An abandoned puppy found hours from death in a forest, has triggered calls from MLAs for a sea change in Northern Ireland's animal welfare laws and the relationships between the councils and DAERA.
The nine-week-old Labrador Poodle mix, thought to have been an unwanted gift over Christmas, was discovered by a dog walker at Mountsandel Forest, Coleraine, earlier this week after she had initially mistaken him for a bunch of leaves.
Shaun McIntyre from Benvardin Kennels charity where the male pup is now being cared for, said he is lucky to be alive after being found in a state of severe starvation and hypothermia.
Read more: NI dogs being dumped in fields, forests and cardboard boxes without care or conscience
Shaun explained: "He's just a scrap of a thing, all skin and bones with very little strength or stamina and if he's able to recover, it will take time. But he's safe for now and we hope he improves enough to allow us to have him fostered or adopted. But he's had a terrible start, just terrible.
"The lady who found him had initially walked past him but her dog kept pulling to go back to the tree where the puppy was lying. She picked him up and called us and we asked her to bring him to us for assessment.
"When she arrived she said she thought the wee dog must be very old because he wasn't able to move, was very lethargic and looked close to death. But when we examined him we realised he was just a baby, between eight and 10 weeks old and he was at death's door due to lack of food and shelter.
"We had a vet in doing vaccinations at the time and she took the pup away to be placed on a drip to see if he could be saved. The following day he was back with us and ready to make a go of life.
"But he is so thin, we can feel every bone in his body however he is eating and he's warm and clean and we'll look after him on the puppy block where he will hopefully be able to have some company if he gets a clean bill of health and his vaccinations.
"So once again we have taken on someone else's responsibility, the responsibility of the person who dumped him presumably knowing he'd die unless someone happened to spot him. Those are the actions of a monster.
"It seems incredible that it takes something as disgusting as this to wake anyone up to the fact that we have a serious problem here in Northern Ireland and it spreads further afield too.
"But we as a community have a responsibility to make changes for the better to protect the vulnerable, to stop this type of behaviour and to look after our animals in a proper manner.
"If Forrest, as we've called him, is a catalyst for that, then some good will come out of his suffering. But we need action behind the words, we need the politicians to act and we need the public to stop and think before they act, before they bring a dog into their home.
"We need people to understand that getting a dog and then dumping it is unacceptable at any level. These people just assume that someone else will step up, someone else will take responsibility for their actions and behaviour. And they don't really care if it doesn't happen either, they don't care enough that Forrest almost died, they don't accept that he was their responsibility and they had a duty of care towards him. It's time to wise up. It's time for everyone to wise up.
"There should be no need for animal rescue groups in Northern Ireland, yet each of us is overrun. We have 50 dogs and pups with us right now - all of them dumped, abandoned, lost or surrendered around Christmas. And we are averaging a dog a day being surrendered to us."
Stephen Dunne, DUP, is a member of the All Party Group on Animal Welfare and agrees that Northern Ireland must urgently change its approach to and investment in the welfare of animals.
Responding to information that dogs are being abandoned all over the country, Mr Dunne said: "No dog should ever be left alone without care and love. We must see a greater level of joined up working between councils, DAERA and other sectors who have a role to improve and invest in animal welfare.
"As a dog lover myself, I know the value and love that dogs can bring to any home and to someone’s life. Dogs do require time and investment and they deserve to be loved and cared for.
"It is very alarming and worrying that animal shelters and rescue centres are under serious pressures due to the level of demand with dogs needing rehomed and cared for, particularly after the Christmas period.
"Dog ownership is not to be taken lightly, and I would encourage people to ensure they think before they go out and buy a dog. There are bills too with dogs, providing food and vet care, is another factor to be considered for any new potential dog owner. "
And fellow welfare group member, Patrick Brown, Alliance, said: "First and foremost, we need to get a grip on both legal and illegal puppy breeding and support our councils and the PSNI to take action where appropriate and to better share information. This will require new legislation, updates to current regulations and better enforcement of laws.
"We need a widespread education programme so the public understand the true extent of the problem and how they can help, for example by always opting to adopt a pet first.
"And most importantly we need an Assembly and Executive in place to bring forward legislation, scrutinise the actions of DAERA and better support people through this cost-of-living crisis which is resulting in many pet owners not being able to support their pets the way they want.
"As Animal Welfare spokesperson for the Alliance Party I am constantly in touch with animal welfare charities and shelters. They do excellent work with care and compassion, however it has been clear for a long time that we have been heading towards this crisis point and not enough is being done to support these organisations. The current circumstances are due to a complex set of factors but there is a lot we can be doing to improve the situation."
If you want to help towards Forrest's care and other dogs at Benvardin Kennels charity, you can click here to donate.
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