Surprise delivery: Bin full of abandoned puppies reflects a trend, humane society experts say

The bin left outside the West Suburban Humane Society looked like it might be full of pet supplies from an anonymous donor.

But when a staff member at the Downers Grove shelter opened it, she found a surprise — seven puppies tiny enough to huddle together in the bottom of the bin.

The puppies are estimated to be about six weeks old and ideally should still be with their mother.

But so far, “they are doing great,” Animal Care Team member Jennifer Miller said. “They are all healthy and eating well.”

A homeless person called the nonprofit agency Sunday morning saying he had seven puppies he needed to relinquish. But because the shelter was full, he was advised to go elsewhere and given a list of options, Miller said.

Nevertheless, the puppies were left around 1 p.m.

Socioeconomic factors play a significant role in pet abandonment, experts explained.

“It is definitely happening more often now. Shelters across the country are full, so people don’t have a lot of options when they face hardship or lifestyle challenges,” Miller said.

“We get abandoned animals at our door about every two weeks, but they are mostly cats. We get requests from the public to take ‘oops’ litters constantly” when pets aren’t spayed or neutered, she added.

The puppies should be available for adoption later in April. For more information, go to https://www.wshs-dg.org/adopt.