It is unclear how long the dog was left in the field.

A dog found chained to a fence in Roscommon while trying to nurse six puppies is being closely monitored. The lurcher was discovered by a member of the public chained to a gate in a field near Elphin, along with six of her puppies. The dogs were transported to the ISPCA national animal centre in Longford. They do not appear to have any major health issues, other than being hungry and cold. The dog has been named Emma Lou, and her puppies have been called Billy Ray, Dixie, Dolly, Dotty, June and Patsy. ISPCA centre manager Hugh O’Toole said that leaving the lurcher tied up in the cold and rain put both her and her puppies' lives at risk. "I don’t understand how anyone can think it is okay to leave a dog tied to a gate to nurse her puppies," he said. " With the recent level of rainfall and cold weather this week, the outcome could have been very different and I’m happy we were alerted so we could help them." O'Toole added that the public should ensure that their pets are neutered and spayed to avoid unwanted litters. He also said that all animals should be microchipped to ensure that their owners can be traced. “The dog was scanned to trace her owner but unfortunately she was not microchipped which, is a legal requirement," he said. "Our centres’ are constantly full to capacity and with very limited resources, we sometimes have had to use private boarding kennels to help the number of animals waiting to come in, once space becomes available. "It can also take time to find good responsible homes for the many animals in our care." Emma Lou and her puppies will remain in ISPCA care until the New Year, when they are old enough to be rehomed.