after Police were told she had been scampering around waste ground.

Now a leading Bermuda vet has issued a poignant appeal to find the dog's owners, so he can operate and remove the unborn pups.

Dr. Jan Cieters, who runs the Hannover surgery, said the Rottweiler was rescued by officers after she crawled into a dumpster near Devon Springs.

He said the Rottweiler had suffered from heat stroke after spending all day inside the huge rubbish bin on Saturday.

"She had no water and no food,'' said Dr. Cieters. "But the Police were very good and they administered first aid.

"They cooled the dog down and put cold water over the animal constantly. Then they called us.

"We saw the dog here on Saturday night around 9 p.m. and gave her the required treatment -- fluid replacement therapy.

"The Rottweiler is beautiful, she's about five or six years old and she's recovering nicely. But now we urgently need to find her owners.'' He said the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals could claim ownership of the dog after four days have passed, which is today.

But Dr. Cieters believes the Rottweiler is carrying stillborn puppies and desperately needs to be operated on.

"We will keep the dog here for as long as we can but then she may have to go to the SPCA,'' he added. "Ideally, we would like to operate before the end of the week but obviously we need to find the owner first.

"If the SPCA have claimed ownership, then that could change things, too. Then we could probably operate on Thursday.

"But she's a very gentle and a very friendly dog and somebody must be missing her.

"She's a pure-bred dog so we're very puzzled how this could have happened.

She must have been looking for food when she jumped in this dumpster and then couldn't get out.'' The dog's owners are urged to contact Dr. Cieters' surgery on North Street in Hamilton.