Rescue for one-day-old puppy dumped in Chaddesden Park bin

A puppy was found crying and helpless in a park bin after being dumped by an owner.

Helen Cooper was on a run in Chaddesden Park in Derby on Sunday morning, May 7, when she heard the screams and cries from what she thought might've been a broken children's toy in a green litter bin near the entrance to the park on Chaddesden Lane.

Checking the bin straight away, she found the pup, estimated to be just a day old, half in and half out of a plastic bag weighted down with a brick.

She took him home and then to Scarsdale Vets where he is now recovering.

Helen said: "It's absolutely disgusting. Even if the owners had a dog that got pregnant accidentally and they couldn't afford to keep the puppies, there's no need to put a living thing into a bin. No reason. It's awful."

The puppy, believed to be a spaniel or a cockapoo, is now being hand-reared by a vet at home and is said to be doing well. It had no visible injuries but was small enough to fit in the palm of a hand.

Helen, a dog owner herself, only found the puppy by chance. Her usual running route, which she does every other day, takes her down a different path.

She said: "I heard a noise and thought: what's that? At first I thought I'd just leave it and carry on. I did actually go to walk off but I thought: no, something doesn't feel right."

Her initial check of the bin found nothing due to the bin liner obscuring any view. Helen then took the lid off and took the bin bag out, which is when she spotted the Tesco bag and the pup, which looked like it had tried to climb out.

Helen said: "I just scooped him up and walked home. I think I was in shock. You don't go out and expect to find that."

An elderly couple nearby went and checked the other bins, but the bin men had already emptied them. Luckily, they had left the one the puppy was found in until last.

Helen's two daughters, 6 and 2, helped keep the dog warm and gave him water amidst their excitement at the adorable pup's arrival. After around 15 minutes they drove to Scarsdale Vets at Pride Park, where they handed him over.

It is thought that the pup had been in the bin for at least an hour before being found, with someone saying they had walked past and thought it was a cat at around 5.30am.

Helen posted the story on Facebook and was inundated with messages and friend requests from people checking if he was OK.

The latest update is that he is doing well, which was good news for his finder.

She said: "It's amazing. It's weird and crazy that it is OK considering how I found it. I'd love to be able to follow his journey to a happy ending.

"Hopefully I get to find out. I don't think he'll be struggling to find a forever home with his little story. He's gorgeous. I'm just glad he's safe."