The story of nine puppies left to die in a rubbish bin by Lake Dunstan in Clyde which gained extensive media coverage last month, may have been just that - a story, and a tall one at that.
Alexandra SPCA inspector Helen Saunders, who ended up with the litter, now believes the puppies were never actually left in the bin.
Instead, she suspects it was a ruse by an owner who wanted to be rid of them.
Mrs Saunders said her investigations had led her to believe the woman who had taken the puppies to the vet, telling them she had found them in the bin, had instead made up the story, possibly because she thought it would make the vet or the SPCA more likely to take them off her hands.
She said the woman had left her name and phone number at Central Vets Ltd when she dropped off the dogs, believed to be Staffordshire bull terrier or mastiff-cross.
