Alexandra SPCA inspector Helen Saunders said the story in yesterday's Otago Daily Times had "gone viral" and she had been swamped with calls after her appeal to the public for any information about the dumping of the litter of nine 5-week-old puppies in a bin by Lake Dunstan on December 23.
She had described it as act of "unbelievable cruelty" and told the Otago Daily Times the puppies had been left to die by "starvation, dehydration or cooking in the heat". Fortunately, the puppies were found by a jet-skier soon after being abandoned and were later handed to the SPCA.
Two of yesterday's callers provided information she would be following up on as part of the investigation into the incident, but she declined to give any further details, as charges could eventually be laid.
Members of the public called to say how horrified they were at the way the puppies were dumped.
"It's generated a huge reaction and it's lovely to know that most people do actually care," Mrs Saunders said.
"I think that, this time of year, everyone's trying to be kind to each other and it's the season of goodwill, and that's made the dumping particularly horrifying and shocked people.
"I was shocked by it myself and I'm still shocked, but the reaction from the public has been very heartening, to find out that other people are just as shocked as me."
One of the callers has offered a home for one of the puppies, which are believed to be Staffordshire bull terrier or mastiff-cross, but Mrs Saunders is still seeking homes for the remainder of the litter.
• Five youths, aged 18, from the Rangiora area were arrested by Queenstown police on animal cruelty charges after a live turkey was allegedly attached to the back of a utility vehicle with adhesive tape and driven through central Queenstown yesterday.
The ute was stopped by a police patrol car in Church St at 2.52pm.
Police said the vehicle had recently been driven to Queenstown but it was not immediately clear how long the bird had been driven about, attached by the tape.
Sergeant Keith Newell said the action was "just ridiculous" and police would not tolerate this kind of behaviour.
Police could not immediately clarify whether the bird had been injured.
