Washington State Patrol reports that a puppy died after its kennel fell out of a truck last week, and was hit by another vehicle on U.S. Highway 101, west of Sequim.

Trooper Katherine Weatherwax said troopers responded at 11 p.m. Nov. 12 to a report of a car hitting an unsecured, large homemade kennel in lane two of the eastbound lane on the highway by Kirk Road.

Several malamute mix puppies were inside the kennel, she said, with one puppy found deceased due to injuries from the collision. Two puppies were rescued from the nearby woods and at least another two puppies were unaccounted for in the area, Weatherwax said.

Port Angeles and Bremerton area troopers transported the two puppies to an emergency veterinarian service in Poulsbo with minor injuries, she said.

The dogs’ owners were moving from Port Gamble and their kennel was being held along with multiple other items in their truck’s bed, and they were unaware that it had fallen out until later, Weatherwax said.

No criminal charges were filed as the incident was deemed unintentional, she said.

No human injuries from the incident were reported from the unsecured load.

The dogs’ owners will be responsible for the veterinarian charges, Weatherwax said.

On Facebook, Welfare for Animal Guild (WAG) reported on Nov. 14 that a community member brought them one of the puppies and it’s receiving medical care.

Guild staff report that they’re unsure how many puppies in total were in the crate, and six or seven puppies have been accounted for, as of Nov. 15.