Oxford police are asking residents and businesses to review footage from Saturday evening after residents found five puppies at four locations around town. Officers said the puppies were exposed to potentially dangerous conditions, and police asked for footage and information about suspicious activity in the area.
A report by Boston 25, citing Oxford police, said the puppies were found on Clara Barton Road, Federal Hill Road, Buffum Dam Road and Old Webster Road. Police believe they are Cane Corso mixes. The puppies were found exposed and vulnerable. The Oxford Police Department and Animal Control are asking for help.
Police asked area residents and businesses to check security-camera or doorbell footage from Saturday between 5 p.m. and 6:45 p.m. for suspicious vehicles or people near the four roads. Anyone who recognizes the puppies or has relevant information is also asked to contact police.
A Similar Case Playing Out in Randolph
Oxford's case also recalls an animal cruelty investigation that unfolded in Randolph in 2025. There, police sought public help after two 11-week-old puppies were found abandoned on August 1, 2025, along a pedestrian pathway between the Martin E. Young Elementary School and Barbara Road, the same outlet reported in its Randolph coverage. Those puppies, a male and a female, were transported to Weymouth VCA for emergency care, but officials determined the male puppy's condition was severe enough that the best recourse was to provide him with a peaceful passing.
Investigators in that case said the Randolph puppies likely came from basement breeders and may have been Shepherd-hound mixes with a distinct black tail. Randolph police asked anyone who saw suspicious activity in the Barbara Road area on or around August 1, or who had information about people breeding similar dogs, to come forward.
What Happens to Abandoned Puppies in Oxford
Local shelter policy offers some insight into how found animals are typically handled in town, even though it is not confirmed whether it applies to this particular group of puppies. The Oxford Animal Resource Center notes that dogs and puppies on a five-day stray hold cannot be adopted but can be fostered during that waiting period. During that period, fostering is allowed, but adoption is not.
What Massachusetts Law Says About Abandonment
Massachusetts law includes willful abandonment among acts prohibited by its animal-cruelty statute, according to the Massachusetts General Court. The statute’s application to the Oxford investigation has not been established.
For now, the Oxford case remains an open investigation, with police seeking relevant footage and information about the five puppies found across town. No suspect has been named, and the circumstances that led to the abandonment have not been disclosed. Anyone with relevant footage or who recognizes the puppies is urged to reach out to Oxford police.
