Orphaned puppies are found clinging to the body of their frozen mother in -20C weather – and now their Russian rescuers are looking for new homes for the pups
- The whining animals were found sheltering next to their mother’s dead body
- Rescuers found them lying in the snow in the Krasnoyarsk region in Siberia
- The shelter wants to find the one-month-old puppies a new home for Christmas
Seven orphaned puppies have been rescued after spending three days clinging to the frozen body of their mother in Siberia.
The whining animals were found sheltering next to their mother, who had died in intense minus 20C cold in the Krasnoyarsk region of Russia.
Dog shelter rescuers said it took two days to catch the orphaned puppies who refused to leave the spot where their mother, a stray, lay in the snow in Yemelyanovo settlement.
Now rescuers want a Christmas miracle for each of the puppies – believed to be one month old – by finding them good new homes.
Heartbreaking: Seven puppies cling to the frozen body of their mother who had died in freezing conditions in Siberia
Find me a home: The dogs were rescued and dressed in festive outfits as a dog shelter tries to get new owners for the puppies before Christmas
Rescuers fear the mother could have been poisoned by locals seeking to get rid of strays, and then froze to death in the Siberian cold.
‘We are in fact at a loss [as to] what happened,’ said a resident.
‘Perhaps the mother dog was poisoned by some heartless people, or else why did the big animal die and her puppies survived?’
The puppies were eventually all caught and taken to a warm shelter in Krasnoyarsk city, where they were given food and first aid, reported The Siberian Times.
They are all healthy despite their ordeal.
‘They are fluffy with good undercoats,’ said one of the shelter staff. They will be of average size and will do well both in a flat or as security guards.
‘We are looking for new owners and will keep an unobtrusive eye on how the puppies are doing.’
After the puppies were found sheltering next to their mother’s body in Krasnoyarsk (left), they were picked up by a dog shelter where they were given warmth and food
Despite their ordeal, the shelter says the puppies – two of whom are pictured – are healthy and would grow up to be average-sized dogs
These were among the puppies found with their mother’s body in Siberia, leaving locals mystified as to why the mother had died and her offspring survived