Dog and her starving puppies found locked in crate at construction site

A Florida animal shelter is working to save the lives of a mother dog and her eight puppies who were all found locked inside a “rusty metal crate” at a construction site.

Gut-wrenching photos of the emaciated and fearful canines were shared on social media by the Humane Society of Tampa Bay (HSTB), which referred to the animals’ ordeal as “absolutely deplorable” in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

As of Tuesday, the conditions of the nine pooches are “unstable,” according to the Tampa, Florida-based shelter. It’s unclear why the mother dog and her pups were abandoned.

Newsweek reached out via email on Tuesday to representatives for HSTB for comment.

HSTB, a nonprofit organization that provides shelter and services for homeless and at-risk animals, said the dogs were rescued after a worker showed up to his job at the construction site on Monday afternoon.

“Since it was a Monday and the site was closed for the weekend, there was no telling how long those poor dogs were there in the heat and rain,” HSTB said, which noted that all nine canines were “stuffed” in the locked crate for an unknown period.

The construction worker who found the dogs transported the mom and puppies to HSTB, where the medical intake staff began to administer aid immediately. However, the shelter staff said they quickly discovered that the puppies were in very poor shape, saying they were “emaciated, starving, and full of parasites and fleas.”

“Some even had to have emergency blood transfusions due to how anemic they were,” HSTB said. “We cannot imagine what they have gone through but are grateful they are in our care to be taken care of. Their conditions are unstable, but we are going to do everything in our power to save their lives.”

HSTB also shared photos of the severely malnourished animals on its Instagram. In one image, a scrawny puppy looks at the camera as his ribs poke out and his eyes appear sunken.

Since the mom and puppies are still receiving medical care, it is unclear when they will be available for adoption. HSTB accepts donations, which help cover medical expenses, among other costs associated with caring for the canine family.