Irene Ritchie and Louise Royal from the Hokitika SPCA with Kiri and Winston, two mastiff puppies that were stolen on Friday night.

Two puppies stolen from a West Coast SPCA have been found by police and returned.

Some time on Friday night the two mastiff puppies were taken from a secured yard at the Hokitika SPCA. A plea was put out on Saturday for people to keep their eyes out for the two pups.

Constable Sonya Rea said the puppies had been picked up from a Hokitika property about midday on Sunday.

Hokitika SPCA manager Louise Royal said the puppies were tired and underweight after their ordeal but otherwise unharmed.

Winston, the white puppy, was due to go to a new home on Sunday. His new owners picked him up in the evening but asked to stay anonymous to ensure Winston's safety.

The couple said they were "pretty ecstatic" that he had been found. They have only just moved to the West Coast and were visiting in Christchurch when they heard he had been taken.

"We sort of felt a bit helpless."

They thanked people for the outpouring of support and hoped the attention would help Kiri and two other female pups from the litter that were waiting to be adopted.

A post on the SPCA's Facebook page had been shared over 1000 times over the weekend, Royal said.

"I'm blown away by the support that we've had...it's not surprising because we always get that kind of community support."

"It's kind of humbling, this sort of thing brings a community together."