(COLORADO) — A recent call for help in a social media post led the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region (HSPPR) to four puppies, which were underage and were unknowingly being sold illegally.
HSPPR said Fiona, the Community Sheltering Manager for HSPPR, was scrolling through social media when she saw a post from someone searching for a rescue or shelter to take two, underaged puppies.
Fiona reached out to see if HSPPR could help, and learned from the poster that someone was selling puppies on Facebook, and the poster had bought two of the four puppies. When the poster took the puppies home, they realized both puppies were about five weeks of age and not weaned and the family was unequipped to take care of the dogs.
Courtesy: Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region
Courtesy: Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region
Courtesy: Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region
Courtesy: Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region
HSPPR took in the two puppies and placed them in foster care. Fiona then reached out to the seller to see if they could help with the rest of the litter.
HSPPR learned the seller was unaware that selling puppies under eight weeks old was illegal.
The sellers were struggling to care for the puppies, and searched online about puppies’ weaning, and the internet said that five weeks was the appropriate age to separate puppies from their mother, so the sellers assumed it would be fine.
According to HSPPR, the puppies were not quite ready and the sellers did not know how dangerous it could be for little puppies. Fiona took the opportunity to educate the sellers and offered to spay/neuter, vaccinate, and microchip their dogs at no cost to them.
The puppies are now nine weeks old and have since been adopted.
