THE Cumnock charity which rescued 13 dogs from a reported 'puppy farm' in the Doon Valley say the animals are "on the road to recovery".
We reported last week how the Islay Dog Rescue group had taken the dogs, who they are calling 'The Patna 13' - into their care.
The centre, run by Lorraine Jardine, said the charity was alerted to the dogs apparently being in an "unsuitable situation" in Patna.
The Scottish SPCA has launched an investigation into the incident.
An online fund-raiser set up by Lorraine set an initial target of £5,000, but was soon raised to £10,000, with the charity warning that the cost of treating the dogs would be a "massive financial struggle for us".
On the fund-raising website Lorraine warned: "Our aim is to save the lives of them all, but it's not guaranteed without significant veterinary support, and anybody with animals knows this is very expensive."
The campaign brought in donations of more than £14,000 from members of the public to help meet the cost of bringing the dogs back to health.
The charity has now issued an update on the condition of the animals.
Lorrain said that some of them had teeth that were in a "horrendous condition", while several of the animals' fur coats were in such a poor state that they had to be partially shaved off.
Lorraine said: "Four of the dogs, Hugo, Hettie, Claire and Mrs Fox, are in foster care with my friends Linda and Nico. All have had their coats removed and are feeling much better.
"Cleopatra, the long haired rottie - oh my, what a beautiful soul. It took two sessions to remove the ingrained and entangled faeces from her coat, but God bless her, she coped well.
“Twix, Minstrel, Sadie and Eddie are still nervous and a work in progress.
“We have as many booked into the vets as possible and we have had a great response from wonderful groomers offering their time.
“I would say our biggest concern right now is wee Hettie, so any healing vibes would be greatly received.
“Finally, the people who work and volunteer here are working their fingers to the bone.
"They are totally committed to the health and welfare of these dogs so please, keep them in your thoughts."
A Scottish SPCA spokesperson said: "The Scottish SPCA attended a property at Patna, Ayrshire after a report of welfare concerns of a few dogs.
"Inspectors attended the property but no dogs were found on the premises.
"Investigations are ongoing."
Donations to the charity's online fund-raiser can be made at gofundme.com/f/the-patna-13.
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