Return to sender; postage-paid pets discovered in Alberta post office

VULCAN, Alta. – A woman in southern Alberta has been charged after she allegedly tried to mail a puppy and a kitten via Canada Post.

Vulcan County Enforcement Services says last month a post office employee in the village of Milo, about 100 kilometres southeast of Calgary, discovered the animals crammed into a cardboard box.

The box had appropriate postage, a destination address, and the animals themselves had stamps stuck to their heads.

The next week, a similar box was dropped off at the mail outlet and staff found a puppy inside.

The three critters were unharmed and were taken to the Calgary Humane Society.

Jill Marshall, a 53-year-old Vulcan County resident, will be in Lethbridge provincial court July 30 charged with causing animals to be in distress under Alberta's Animal Protection Act.

Peace Officer Sgt. Rob Pintkowski said enforcement officers have had previous dealings with Marshall.

The Canada Post website says live animals cannot be mailed unless the sender has entered a related agreement with Canada Post prior to mailing.

Bees, day-old chicks and hatching eggs, parasites, leeches and some other small cold-blooded animals can be mailed under certain conditions. (CTV Lethbridge)