Six puppies ‘in distress’ rescued by police in Hamilton

Police in Hamilton say they’ve rescued six puppies after responding to a “concerning animal welfare incident” on the east Hamilton Mountain.

They say on Tuesday at around 1:30 p.m., police responded to a residence after a worker removing a tree nearby saw “several puppies in distress” inside an outdoor cage.

Officers arrived and located eight puppies that “appeared severely undernourished.” Several were unresponsive and one was dead.

Police say officers provided water to the surviving puppies and contacted Animal Control and Provincial Animal Welfare Services (PAWS).

In total, seven puppies, including one who had died, were transferred to an emergency veterinary clinic. The six surviving puppies received veterinary care.

The homeowner was contacted by police and officers say they have been “cooperative.” PAWS has taken over the investigation.