Puppies in bags and boxes. Humane Society sees boom in abandoned dogs the other weekend
Thirteen neglected puppies were recovered within 48 hours and are in the care of The Tacoma and Pierce County Humane Society.
In a Facebook post Wednesday, Sept. 27, the shelter said the puppies came from three separate locations in Pierce County. On Saturday, Sept. 23, Pierce County Animal Control brought seven puppies to the Humane Society. They were found in a duffel bag and “discarded like mere garbage,” the post said.
Those puppies are mixed breed and about 6-weeks-old, said Lindsey Heaney, director of communications and outreach for The Tacoma and Pierce County Humane Society.
The post said that less than 24 hours later, two German shepherd mixes arrived at the shelter. A citizen brought them in after witnessing the puppies being dumped on a rural property.
As of Thursday, Sept. 28, the German shepherds were healthy and available for adoption, Heaney said.
On Sunday, Sept. 24, a delivery driver found a family of doodle mixes. They were abandoned in a cardboard box alongside a country road outside Gig Harbor. The doodle mixes were lethargic and weak, the post said, and were being housed in isolated kennels as shelter workers try to rule out potential infections such as parvo and giardia.
“It was raining so the box was completely soaked,” the driver said in the post. “They were all wet and cold. I didn’t want to leave them there.”
Heaney said shelter space for animals fluctuates every week. They have several contracts with animal control departments. It was extremely rare to have 13 puppies from different locations brought into the shelter in a span of 48 hours, Heaney said.
Heaney said it puts a strain on resources but shelter staff is skilled and has the knowledge to care for the puppies and other shelter animals. They also have foster families who take in animals, which frees up space.
The shelter said that caring for the neglected puppies is labor intensive and requires extensive resources. It is asking for donations to help provide the puppies and other animals lifesaving care.
“With more and more pets arriving daily and the rising cost of supplies, we need your help to provide food, shelter, medicine, and love for them all,” the post said.
Donations can be made at thehumanesociety.org/13-puppies.
This story was originally published September 28, 2023 at 2:00 PM.
