Joplin Humane Society finds eight puppies dead outside shelter

JOPLIN, Mo. — Joplin Humane Society employees are heartbroken after finding eight puppies dead in a crate outside the shelter.

Shelter director Connie Andrews says the puppies were found in this tote Sunday afternoon.

It’s unknown how long they were there because she says they were not left in a place where it was easy for staff to see them.

She also says her staff are shaken up by the discovery, especially as the shelter is now trying to offer resources for pet owners — hoping this will never happen again.

The shelter recently started a program to spay female dogs for free, and if it has puppies those would then stay with the shelter.

The hope is to stop the cycle of unwanted dogs and cats.

While the shelter does have drop-off fees, Andrews says they’d never have turned the puppies away.

Andrews also says the Humane Society is working to offer pet owners food, collars, leashes, microchips, vaccines, or anything else to deter heartbreaking events like what happened Sunday from ever happening again.

Security camera footage will be sifted through to help identify the person or persons whose actions led to the death of these puppies.

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