Meet Double and Decker, the two tiny pups abandoned to die at a bus stop in Milton Keynes

Two tiny puppies were abandoned in a cardboard box at a city bus stop and left to die by their callous owner.

The pair of terriers were only around four weeks old, covered in mange, starving and suffering from one of the most extreme cases of fleas and worms the RSPCA has ever seen.

Luckily the bus stop pups were found by a member of the public and RSPCA volunteers rushed to collect them immediately.

"They were at a bus stop in Milton Keynes South and they were not in a good way at all. We didn’t think they’d make it because they were so poorly,” said a spokesperson for the Milton Keynes and North Bucks branch of the charity.

"They had such a heavy burden of parasites that they were undersized, even for their age. They were hungry but their tummies were big and swollen due of the amount of worms they had.

"And hey has such bad sarcoptic mange that lots of their fur was missing. They were such a pitiful sight and very weak and lethargic.”

The sandy coloured pup was half the size of his brother, weighing in at just 0.66kg, and vets warned at first that he wouldn’t make it through the night.

Miraculously though, both of them survived and this week they are being cared for at an RSPCA foster home, where they are gaining strength every day.

As soon as they are strong enough, they will be found a new forever home by the RSPCA.

But meanwhile their vets’ treatment is ongoing – and costing hundreds of pounds.

Double and Decker are among a record number of dogs and cats that have been rescued this year by the local RSPCA – and the charity’s finances are suffering as a result, due to all the extra expenses and vets bills.

The branch is financially independent from the national charity and run by volunteers. It raises all its own cash through donations, fundraising events and its local charity shops.

“This has been the busiest time I’ve seen in 18 years of volunteering,” said the spokesperson. “During May and June alone, we rescued 16 litters of kittens that were in need. And this was on top of the animals that were brought in by the inspectors as cases of neglect or ill treatment.”

All the animals are nursed back to health, wormed, defleaed, microchipped and neutered before they can be found new homes. Many require expensive treatment for sickness or injury they came in with.

If you would like to help Double, Decker, or any of the other hundreds of animals that come into the care of the branch, you can donate here.

Or you can organise your own fundraising event to help them. Ideas for how to do this are here.

The spokesperson for the branch said: “Without your help we cannot continue to provide loving care for injured or unwanted animals. Please help us continue to grow so that we can provide even more animals the care that they need.”

She added: We accept donations, gifts, legacies and even your services.”

Anybody interested in adopting an animal can check the branch website here.