Nine five-week-old puppies were found in north Canberra on Tuesday, with one so badly beaten it had to be put down immediately.
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The nine puppies were found in a box near Kingsford Smith Drive in Higgins at 10am.
"We had a member of the public bring them in. He said that he found them because they were in a box and his dog [he was walking] heard one of the puppies yelping and it brought his attention to it," RSPCA ACT CEO Tammy Ven Dange said.
They were taken to RSPCA Weston where they were examined, and one of the puppies was found with horrific head injuries and a crushed skull.
It was decided the puppy needed to be euthanased immediately.
"The vet examined them and one of them was screaming really loudly and when they examined him they found his head was absolutely crushed and that he was alive was absolutely amazing, honestly," Ms Ven Dange said.
"I saw the poor guy after he was put down and it was unbelievable how bad he was hurt."
Inspectors believe the puppy was struck by an unknown object which crushed its skull.
"I know some people asked if it could have been a car accident, but the fact is you don't have that kind of trauma, his skull was absolutely crushed, it would have been a blunt object that hit him," she said.
Ms Ven Dange said the other puppies were doing alright despite the circumstances.
"We don't see any injuries to them, they are quite skinny though, we have them in isolation until the tests get back," she said.
The RSPCA believe the dogs may be Bull Arab - an Australian dog first bred for feral pig hunting.
They will be desexed and eventually put up for adoption.
If the public have any information they are urged to contact RSPCA ACT Senior Inspector Catherine Croatto on 0408 421 255.
Dramatic rise in inspector cases
The RSPCA said they have seen a dramatic rise in animal cruelty cases reported to them in 2014.
RSPCA ACT inspectors say they seized 277 animals in 2014, up from 50 the year before.
Ms Ven Dange is not sure if the public are more aware of animal abuse or it is becoming more frequent.
"Well certainly all our statistics show [cruelty cases are increasing]," she said.
"[I don't know whether] that's because we're being so proactive or because people know more what cruelty looks like so they tell us.
"But reporting has jumped ... we are flat out right now with inspector cases."
