I’ve put this under my ‘out and about’ section because I was out walking pup at the weekend and, unfortunately, we discovered something not very nice. If you’re not an animal sympathiser – don’t read on.

I’m very fortunate to live in a lovely green part of my town and not far from my house are some open fields in which people often walk dogs. I like to take pup here as I can let her off lead and she has a merry old frolic about the grass and thoroughly enjoys herself.

This weekend, pup was investigation all things farm-field as ever: sniffing, stalking, scraping etc. At one point she slowed, and very cautiously approached a tuft of grass from a distance of about 20 feet or so. Assuming she was about to lick a cow-pat (she has form) I walked to meet her and, sadly, we discovered the remains of a small puppy.

Now, I am an animal lover – there’s no two ways about that. And I absolutely adore my dog; she means an enormous amount to me and I care for her deeply. So I absolutely cannot understand how or why a tiny puppy would be left in a field, alone.

I sincerely hope it’s not down to human interference that he ended up there.

The point of this post though is not to bemoan whoever or whatever is the cause of this poor wee thing’s fate – as upsetting as I found it at the time. (So did pup, incidentally. I’m convinced she knew what it was and at several points on the walk home she sought comfort from a cuddle or a pat.)

The point is to praise the SSPCA. After looking online for what best to do – I didn’t want to just leave it there – I read that the SSPCA deal with injured or neglected animals, and that my local council would be the ones to contact regarding dead animals.

The council though, quite rightly, only deal with animals on roads or public paths, so I called the SSPCA as I didn’t feel good about not reporting in some way what could potentially have been an act of cruelty to an animal.

The lady who answered the phone could not have been more helpful. The charity has a hotline and my call was answered after one ring. She took all of the details, liaised with a colleague, and went through precise directions on an aerial map with me to allow a local officer to come out and locate the puppy.

I can only assume too that the SSPCA want to make sure that nothing untoward has happened, and I certainly felt reassured by their response and reaction. The SSPCA is, of course, a charity and is supported by donations from generous individuals who care about animals. What worthwhile support that is.

I sincerely hope that this poor pup has wound up where we found him due to natural circumstances and that a neglectful or cruel human hand has not had an influence. Although it’s much too late to do anything to save him, at least he can be rested properly.

Rachel