A mother dog and her five puppies were kept in a dark room without food and water for upwards of three weeks, according to Lynn Lake RCMP. 

Police say they were alerted to the fact some dogs were locked in a house in Black Sturgeon Falls First Nation on Feb. 7, 2018 and that the owner had been gone for several weeks. 

When officers arrived, they found the mother dog and four of her five puppies, two of which were dead.

Police found out later that someone in the community rescued the fifth puppy, but it also died.  

RCMP officers took the mother dog and two surviving puppies back to the Lynn Lake Detachment, where they provided them with food and water. All the dogs had contracted bacterial skin infection as well. 

Cst. Lindsay Evans took the dogs home, bathed them and gave them food and milk, as the mother dog was not able to produce milk because of her starvation. The following day, the officers took the dogs to Northern Manitoba Paws in Need in Thompson. 

“The conditions these dogs survived in were pretty horrific,” Sgt. Kyle McFadyen, Lynn Lake RCMP Detachment Commander said in a release. “When we first opened the door, I wasn’t sure what we were going to find. I’m glad we got there in time to save some of them."

"For a dog who had obviously not received much care and affection, the mother dog was friendly with us when we got there – almost like she knew we were there to help.”

The Province of Manitoba Chief Veterinary Office is assisting with this ongoing investigation. 

Anyone with information is asked to contact Lynn Lake RCMP at 204-356-8862 or call Manitoba Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, submit a secure tip online at www.manitobacrimestoppers.com or text “TIPMAN” plus your message to CRIMES (274637).