Walker rescues abandoned puppies

RESCUED: South Wairarapa mayor Adrienne Staples and bylaw officer Brodie Simmons cuddle the puppies abandoned on a rural Martinborough road at the weekend. PHOTO /SUPPLIED

Cries of despair from a cardboard box found on the grass verge of a rural Martinborough Road revealed two abandoned puppies inside.

The puppies were discovered last Saturday by a woman out walking who heard the cries and found the box with its lid clamped shut.

She took the puppies home and cared for them for the rest of the weekend before phoning the SPCA in Wellington only to be told to contact the Wairarapa branch which has closed.

Instead the woman got in touch with South Wairarapa District Council and the puppies were handed over.

South Wairarapa mayor Adrienne Staples took the pair - a dog and a bitch thought to be about 10 weeks old - home overnight on Monday.

Mrs Staples said the puppies were in "pretty poor condition" when found.

"I don't think they would have lasted much longer had they been left in the box."

The council will care for the two puppies for a week, a statutory period to allow time for their owner to come forward, after which time new homes will be found for them.

The puppies would be given free to a suitable home provided the new owners were prepared to microchip them and register the puppies.