AN ANIMAL rescue centre is appealing for information after two dogs were found wandering on remote marshland near Great Yarmouth.

Hillside Animal Sanctuary said the pair of rottweiler/collie crosses had been dumped on Halvergate Marsh just a day after being rehomed, and staff are now trying to find out how they came to be there.

Volunteers had to navigate their way over the criss-crossing dykes in a 4x4 to get to the furry friends, and then used dog poles and a hefty supply of food to get them to safety and back to Hillside's base in Frettenham near Norwich.

The dogs, named Romulus and Cerberus, were checked over and found to be microchipped.

But when staff contacted the owner listed she told them she had rehomed the pair just the day before they were spotted stranded on the marsh.

John Watson, who works at Hillside, said: 'They had been there since the Tuesday, we managed to get them back to Hillside (on the Wednesday) and were able to scan them.

'We spoke to the owner and she had rehomed them on the Monday and was quite appalled to find this had happened.'

Mr Watson said the seven-month-old dogs were in good condition and had not been mistreated and staff could only draw the conclusion that they had been dumped as they were so far from their new home in Norwich.

'They're fit dogs, they can travel but it's difficult to imagine they would have gone from Norwich to Halvergate on their own,' he added.

'We get calls about dogs being tied to lampposts and that's heartbreaking, but at least somebody's tied them where someone will find them.

'To take them to Halvergate marshes, which is a massive expanse of marshes, it certainly appears to be a very callous act.'

The dogs had also been left in 'grave peril' Mr Watson said as had they started interfering with cattle roaming nearby they could have been shot by a farmer.

Romulus and Cerberus, who are described as 'great friends', are recovering well from their ordeal last week and Hillside staff are now looking for a new home for them where they can live together.

They are also appealing for any information about how they came to be on the marsh.

Contact Hillside on 01603 736200.