Surrendered dog and 6 puppies will be available for adoption in Victoria soon

A dog and her six two-week old puppies were surrendered on southern Vancouver Island. (BC SPCA)

A cattle dog mix and her six puppies will be available for adoption soon after the animals were surrendered to the BC SPCA on southern Vancouver Island.

The organization says the owner called the RCMP for help and the dogs were surrendered to an animal protection officer.

“We are so thankful the owner of these dogs recognized that they could not care for them and asked for assistance,” said Eileen Drever with the BC SPCA in a Thursday news release. “Taking care of a mom and her six puppies is a lot of work, ensuring they get everything they need to grow up to be healthy and well socialized dogs.”

The puppies were only two weeks old and their eyes hadn’t opened yet when they came into the BC SPCA’s care.

Upon arrival at the Victoria shelter the puppies appeared healthy, but the mom was underweight, according to the charity. Staff are working on bringing the dog’s weight up and the puppies require dedicated care including daily weight checks and monitoring of their hydration and appetite.

Emma Hamill, manager of the Victoria animal centre, says the mom was nervous at first but quickly warmed up to staff.

“We named her Sweetie because of her disposition. She craves the same level of attention and affection from people that she gives to her babies. She is a very good mom,” she said.

“As (the puppies’) eyes begin to open fully, they are watching mom interact with people and have good experiences with them. This will go a long way in making these puppies great companions when they are ready to be adopted.”

Sweetie and her puppies will need to stay at the BC SPCA for at least six weeks, and each puppy will be vaccinated and spayed or neutered before they are ready for adoption.