'No place for them to go': Crate full of live puppies left at Dauphin vet clinic

A wooden crate full of live puppies was left outside a Dauphin vet clinic on Tuesday.

According to veterinarian Roxane Plett, co-owner of Dauphin-Ste Rose Veterinary Clinic, the crate was nailed shut and had a bag of dog food beside it.

Plett said the dogs were left at the clinic at some point overnight, and estimates the puppies are between two and three months old.

“There were six pretty big puppies that were stuffed into this wooden crate and just left there,” she said in an interview on Thursday.

Now, there’s nowhere for the puppies to go as all nearby shelters and rescues are full.

“The unfortunate thing is that everybody is full,” Plett said.

“All the shelters are full, rescue groups are full. There’s no place for them to go.”

Plett is hoping that will people will adopt the dogs, and urges owners to spay and neuter their pets.

“If anybody needs a puppy, we have six puppies to try and find homes for,” she said.

This is not the first time animals have been abandoned at the clinic’s doorstep, and it’s something Plett says is a growing issue. She said the situation is frustrating and that people need to take responsibility for their pets.

“It’s as simple as spaying and neutering. It’s not that hard,” she said.

“This could all be taken care of in a much better way rather than just dumping it on somebody else’s lap and just expecting that somebody else is going to take care of the problem for them.”

In a statement, RCMP said they are aware of the incident, though it was not reported to police.

Mounties note they have not investigated, adding that the puppies were left in a safe location in a crate that had gaps, which allowed for adequate air supply.

- With files from CTV’s Taylor Brock.