A litter of eight puppies have been found dead in an Ashburton rubbish bin.
The SPCA says the bull mastiff puppies were found in a bin next to the playground at Mona Square.
It's estimated they were a couple of days old, a Facebook post said.
The SPCA says it's not certain how they died, but with extremely cold temperatures overnight Monday, they could have frozen.
It's left the organisation "shaken, heartbroken and angry".
- One-day-old puppies dumped on Canterbury river bank in a sack
- Dog dumped on Australian street with 'FREE' spray-painted on body
- Rescue shelter's stray dog has second mouth where ear should be
"My message to the owner of these puppies is: we would have helped you," SPCA Ashburton Centre manager Rebecca Dobson said.
"Our doors are always open for vulnerable animals."
Dobson told Newshub cold temperatures meant they wouldn't have survived long.
"It does appear that they were only a few days old," she said.
"It's unclear at this stage how they passed away - we're not sure if they were alive or not before they went into the rubbish bin."
Dobson said it had been a "very difficult" day for the team.
"There have been tears, I have to say," she told Newshub. "A lot of the team are quite upset."
The Facebook post sparked outrage amongst dog lovers with hundreds expressing their disgust and sadness.
"This is so heartbreaking. How dare people do this," one said.
"I cannot believe people are doing this," another wrote. "So so utterly sad, and disturbing."
Anyone with information is urged to contact the SPCA inspectorate on 03 3071019.
Newshub.
