Article by Brigita Pukinskė. Source: Delfi. June 25, 2026, 9:51 PM. Link to article.
Leaving puppies not even a month old without their mother alone in the forest is the same as killing them. Unable to feed or defend themselves, within just a few days they would die of starvation or become prey for a passing predator. The little ones left in the forest near Vilkaviškis were lucky this time that a girl who noticed them called rescuers. And they have no doubt: this was planned and someone must have seen it.
Puppies separated from mother too early
There is still no shortage of cases in Lithuania where people get rid of unwanted pet offspring in cruel ways. Spaying and neutering of cats and dogs is usually mentioned as one of the ways to solve the problem, but some pet owners are in no hurry to do so, saving their time or money, and later innocent young animals pay the highest price for it – with their lives.
Just recently, there was a report about kittens not even two weeks old thrown into a garbage container in Elektrėnai. A similar attitude toward animals was recently encountered in a forest near the town of Vilkaviškis.
“How many more? How many more lives will have to be thrown away like garbage before someone finally understands that an animal is not a disposable object? One of today’s reports went like this: Near the town of Vilkaviškis, an underage girl found several little ones, all alone. While some get rid of lives with a clear conscience, others have to see suffering, fear, and take on responsibility that should never have fallen on their shoulders. This is not an ‘unfortunate accident.’ This is not ‘it just happened.’ This is a conscious human decision to condemn helpless animals to death,” report the rescuers who documented the cruel incident.
Delfi contacted Loreta, coordinator of the non-profit charity and support fund “Lithuania for Animals,” who confirmed that the puppies are currently in the care of the fund’s volunteers and have just overcome a problem that caused a lot of concern.
“They’re not even a month old yet and we’re very worried that they’re having difficulty eating. We tried everything – bought formula, tried mixing in starter wet food, but they wouldn’t take anything. Now the decision was made to feed them goat’s milk – that worked. They’re also getting vitamin pastes,” Loreta shares the progress.
According to her, it appears that the puppies found in the forest will be a larger breed. The fund coordinator says the puppies were separated from their mother too early, so they don’t eat anything on their own yet, because puppies this age should still be nursing and only later introduced to other food.
“People are already writing on our page that they would like to adopt the puppies, but for now we definitely won’t give them to anyone – first we’ll monitor their health. Of course, their care, special food, all the pastes and future vaccinations at an older age cost us a lot of money, but at this moment we have the situation we have,” she says.
Suspect everything was deliberately planned
Loreta, who is caring for the puppies left without their mother, says that such behavior toward animals cannot be explained. According to her, the person who did this condemned the little ones to death.
“Fortunately, the girl who found them contacted us immediately. We called the authorities without delay, they documented the incident. Someone from the neighbors probably saw these puppies and their mother. The little ones weren’t neglected – when we took them, they were chubby. But due to the enormous stress and hunger they experienced, they lost weight for the first two days, even though puppies this age must gain weight every day. Fortunately, after giving goat’s milk, we managed to stabilize the situation,” says Loreta.
“People get rid of animals in terrible and cruel ways. The location in the forest was probably not chosen by accident – it’s possible that berry picking was being imitated, and the puppies were simply brought in a basket and left. Thinking logically, if someone had driven there by car, someone would have captured the incident on a dashcam. We hope that after seeing this post, people will respond and say: ‘I was there and I saw it.’ Most likely everything was deliberately planned,” she says.
Currently, “Lithuania for Animals” is caring for many pregnant female dogs left to fate. According to Loreta, four of them have already given birth to puppies, and two more are currently expecting and could give birth to little ones at any moment.
She notes that this means significant expenses, so she reminds that those who want to contribute to a better tomorrow for animals can do so here.
“We are not supported by any state institutions or municipalities – we depend entirely on people’s kindness, goodwill, and compassion. Moreover, we don’t keep animals in a shelter. Our goal is that not a single rescued animal ends up there. They live either in an animal boarding facility, where private operators give us friendly terms, or with temporary foster carers, whom we very much lack,” says Loreta.
Delfi reminds that if you witness cruel treatment of animals, you should immediately report it by calling the emergency number 112.
According to Article 346 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Lithuania, cruel treatment of an animal, torture of an animal carries a fine from 150 to 2,000 euros.
According to Article 310 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Lithuania, a person who treated an animal cruelly, tortured it, if as a result the animal died or was maimed, shall be punished by community service or a fine, or restriction of liberty, or arrest, or imprisonment for up to one year.