A KIND-hearted stranger has recalled how she helped to rescue six stray puppies that were recently discovered in Wiltshire.

The lost pets were discovered in the village of Leigh near Ashton Keynes and Cricklade on Tuesday, February 20, after two people noticed that the animals had been left outside in the rain and took them to safety.

After being taken to a vet, the un-microchipped and seemingly abandoned dogs were handed over to Wiltshire Council's public protection service, who put a post on Facebook in a bid to find the owner. 

But one of the two strangers who stopped to help, Hayley Thomas, has described the moment she happened upon the little animals and stopped to help them. 

She said: "Me and a friend were out riding our horses, noticed them in the field by a house down the road and thought nothing of it.

"We did notice the gate was open but assumed someone was with them, although we didn't see anyone.

"On the way back we noticed they were down the road in a gateway and saw there was another guy that had pulled over trying to figure out why they were out.

"The guy that was there was calling his partner to come and help as he didn’t really know what to do or how to catch them."

Luckily for Hayley, and for the dogs, she had just bought a coffee from the farm down the road, and she was able to use this coffee cup to entice them to come close enough for them to be grabbed. 

"Five of them came happily and were very friendly, the last one was a bit hard to catch but we managed to in the end after he was heading into the bushes by the ditch.

"They seemed well handled.

"After catching them I put them into the guy's car and we agreed he would take them to the vets and keep me updated, which he has."

A spokesperson for Wiltshire Council said: "At this time we do not require help with rescue space or rehoming for this dog and we will be unable to reply to any requests for these.

"Anyone with information which will help locate the owner, email us at dogs@wiltshire.gov.uk

"The owner of any dog being claimed must provide personal ID, proof of address, and sufficient proof of ownership, as well as paying all relevant fees before collection."

Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard: Six puppies were found seemingly abandoned in a field in the rainLeigh, Wiltshire,