Only one puppy out of seven survived a brutal attack in bushland near Kurri Kurri, west of Newcastle.
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The Bull Arab-cross puppies were allegedly dragged out of a Holden Commodore, swung around in the air and possibly bashed into the ground before being thrown into the scrub off McLeod Road and apparently left for dead about 5pm on Wednesday.
RSPCA inspector Scott Meyers said a witness, out walking his own two dogs, yelled out but the alleged perpetrator took off in the car.
The witness alerted authorities and Mr Meyers arrived on the scene a short time later to find five of the puppies dead from head injuries.
Two of the dogs were hanging on, but one died on the way to the RSPCA veterinary clinic at Rutherford, which only left a female pup that staff have nicknamed ‘‘Lucky’’.
Central Hunter police duty officer Inspector Brian Tracey said officers had arrested a 25-year-old man about 9pm on Thursday after receiving assistance from the public and users on social media.
Mr Tracey said the man was assisting police with their inquiries and had not been charged at the time the Newcastle Herald went to press.
The tan and white puppies were believed to have been six to eight weeks old.
‘‘Lucky’’ is a forlorn-looking pup and Mr Meyers said she was extremely traumatised.
‘‘She still had bloodshot eyes, she was bleeding from the mouth and eyes, but she is alive,’’ he said.
‘‘The extent of the injuries to their heads is unbelievable. Quite horrendous.’’
RSPCA veterinarian Julian Suchowersky said the pup was still ‘‘a bit vacant’’ on Thursday morning but was picking up as the day wore on.
‘‘She seems to be pretty stable, she has definitely improved, become a bit more vocal and a bit more puppy-like in the last few hours,’’ he said.
The pup was drinking and had an appetite, he said, which was a good sign: ‘‘I wouldn’t say she is emaciated but the ribs and pelvis bones are a little bit more pronounced and she has a fair few fleas.’’
Dr Suchowersky said he had looked at the bodies of the other puppies and was conducting tests to help pinpoint their injuries.
‘‘They are in pretty bad shape, with a lot of blood about the head and face, from the nose and ears. It’s pretty horrendous.’’
Everyone who had been involved in the case had been affected by what they had seen, he said.
‘‘We see a fair few cases of head trauma but not an entire litter being treated this way and abandoned like that,’’ he said.
‘‘... If you can no longer look after a large litter of puppies, there’s always a better option than the option that was taken.’’
A man’s arrest late on Thursday followed a RSPCA call for help.
After the puppies’ plight was published on theherald.com.au, readers rallied to the cause, searching sites such as Gumtree for mention of similar puppies for sale from places near Kurri in recent weeks, and making contact with the RSPCA with any apparent matches.
Hundreds of comments from readers venting their disgust at the bludgeoning deaths of the puppies were posted within hours.
The chief inspector for RSPCA NSW, David O’Shannessy, said due to the serious nature of the incident, any alleged perpetrator – if found guilty – may be facing up to five years in jail.
Depending on an assessment of the seriousness of the alleged violence against the animals, charges could be laid under the NSW Crimes Act or the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.
