Canterbury's SPCA has put out an urgent call for information after eight puppies have been found dead in a rubbish bin.
The bullmastiff cross litter, five male and three female pups weighing between just 600g and 1.2kg, was found in a rubbish bin at Ashburton's Mona Square this morning.
The SPCA believed they were just a couple days old and could have possibly frozen to death last night due to extremely cold temperatures.
Postmortem results showed that these puppies have been fed by their mum, and they looked otherwise healthy.
The SPCA said they're hoping to find the pup's mother, who will be traumatised and is at risk of developing mastitis.