling at night.

“Rosie can be nervous and struggles with separation anxiety but things are slowly improving and we’re hopeful we can ease her anxiety with time. Our previous cocker spaniel was also nervous but through patience and understanding we managed to overcome these problems until we lost him to cancer at the age of 13.

“We love Rosie very much and, through love and kindness, we hope to cure her anxieties. We love to walk and enjoy the great outdoors so it’s wonderful to have Rosie to enjoy this with us. We must thank all the staff at RSPCA Block Fen for all their help and guidance and their faith in us to allow adoption.”

Matthew Ceigh’s family were lucky enough to adopt Phoebe. He said: “Phoebe is settling in really well and growing in confidence each day. It’s great to see her sweet character starting to shine through.

“We’re so pleased to have her with us for Christmas this year; she’s our little Christmas miracle!”