'They are skin and bones': 4 puppies found abandoned in box by Manitoba highway
A Manitoba dog rescue is looking for answers after four freezing, malnourished puppies were found abandoned in a box on the side of a highway.
The four puppies – now named Parsnip, Artichoke, Turnip and Fennel – are on the mend in a foster home with Manitoba Underdogs Rescue.
Last week, a Pembina-area vet contacted the rescue about the four puppies that had been found on the side of a highway just outside La Salle.
"They were malnourished, they were covered in fleas, they were nearly frozen," said Tara Maslowsky, the events coordinator with Manitoba Underdogs Rescue. "They're 18-week-old puppies that were just kind of left to fend for themselves."
As for how the puppies wound up on the side of the road, Maslowsky said she isn't sure if they will ever truly know. At this point, the rescue suspects it was a backyard breeder that abandoned the dogs after failing to sell them.
"Right now, we're still kind of investigating and trying to put those pieces together," she said, asking anyone who may know anything about the puppies to reach out to the rescue on social media.
Four puppies named Parsnip, Artichoke, Turnip and Fennel found on the side of a highway just outside La Salle on March 22, 2023. (Source: Manitoba Underdogs Rescue)
"This is unacceptable what happened to these animals."
She said if more information is gathered, the rescue will be reporting the incident to police.
It is not the first time something like this has happened.
In January, 10 purebred golden retriever puppies were also found abandoned near a rural Manitoba highway. At the time, animal advocates told CTV News they believe many of the abandoned animals had been pandemic adoptees.
Manitoba Underdogs Rescue Executive Director Jessica Hansen said the number of animals being abandoned or relinquished by people who adopted them during pandemic lockdowns is having a big impact. The rescue said it is currently over capacity with more than 100 dogs in care.
As for these puppies, three were taken to a foster home while one needed to be admitted to a veterinary hospital. It has since been reunited with its siblings.
Four puppies named Parsnip, Artichoke, Turnip and Fennel found on the side of a highway just outside La Salle on March 22, 2023. (Source: Manitoba Underdogs Rescue)
"They are skin and bones," Maslowsky said adding the rescue is focused on nursing the puppies back to health and finding them loving homes.
"We're looking for donations, we're looking for food, we're looking for supplies – anything that can help these puppies towards their vet care and feeding their little bellies."
She said the rescue is in desperate need of puppy food. More information can be found on the Manitoba Underdogs Rescue website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.