Two adult dogs and four puppies rescued on the city’s north
side earlier in the week are believed to have possibly been abandoned.
According to Lethbridge Community and Animal Services officials on Wednesday Enforcement Officers responded to several calls around the lunch hour about a large group of dogs running loose in the Churchill Industrial Park area. Along with officers, staff and volunteers from the Lethbridge and District Humane Society also responded to calls about the dogs. Between enforcement officers and those from the Humane Society, it is said to have taken several hours to catch the dogs who were then impounded at the City of Lethbridge Animal Shelter.
All of the dogs were reportedly found in poor physical condition and have signs of neglect and a lack of socialization.
A statement from Community and Animal Services reads, “The number of dogs and their complicated care needs have pushed the shelter over capacity. Our team is desperately working to find suitable placements with rescue groups who can better accommodate the needs of these animals.”
Officials say witnesses have reported the dogs were intentionally “dumped in the area” by an individual and while officials understand what they call desperate circumstances, abandoning the dogs put possibly them and the community at risk, and “has placed a massive strain on already limited resources.”
Enforcement Officers are continuing to investigate and are asking anyone with information on where the dogs came from or who witnessed them being left behind to contact the Community and Animal Services office.
