TAMPA, FLA. (WSVN) - A mother dog and her two puppies were dumped on the side of a Florida road. All three dogs now have a new leash on life, thanks to a good Samaritan.
The puppies were thrown from a moving car. Now, an animal rescue is nursing them back to health.
“Just made contact, and she’s following her with the puppy back to the truck,” said a rescuer.
A 3-year-old female dog frantically looked for her babies down a dark road in a suburb of Tampa.
Rescuers found two of her puppies and used them to get her to safety.
Rescuers said that the puppies had injuries consistent with being thrown from a moving vehicle. They were able to save two puppies, but four others did not make it.
“There is not one single excuse that you can come up with in this planet to dump your dog and leave something that loves you,” April McNeely said.
Nearly a week after the incident, Maya and her puppies, Valentino and Scarlett, remained with rescuers at the McNeely Family Rescue and Sanctuary in Central Florida.
“Somebody out there has to know who Maya is and where she came from,” McNeely said. “You know, somebody: a neighbor, a friend, an acquaintance, somebody that worked with them, somebody that passed by their house every day.”
McNeely, the owner of the rescue, said that the dogs were discovered on a street infamous for dumping dogs since there are no cameras.
She said Maya was found malnourished and X-rays showed scarring from previous injuries. The dog also has issues with her hip.
Valentino has trouble walking.
McNeely hopes to find the dogs a permanent home but wants people to know it comes with a financial responsibility.
“Valentino was barely moving when we found him,” she said. “They both were having moving problems and they were both hypothermic; it was a very cold night. But you can see his mobility issues. This is animal cruelty. This is a punishable criminal act.”
The dogs have follow-up visits with a veterinarian soon.
Anyone who adopts them will need to consider the financial obligation.
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