Poor little Ruaidhri was found in a critical condition by staff at the RSPCA’s animal hospital – and is not yet ready to be rehomed

AN animal hospital is seeking witnesses after a critically ill dog was dumped on its doorstep in a sports bag.

The young terrier – named Ruaidhri by those now looking after him – was left outside the RSPCA’s Finsbury Park Animal Hospital on October 19.

Hospital director Áine Maguire said: “We can see from our CCTV that the person arrived at 4.06am on foot and left him outside the main front door.

“He was in a really poor condition and there were real concerns he might not pull through.”

A CCTV still of the person who left Ruaidhri on the doorstep

Ms Maguire added: “He was in a collapsed state and we were worried about his brain function. Thankfully, he’s now slowly gaining strength and while it is still early days, we are happy with his progress so far.”

The charity is appealing for anyone with information to get in touch, including a man who was seen nearby at the time and whose image the RSPCA has released in the hope of tracing him.

Ms Maguire added: “It’s always very sad to see pets who are in desperate need of medical care being left in circumstances such as this. We would urge anyone who is struggling to look after their animals – at what is a very difficult economic time for many people – to seek help and support when their animal first needs help, rather than simply abandoning an animal in their moment of need.”

Ruaidhri is not yet ready to be rehomed but, as Adoptober ends, the RSPCA is urging animal-lovers to consider giving a rescue pet a second chance.