Monday, April 27, 2009

One person's trash...

(I found this through Twitter)



Chery Legg and her family timed their outing to Windsor Lake this week just in time to save two lives.

As the family started its morning trot Monday around the lake at Boardwalk Park, noises from a nearby trash can caught their attention.

“I started digging around in there. My first impression was, ‘Oh my gosh, there is a baby in the trash can.’ And as I started digging more it sounded like kittens,” Legg said. “I finally found a white plastic bag and opened it up to find two little puppies.”

Legg described the white and dark brown female puppies as cold. Neither had its eyes open. She said the white puppy still had its umbilical cord attached. Legg continued to rummage through the trash can to make sure there weren’t any other puppies.

“I didn’t know what to do with them. They were so cold, and I didn’t know if they were OK. I didn’t know how old they were, and they didn’t have their eyes open,” Legg said.

Legg and her mother, Annabel Suppes, wrapped the animals in a jacket and took them to Mountainwood Pet Hospital, 1525 Main St. in Windsor. Legg said the hospital gave her a warming pad and instructions to feed them. She brought the puppies home with her for the day, where her 5-year-old son, Quin, named them Cupcake and Pearl.

“I had them for a few hours, which was long enough because we were all getting really attached,” Legg said.

Legg said she could not care for the puppies because she already had a dog of her own and just put another dog to sleep in November. So the puppies were taken to Animal Rescue Connection Inc., in Greeley, where staff members have been monitoring them hourly.

By Tuesday, the puppies were eating and going to the bathroom. Staff members at Mountainwood said the puppies are about five days old and possibly are a Chihuahua mix breed. Once they get older, the puppies will develop more features and their exact breed may be better determined.

“They are doing really well,” said Rose Carroll, a foster volunteer with Animal Rescue Connection, on Wednesday afternoon. “I don’t anticipate any problems.

Carroll said the puppies are staying with several foster kittens she also is watching.

“They are improving very well and doing what they are supposed to be doing,” Carroll said.

The puppies, which will be spayed, should be available for adoption in about eight to 10 weeks, she said.

Vikki Miller, a code officer with the Windsor Police Department, went back to Windsor Lake with Legg on Monday to check the area for more puppies, but she did not find any.

The Windsor Police Department is asking for help from the public in identifying the animals’ owner. Windsor Police Chief John Michaels said the owner could face misdemeanor animal cruelty charges.

“I hope they can find who would do such a horrible thing,” Legg said.

Carroll said people who cannot care for their animals should always call an animal rescue or shelter. She said, unlike Animal Rescue Connection Inc., some shelters charge a surrender fee. She recommends people looking to surrender their animals visit www.petfinder.com to find the closest animal or rescue shelter.

“God just put us there (Monday). It was good for them (puppies), but kind of bittersweet to know there are people out there who can do that kind of thing,” Legg said. “There is a billion other places you can take them or spay or neuter your dog.”

Original article with a video:
http://www.greeleytribune.com/article/20090424/NEWS/904249978/1002/NONE&parentprofile=1001

4 comments:

Parallax said...

Oh, what a terrible thing to do to those poor little puppies. So fortunate a caring person found them

Robynn's Ravings said...

Poor little babies.....just heartless to let them suffer to death. What a blessing they were found by someone who cared enough to do something. THANK YOU for sharing this story and I'm glad it seems to be having a happy ending. :)

riablahgs said...

this is the reason why irresponsible people should NEVER, EVER own any pet for that matter. It's good that someone found them in time. God's wonder indeed works in subtle ways. These puppies will find loving families to care for them because that is how the Lord intended it to be.

Hugs!

livingglassart said...

Oh, how sad. Thankfully, they were rescued and are doing well. People really amaze me with their thoughtlessness and disrespect for living things. Its shameful.