'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
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Parliamentary report on Emergencies Act decision is 18 months past due — and counting
The erstwhile group of senators and MPs studying the federal government's invocation of the Emergencies Act over the "Freedom Convoy" was supposed to present its findings in December. December of 2022, that is.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
A candidate for Germany's key party was beaten up while campaigning for European elections
A candidate for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left party in next month's election for the European Parliament was beaten up and seriously injured while campaigning in an eastern city, the party said Saturday.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.