Dumpster puppy Jakk getting shot at life thanks to WA Pet Project

An estimated five days old, tiny Jakk was put into a bin as though he was rubbish.

He is too young for his carers to know his breed and too young to care for himself.

Luckily for Jakk he is now in the care of Edith Balatonyi (25), who volunteers at WA Pet Project.

Jakk will need ongoing physiotherapy to help with a deformation of his front legs.

Ms Balatonyi believes the deformation is probably the reason his previous owners put him in the bin, but she has no hard feelings towards the people who threw her “special little man” away.

“They’re probably backyard breeders,” she said.

“People don’t realise that if they ask for help it will be given. Rather than condemning these people, I want them to know that help is there.”

She said Jakk was starving and cold when he was found and if he was left much longer he would not have survived.

“He loves being touched and held. He’s probably pining for his mum and litter mates,” she said.

Like any infant, Jakk needs round-the-clock care.

“Everyone sees the photos and says it’s so cute but no one realises how unglamorous it is. I’ve already been spewed on and dealt with explosive diarrhoea,” Ms Balatonyi said.

“But he’s a real fighter. He’s already like ‘hey mum I’m ready for a top up’.”

Jakk will start physiotherapy next week but he will not be ready for re-homing until he is six months old.

Jade, one of the Hungry Jack’s workers who found Jakk, will be first pick to give the puppy a home.

However, it will depend on the severity of his condition.

Jakk may have to use a wheelchair to help him get around, which would not be suited to a house with a lot of furniture.

A spokeswoman for K9 Alliance Australia said owners who saw health issues in puppies were often reluctant to ask for help.

“They take them to the vets to be put down, or take them to the pound or dump them like this,” she said.

“We have seen an increase in people needing to re-home pets, either through job loss or rental problems.”

There are success stories, though.

K9 Alliance Australia recently rehomed a 10-year-old dog with cancer; he is now settled in with his new mate, a blind dachshund.

Ms Balatonyi will need help paying for Jakk’s rehabilitation.

Visit www.wapetproject.|com.au to make a donation to Jakk’s progress.