DANVILLE, Va. (WDBJ) – It was an early Christmas miracle for a litter of puppies found abandoned in and around a dumpster in Gretna Monday.
Luckily for the dogs, they were rescued by a couple who took them to the Danville Area Humane Society, where they are being nursed back to health.
“It happens all the time. Every shelter in every locality sees puppies and kittens in dumpsters. We have seen them in totes, we have seen them in taped totes on the side of the road,” said Danville Area Humane Society Director Paulette Dean. “I’ve been here 32 years, so I have seen this hundreds of times, but you never get used to it. You always think, ‘You mean there was yet another person who thought this was a good thing to do?’ and it’s soul-crushing for the employees who work here.”
Dean said the puppies were hungry but not emaciated, so they likely weren’t in the dumpster for a very long-time. She said they wouldn’t have survived a day in the dumpster had they not been rescued.
“Two of the bad looking ones were immediately taken to a veterinary clinic and the others really rallied with food, water, and warmth. They did well,” said Dean.
Since arriving at the shelter, the pups have been vaccinated, de-wormed, and kept on a good diet. The shelter believes the dogs are Labrador mixes. Dean said the two puppies that were in very bad shape are doing better but are not out of the woods yet.
The puppies will be put up for adoption after December 30th, but can only be adopted in Danville and Pittsylvania County because they are too young to be spayed or neutered.
“By state law, animals that are going to be adopted beyond the adjacent political subdivision line of the Commonwealth must be spayed or neutered first and for us that means Danville and Pittsylvania County,” said Dean.
The Humane Society said litters of puppies and kittens are often abandoned like these dogs. The organization said there is no excuse for this to happen.
“If people see litters of puppies or kittens at dumpsters or by themselves in alleys and on the side of the road, they need help. They need human intervention; please call the authorities,” said Dean.
Anyone interested in adopting the puppies or another animal at the shelter can visit the Danville Area Humane Society during its regular adoption hours from noon to 5:30 p.m. Monday-Friday and noon to 3:30 p.m. Saturday. People must fill out a questionnaire as part of the adoption process.
You can learn more here.
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