It was just days before Christmas when six tiny puppies arrived at the BC SPCA鈥檚 Chilliwack facility.

The six-week-old litter of Great-Pyrenees-border-collie cross puppies were surrendered on Dec. 22.

The little cuties are in care of the Chilliwack animal centre team in three local foster homes for another couple of weeks.

鈥淚t used to be really rare to have puppies come into the centre,鈥� said Shelley Joaquin, manager of the BC SPCA鈥檚 Chilliwack animal centre.

Unfortunately it was fairly common in 2023 to see a number of pregnant dogs and puppies in need of emergency care.

鈥淲e鈥檙e very grateful the owner of these puppies reached out to surrender them immediately when they realized they could no longer afford their care, and before the puppies鈥� health was impacted.鈥�

Litters of puppies require extensive effort to care for, and can strain local SPCA resources, especially on foster volunteers.

鈥淭hese little ones are so precious; they snuggle right into you when you hold them! But, like most younger animals, they needed to get out of the more overwhelming shelter environment and into foster care right away so they can learn what it鈥檚 like to live in a home by being house-trained and socialized.鈥�

The BC SPCA maintains a large foster network of caring homes where vulnerable animals, like these helpless pups can wait for their forever homes.

鈥淚t was challenging to find fosters so close to the holidays, but we were thrilled to find three homes who could each accept a pair of puppies.鈥�

Each one will be spayed or neutered and will be in the BC SPCA鈥檚 care for at least two more weeks before they are available for adoption.

鈥淜eep in mind, even heading into a holiday long weekend, BC SPCA staff are always ready to support animals in need!鈥�

Anyone who wishes to support these puppies, and other animals needing urgent shelter and care, can check out spca.bc.ca/emergency-alert

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