The Nanaimo & District Branch of the BC SPCA is seeking the community's help in saving the lives of an emaciated Rottweiler and seven of her puppies who were rescued from a situation of horrific neglect earlier this month.

"The female Rottweiler was tied to a tree with a short, heavy chain," says BC SPCA cruelty investigator Julie Hitchcock. "There was no food or water available to her and she was lying, cold and wet, in a pool of mud." Hitchcock says that when she arrived on the scene the sick and emaciated mom was straining unsuccessfully against the chain to retrieve a tiny puppy who had rolled face down into a mud puddle. Six other puppies, suffering from severe hypothermia, parasite infection, lice and malnutrition, were huddled in the mud, whining loudly. "The dogs had no shelter at all and the property was covered in feces and garbage," says Hitchcock.

For more information, read our press release.

The BC SPCA is a non-profit organization funded primarily by public donations. Our mission is to prevent cruelty and to promote the welfare of animals through a wide range of services, including cruelty investigations, emergency rescue and treatment, sheltering and adoption of homeless and abused animals, humane education, advocacy, farm animal welfare, spay/neuter programs, and wildlife rescue and rehabilitation.