It might sound obvious, but the employees at Friends of Animals in Cloquet expect people to bring animals in the front door.
"We ask that anyone dropping off animals at least brings them inside," said Beth Collins, board president of Friends of Animals. "We'll take any animals, but just work with us."
Collins felt the need to state the obvious after an employee found a box containing four abandoned puppies near the dumpster at the shelter on Monday afternoon. She doesn't know how long they were there, but she said it was luck that they were found when they were.
"In this unseasonably cold weather, they would not have survived long," Collins said. "Puppies have no way of maintaining their body temperatures at this young an age," she said.
She believes the puppies are about three weeks old and they likely survived by huddling against one another for warmth.
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Collins is asking the public to call the shelter with any information they may have about the puppies.
"We are making a plea for the person to come forward for the welfare of the puppies and their mother," she said.
"At this age they need their mother's milk and, ideally, we would like to borrow her for a few weeks so these puppies can get the nutrition they need. They also need the immunity that comes through a mother's milk. Because these puppies are too young to vaccinate, they are at risk for illness right now."
Since Monday, volunteers have been feeding the puppies goat's milk and rice cereal every three to four hours in foster care at an employee's home.
Collins also worries that the mother of the puppies may be in agony.
"We don't know if they brought in all of the puppies, and without any time for weaning the mother could be at risk for health problems," she said. "It would also be helpful to know the breed of the puppies and any history of the mother, including her temperament, so we can more successfully get them adopted."
Two of the puppies are light in color while the other two are dark, and they look like they may be a larger breed, according to Collins.
Even though abandoning animals is illegal, Collins just wants information.
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"They must have some kind of conscience if they brought them here," she said. "We're not going to chew them out, but just want what's best for these animals."
Animals are left outside the shelter about four times per year, according to Danny Johnson, executive director of the shelter.
"To me, that's a lot," he said. "When it happens, it is costly and creates a burden for our staff and volunteers."
Anyone with information is asked to call Friends of Animals at (218) 879-1655.
