Newborn puppies in cat cage dumped near SPCA gates

Humanimals vet nurse Catie Cawley with five dumped American bulldog puppies in Dunedin yesterday....
Humanimals vet nurse Catie Cawley with five dumped American bulldog puppies in Dunedin yesterday. Photo by Peter McIntosh.
SPCA Otago has launched an investigation after five newborn puppies were dumped in Dunedin.

SPCA Otago dog manager Lisa Gerard found the American bulldog puppies abandoned in a cat cage in Torridon St, in Opoho, near the gates of SPCA Otago.

She found the cage on her way to work at 8.30am on Tuesday.

''When I approached it I could hear whimpering puppies,'' Ms Gerard said.

Another staff member had passed the spot 10 minutes earlier and the cage had not been there then.

The five bitches - three white and two brindle - had their eyes closed, so would be about a week old.

A puppy opened its eyes about a fortnight after it was born, Ms Gerard said.

SPCA Otago inspector Sophia Tinirau said abandoning puppies was an offence.

SPCA Otago was seeking information from anyone who recognised the ''distinct'' lime-green and brown cage or knew of a lactating bitch without puppies.

The puppies needed to be with their mother for several weeks.

''Eight weeks is optimal.''

The mother would be ''distressed'' and possibly in pain.

''She'll have a lot of milk coming through that isn't going anywhere.''

The puppies were living at South Dunedin vet Humanimals and would be in foster care before being rehomed.

Humanimals vet nurse Catie Cawley said the puppies were healthy and American bulldogs were ''big softies'' and could potentially grow to weigh 45kg.

''They are very big puppies, so they are going to be very big dogs,'' Miss Cawley said.

shawn.mcavinue@odt.co.nz

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