MASON CITY – The Humane Society of North Iowa received a surprising delivery to the shelter last week: a plastic storage tote full of puppies.
A young man showed up at the shelter and told the organization that he saw the plastic tote sitting on the curb in a Mason City neighborhood with a sign that said “Free Puppies.” He stopped to investigate, opened the lid on the storage tote (that had several holes cut into it), and found 7 cold and wet pups. With temperatures in the single digits, the young man, who wishes not to be identified, loaded the entire storage tote into his car and immediately brought them to the shelter.
When animals are found abandoned within the city limits of Mason City, they are considered “stray” and are admitted into the Mason City Stray Animal Shelter, which is co-located and managed by the Humane Society of North Iowa. They are held at the shelter for 7 days to see if an individual comes forth to claim ownership. The hold period has expired and the puppies have been transferred to Humane Society of North Iowa shelter where they are now available for adoption.
The puppies are estimated to be around 8 weeks of age and in good health considering their ordeal. Since there is no history on them, the Humane Society of North Iowa does not know an exact breed, but is speculating them to be a Boxer mix.
“We are shocked and saddened that anyone would abandon a litter of puppies this way”, said Sybil Soukup, Executive Director of the Humane Society of North Iowa. “With the bitter cold weather we’ve had recently, it would not have taken long for these pups to suffer serious hypothermia or be frozen to death. There are better alternatives than to leave a litter of helpless puppies stuffed in a storage tote on the curb.”
The puppies have already started receiving Veterinarian care and are officially available for adoption. The Humane Society of North Iowa has already received several applications, but is hopeful all the puppies will find new homes soon. Those interested in adoption are encouraged to contact the shelter.
The Humane Society of North Iowa is a non-profit organization that serves a 9 county area in North Iowa and operates a no-kill rescue animal shelter in Mason City. In the past 25 years, HSNI has found loving homes for over 8000 abandoned, displaced, and neglected animals. For more information, please call the Humane Society of North Iowa at: 641-423-6241 or visit them online at: www.hsni.org.
