SAFE AND SOUND
SPCA searching for answers after eight dogs rescued in Hamilton
Eight puppies are making a full recovery after being found in a garbage bag in Hamilton,
Alitter of hours-old puppies left for dead in the trash are now thriving, likely to make a full recovery.
Karen Reichheld, animal care manager with the Hamilton Burlington SPCA, said the organization received a call last Tuesday from a local veterinary hospital after a Good Samaritan found eight puppies in a garbage bag at an east-end gas station. They appeared to be less than a day old.
“They still had their umbilical cords attached and their eyes are still not open,” Reichheld said.
Reichheld is fostering two puppies, believed to be a mastiff, boxer or another large breed dog, while another staff member is fostering two and a volunteer is caring for the other four. Taking care of tiny pups isn’t easy. The foster moms have to bottle feed them every three hours, use cotton balls and warm water to make the puppies urinate and defecate, have to keep them warm with heating pucks.
Reichheld wasn’t sure one would make it.
“She just stabilized yesterday,” Reichheld said. “She’s got a belly on her now. I love seeing that, a nice round belly. You know they’re doing well.” She named one pup Bianca and the other Serena after Bianca Andreescu and Serena Williams who played in last weekend’s U.S. Open tennis match.
The SPCA received an outpouring of emotion and support on Facebook after sharing the puppies’ story and posting a video of a pup feeding from a bottle.
“Luckily these puppies were found and while we, as humans, are a poor substitute for their mom we are going to do everything in our power to make sure that they are ok and ready for forever families in a couple months BUT this could have ended very differently,” read the post.
The puppies are likely to go up for adoption in seven weeks, at which time the SPCA will accept adoption applications in person at the SPCA’s adoption centre.
The SPCA is asking anyone with information about a recently pregnant large breed dog that may have given birth and no longer has puppies to contact the SPCA’s protection department at 905-574-7722 ext. 401.
The puppy rescue news comes days after the Ladybird Animal Sanctuary shared the story of Posty, a shih-tzu mix abandoned at a gas station in horrific condition.
Posty is still facing health issues but he is receiving lots of love. Sanctuary staff hope to put him up for adoption when he’s healthy.