Many outdoor enthusiasts with a penchant for nature activities surely have numerous interesting stories to share. The two kayakers from today’s story are no exception.
One day, while paddling down the Blackstone River in Uxbridge, Massachusetts, they noticed a mysterious potato sack floating in the current.
As they got closer, they heard a strange sound coming from inside the tied sack. Recognizing the heart-wrenching cries for help as those of fragile animals, they knew they had to act.
So, they opened the sack and discovered something that shocked both them and the police, whom they contacted immediately.
Inside the old potato sack were six fragile newborn puppies, not more than a week old.
The two kayakers were both shocked and heartbroken, wondering how anyone could do such a cruel thing to poor, defenseless animals.
Thankfully, they rescued the pups and reached out to Uxbridge Animal Control who gladly took them under their wing.
Uxbridge Animal Control officers did their best to nurture these six babies back to health and shower them with the love and attention they truly deserved.
One of the officers, Kevin Sullivan, was responsible for feeding, ensuring the pups received a special dog formula to regain strength and gain weight, along with probiotics to soothe their stomach pain.
Fortunately, although vulnerable, none of the six puppies were in grave danger and were ultimately found to be in great health.
Uxbridge Police Chief Jeffrey Lourie expressed utter disbelief, having never encountered such ruthlessness in his 29 years on the force.
In a conversation with CBS, he stated it was unclear how long the sack had been in the water before the kayakers discovered it.
However, one thing was certain: Without the kayakers’ quick actions, the six puppies would certainly have passed away. As Lourie noted:
“I believe as a police chief they had guardian angels looking over them, these kayakers. It was only a matter of time before they were all submerged and perished.”
The Uxbridge Police Department appealed to their Facebook followers, asking for any information that could lead to the arrest of “the low life that could commit such a heinous act.”
Lourie said how they aimed to identify the person who abandoned the puppies, discarding them in the Blackstone River and nearly ending their lives. He said:
“Obviously this is a heinous act, unconscionable. We definitely want to be able to charge [the suspect] with six counts of cruelty to animals.”
Thankfully, the six Labrador-mix pups had a bright and happy future ahead of them.
The Uxbridge Police Department received several inquiries from potential adopters regarding their adoption.
Once old enough, all six pups were adopted into loving forever homes.