A litter of puppies abandoned in a box taped shut and left in the bush east of Steinbach have been brought in from the cold.
The seven, five-week-old puppies were found on Dec. 13 by a passerby who heard their cries. The night before temperatures had dropped to -25 C with a wind chill of -40
“We think that those puppies had been there at least 36 hours — maybe longer — but no food and just taped up,” said Steinbach and Area Animal Rescue vice president Graham Pollock.
The puppies were found in a box taped shut east of Steinbach by a volunteer at the animal shelter who happened to be passing by. (Steinbach and Area Animal Rescue)
The man who found the puppies is a volunteer at the shelter. Within hours, they were taken in for medical assessment.
A puppy ended up losing its tail to frostbite and suffered damage to the bottom of its paws.
“They kind of generated each other heat and maybe kept them alive that way,” Pollock said. “One of them was struggling a little bit when it came in, and we had to give IV fluids and bring it along a little bit, but they’re all thriving now.”
Within days, the whole litter found places to stay through the animal shelter’s volunteer foster program.
“And that’s the happy part of the story,” Pollock said. “It ends well.”
However, he did not hold back on the part of the story he felt less good about.
The puppies are now living with foster families in the Steinbach area. (Steinbach and Area Animal Rescue)
“I really struggle with understanding the human part of discarding a box of animals that are helpless, can’t look after themselves — just discarding it like it was garbage.”
The animal rescue, which is volunteer-run and funded by donations, has taken in more than 400 animals, finding homes for 329 cats and 42 dogs in 2025.
The lucky seven puppies will be up for adoption next year.
The litter goes to town on a bowl of food at Steinbach and Area Animal Rescue. (Steinbach and Area Animal Rescue)
