A litter of four puppies was found abandoned near Camrose, Alberta. (ANNA SCHNEIDER/Special to QMI Agency)

EDMONTON -- Anna Schneider and her sister, Lena, trudged through deep snow and battled frigid temperatures for four consecutive days last week, searching for a litter of abandoned puppies.

Anna had come across an ad on the popular online classified website Kijiji, begging residents around Camrose to search an area near a dump, about 30 km from the city, for puppies that landfill workers reported had been dumped in a bin from a truck.

The woman who wrote the post found two German shepherds and took them in, but it was rumoured a pitbull-cross and her four pups were still out there.

“The snow was up to our knees,” Anna said, recalling the search. “(Lena) worked hard at it, even though she’s pregnant, to look for the puppies and save their lives.”

Finally, on the fourth day, they found the animals near a bale of straw in a field.

The mother, who had a noticeable injury to her back leg, was not happy to see them. So the sisters scooped up the puppies — shocked that they were still alive in the harsh weather — and took them home.

They returned later and managed to coax the mother to come with them. All the animals were examined, dewormed and given vaccinations for free at the Camrose Animal Clinic.

“I appreciate what Anna did and the persistence ... going back until she found them,” said Dr. Richard Bibby, the vet who treated the pups. “I think she needs real credit for what she did. I think the dog herself, (with) the desire to look after her puppies, it’s a wonderful example for people.”

Anna said each day the mother dog walked nearly eight kilometres to the dump from the pile of hay where her puppies were to scrounge up food.

She was adopted out to a good home recently and the two female puppies are already promised to two homes. But the males have not yet been claimed.

Anna said she will be picky about who adopts them. The new owners must stay in touch with her and provide proof three months from the adoption date that the pups have been spayed or neutered.

She will charge a $200 fee for the animals, partly to pay back the vet and partly to keep in savings in case any other abandoned dogs turn up.

“In our opinion, if somebody gets something for free, most people will dispose of it easier and faster,” she added.

For more information e-mail Anna at pitbulls4life@ymail.com

alyssa.noel@sunmedia.ca