Abandoned puppies named after Friends characters reunited with mum after being dumped in Essex

Seven two-week-old puppies who were found dumped in a shoebox have been reunited with their mum at an RSPCA rescue centre.

The tiny puppies were found by a member of the public outside Braintree District Council offices in Essex on 3 May.

They were taken to the RSPCA's Danaher Animal Home in Wethersfield - where staff named them after characters from the sitcom Friends.

Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Monica, Phoebe, Joey and Gunther have now been brought back together with their birth mother.

General manager Sam Garvey said: "We had no idea what happened to the puppies or where they came from, but we’re incredibly grateful to the kind passerby who found them and brought them into our care.

"We believe the puppies are terrier crosses but they were far too little to be away from their mum so I took them home with me to hand-rear them and keep a close eye on them.

"I had to feed them every few hours and thankfully they’ve been doing well and continue to get stronger and stronger."

The animal home launched a fundraiser to help cover the costs of looking after the puppies.

And soon after, a local dog warden brought in a dog who had been found abandoned nearby.

"Something really special happened. The dog the dog warden brought it in appeared to be the puppies' mum. It was like a miracle!" said Ms Garvey.

"Sadly, she wasn’t in a good condition. She was very scruffy and skinny, but we tried to gently introduce her to the puppies and, although she was happy to see them, they didn’t form the bond we’d all hoped for."

The crossbreed mum - who the team named Samantha, after the manager who had stepped in as mum to handrear the puppies - settled in quickly.

She was dirty and thin with matted fur when was found wandering on May 15, but she soon made herself at home, said the RSPCA.

"Samantha was so gentle and loving," said Ms Garvey. "But although it was lovely to reunite her with the puppies she didn’t settle right in to take on the role of mum again, as it had been so long, so we decided to keep them separate.

"Thankfully, she found her new home quickly and is settling in wonderfully with her lovely new family.

"The puppies continue to grow and are becoming cheeky, playful dogs in our care.

"They’re not ready for rehoming yet and we’ll put their profiles on our website as soon as they’re up for adoption.

"We’re so incredibly happy that all of the puppies are doing really well and have survived this crucial time where they should have been with their mum."

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