Auckland Council is on the hunt for the owners of 20 puppies that were dumped outside a shelter on Thursday morning.
Staff at the Manukau Animal Shelter say it's the largest number they've received in one day.
It comes as the council launches a free de-sexing campaign for dogs.
CCTV footage from outside the Manukau animal shelter has been enhanced to track down exactly who dumped the puppies just 10 minutes before the shelter opened.
Eleven puppies from one litter and nine from another were found in a large plastic container.
"We have puppies dropped off now and then, but this is certainly the largest," said James Hassall, general manager of licensing and regulatory compliance at Auckland Council.
The puppies are believed to be between 4 and 8 weeks old.
And it's been animal shelter officer Elisha Byrne's job to care for them today.
"They've been good, quite hungry, sleeping a lot, doing puppy things," Byrne told Newshub.
Puppy things indeed.
"We've split the litters up so they have equal amounts of food and a nice warm bed to sleep in - and they'll just be hanging out here awaiting their temperament test."
That test will determine if they can be adopted out.
Not only did the staff have to deal with the 20 puppies dumped here, but they also found nine more at a park about 8km away.
Those ones couldn't be homed at the Manukau shelter because they're too full, so they were taken to the Henderson shelter.
It costs ratepayers about $45 per dog per day to look after them.
But to de-sex a dog could cost about $300.
"Auckland Council is about to launch a campaign for free de-sexing. It will apply to certain dogs in certain areas," said Hassall.
"In the end the huge number of dogs that we have is attributable to the fact that owners don't de-sex."
It's a clear message to dog owners while the investigation into the owner of these dumped puppies continues.
