Two abandoned puppies found in a box hidden in the bushes of a Burnaby, B.C. park are in recovery and on their way to forever homes, according to the BC SPCA.
A passerby found Tia and Koda, six-week-old German shepherd mixes, on March 21, 2023 in Byrne Creek Park. The siblings were brought to the BC SPCA’s community animal centre in Richmond, the animal welfare organization said in a Tuesday news release.
“Tia and Koda were frightened and cold when they first arrived,” said Nicole McBain, manager of the BC SPCA’s Burnaby animal centre, in the release.
“After we were able to warm them up, they got much more comfortable and started behaving more like puppies.”
Tia is still being treated for an injured front leg, an infection and gastrointestinal issues, including diarrhea, the BC SPCA said, but a family looking for a puppy recently learned her story and is keen to take her home when she’s ready.
“It was a match made in heaven,” Richmond animal centre manager Krista Shaw told Global News.
Koda is already in a foster home that will adopt him, Shaw added.
The BC SPCA has dealt with an influx of abandoned or surrendered puppies. The Richmond centre currently has 11 — more than double what it has in a normal month, said Shaw.
Earlier this month, the organization said 350 puppies have come into its care to date in 2023, compared to 200 by this time last year.
A breeder in Surrey recently surrendered 17 dogs, including 11 eight-day-old Labrador retrievers, three 10-week-old border collie-cross puppies, and five adult retriever mixes.
According to its website, the BC SPCA assists more than 118,000 animals per year.