Officials with the Humane Society of London and Middlesex are asking for help after 30 dogs were dropped off at their shelter.
The dogs were surrendered on Friday and there is a need for financial donations to pay for their care. According to executive director Steve Ryall, most of the dogs are young. He says there are eight puppies that are estimated to be between two and three weeks old.
"They have no physical problems," he said. "They seem to be adapting well here. It's more behavioural stuff where we can get them used to being around people."
Ryall said the drop off of the dogs was arranged through the OSPCA. While he couldn't say where the dogs came from, he did say their arrival made for a busy day. He added the arrival led to an increase in staffing requirements.
"We had all hands on deck on Friday and did our best to clean them and triage every single one of them. We've added staff to the payroll for a week or two that we're going to be doing this," he said.
Ryall pointed out that the Humane Society of London and Middlesex does not receive government funding and instead, relies on the generosity of the public. He said they're going to need help in the coming weeks to address the costs that will be incurred while the dogs are in their care. That's why he's hoping people in the London area will make financial donations.
"We have a good base of food and toys and towels and blankets and things like that," he said. "Ultimately, it's a financial contribution that we need to cover the vet bills that we're going to incur. Thirty dogs going to the vet is not a low-cost thing, so we definitely need some help in that area."
Ryall said it's too early to give an estimate of how much the veterinarian visits will cost, but he says the public can help defray that cost by donating to the Humane Society. He says they would be happy to accept cash or cheques at the shelter at 624 Clarke Rd. Donations can also be made online at www.hslm.ca