A group of seven puppies rescued after being abandoned on an island in northern Manitoba are recovering at a Winnipeg shelter.
The puppies were rescued by boat last Wednesday, a few days after their cries led two men from Cross Lake to discover them.
“They heard these cries, from this abandoned island, and went up to it and found 7 puppies, starving, literally to death,” said Carla Martinelli-Irvine, founder and executive director, Winnipeg Pet Rescue Shelter.
Photos and videos of the pups, named for shipwrecked characters on the 1960s TV sitcom ‘Gilligans Island’, picked up tens of thousands of views on Facebook after the Norway House Animal Rescue began sharing updates on their journey to leave the island.
The dogs are now under the care of the Portage Avenue shelter until they are ready for adoption.
“I know absolutely 100 per cent for sure that these puppies are going to find a beautiful home, we’re going to ensure that,” said Carla Martinelli-Irvine, the shelter’s founder and executive director. “I know they’ll have a happy life from that point on.”
Martinelli-Irvine also said abuse and neglect of animals is “an issue everywhere.”
"We do take a lot of animals from northern communities, but you know, we see cruelty in Winnipeg,” she said, recalling several examples.
“It’s just so unfortunate that we don’t have respect for animal life.”
The puppies, Labrador retriever mixes, are estimated to be about three and half months old.
