Dogs Trust has issued an appeal for public support as the charity is experiencing an influx of surrendered and abandoned dogs.
According to the dog welfare charity, it has become "overwhelmed" with almost 500 requests since January.
One of the many recent requests included a box of five-day-old puppies that was recently handed into their re-homing centre in Dublin.
A man had found the puppies in his garden in Finglas, in a cardboard box.
Niamh Curran-Kelly, veterinary and welfare manager at Dogs Trust Ireland, explained: “Puppies of this age are completely and utterly dependant on their mum.
“Their eyes and ears are closed, and they’re unable to toilet themselves or regulate their body temperature, so they wouldn’t have survived much longer their own.
“Thankfully, they got to us in time, so we could give them the care they needed, including bottle feeding and toileting them every two hours.
“Sadly, the smallest of the litter passed away, despite veterinary intervention but unfortunately this is quite common with orphaned puppies.”
The four puppies, who the charity suspect may be Pomeranian crossbreeds, have now been rehomed.
As the charity receives no Government funding, it has issued an appeal for the public to support it amid the rise in surrender requests since the beginning of the year.
