Dakota Kelly was horrified when his girlfriend told him she saw four dead beagles on the front porch of a house in his community of Bass River, N.B.

“I instantly jumped in my car and went to confront the [owner] to see if they were actually deceased and they happened to be,” he said.

Kelly, who is part of volunteer group Kent County Animal Rescue (KCRA), contacted the RCMP and the NB SPCA.

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KCRA founder Nicole Thébeau went to speak to the owner and said the sight of four dead dogs was devastating.

“Four dogs died. It’s not right. When I looked at them, there was no broken bones, no blood, there was nothing. They almost looked like they were sleeping,” she said.

The Richibucto RCMP confirmed the investigation is in the hands of the NB SPCA.

Chief animal protection officer Tony Porter told Global News he can’t comment on the case as there is an active investigation into the incident.

For more on this story, watch the video above.