Who let the dogs out? Police seek suspect who released dogs at Timmins animal shelter

Timmins -

The Timmins Police Service is looking for whoever broke into a local animal shelter and released three shelter dogs Friday night.

The people involved did not take anything from the shelter, police said, but took the canines outside and left them there.

"Perhaps they were looking for narcotics within and, not finding any, they chose to release the animals that were held within," said police communications coordinator Marc Depatie, adding that incidents like this are unusual in the city.

"Most break-and-enters are break-and-enter for profit. This does seem to be an instance where the persons performed some measure of mischief."

The Timmins and District Humane Society said two of the dogs stayed in the area and one was found wandering two kilometres away.

The shelter was frustrated when it discovered the break-in, stating on its Facebook page that a nuisance like this puts a financial burden on the charity.

"(We are) already strapped for funding to do as much as possible for animals in this city," the shelter said in a statement.

"Now there are completely unnecessary damages to our building to repair and security upgrades needed, taking away from animals who could otherwise be helped. We are hoping that somebody out there will have information and will come forward."

The Timmins Police Service is encouraging anyone with information about the incident to get in touch.