RCMP in St. Albert are searching for the owner of a puppy discovered Thursday morning inside a stolen vehicle.

Police have confirmed the puppy did not belong to the owner of the vehicle.

Officers were responding to reports of numerous break-ins around 8:20 a.m. in the area of Grandin Road and Levasseur Road in St. Albert when they located a stolen Audi SUV.

Inside the vehicle, officers found the dog and items police believe may have been stolen from homes in the area, said RCMP Const. M-J Burroughs.

"They [officers] notified the rightful owner of the SUV and determined at that time that the puppy didn't belong to the owner of the SUV," Burroughs said Friday.

"It's not something we commonly find inside stolen vehicles."

RCMP used a police dog in an attempt to locate a suspect in the break-ins, but after a search of numerous backyards in the neighbourhood, the scent trail was lost and no arrests were made, Burroughs said.

Officers have taken the puppy to the Morinville Veterinary Clinic and are asking for the public's help in locating its owner.

'Overwhelming response'

"We've had a very overwhelming response on social media which has been wonderful to help get the picture out," said Elyse Prince, manager of the vet clinic.

But people should be taking any information about where the dog may have come from directly to RCMP, she said.

Anyone showing up to claim the dog will need to produce evidence of ownership such as a bill of sale or pictures.

"The face is pretty recognizable and I would assume whoever has a puppy also has a camera roll full of photos," Prince said.

It will be up to the city and RCMP to determine how long to wait for the owner to step forward, she said.

Police do not know if the puppy belongs to the break-in suspect or if the animal was stolen from a residence.

"We'd like the rightful owner, if in fact that puppy was stolen from a residence, to get their puppy back," Burroughs said.

The dog is about eight weeks old. It appears to be a large breed, and may be a German shepherd mix, she said.

Anyone with information about the dog is asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers.