STURGEON FALLS — The OPP have confirmed to BayToday that a small puppy was found inside a box of garbage along Sandy Falls Road in Sturgeon Falls around 3 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.
"The complainant told us someone had dumped a bunch of garbage and boxes and inside one of those boxes was a dead puppy," stated Phillip Young, Community Safety Officer with the East Algoma-Elliot Lake detachment.
"The puppy was brought to the North Bay Humane Society for an autopsy and further investigation on their part."
Young said the case was reported to police at about 3 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.
See related: Dead puppy thrown out in the garbage
Sylvie Durette was the witness who made the tragic discovery on the side of the road which included garbage bags, a dog's bed with toys, a urine-stained rug, and a cardboard box with the deceased animal inside.
"When I first saw him my heart broke," Durette told BayToday Sunday night.
"But then I just got angry. It's sad to think someone thinks it's ok to discard him like garbage. What if a small child found him? "
Young says the police have seized portions of the garbage in hopes of identifying the owner of the dog.
"It is still fresh, we don't speculate as to what might have happened, we don't do that," said Young.
"We will go through the facts and evidence and make a determination from there but there are definitely some questions being asked as to how this puppy got into this box and ended up dying."
Young says the investigating officer out of Sturgeon Falls OPP detachment will be responsible for determining if any animal cruelty charges will be laid.
