‘Bubbly little puppies’ get new chance at life after being left to die at SC dumpster
When five emaciated puppies arrived at a South Carolina animal shelter after being abandoned next to a dumpster, they were “cowering” in a grocery cart.
But, after one week at the shelter, the “bubbly little puppies” were “full of life,” Kay Hyman, director of community engagement for the Charleston Animal Society, told McClatchy News.
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The 5- or 6-week-old puppies were found next to a dumpster behind an apartment complex on May 18 and brought to the Charleston Animal Society, Hyman said.
They were extremely thin with protruding ribs and “nearly starved to death,” the society wrote in a Facebook post.
They were given vaccinations, dewormers and high protein meals, according to the society.
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Puppies are usually meant to stay with their mothers until they are about 9 weeks old, but instead, these five were taken from their mother and left to die, Hyman said.
“To me, it’s just completely heartbreaking to think that those puppies weren’t getting the daily nutrition that they needed,” she said.
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After about a week of food, love and care, though, the puppies are doing much better, Hyman said on May 24. Two have been placed with a foster family, and the other three are waiting for placements.
“It’s just awesome to see how resilient animals are, and how, when you’re kind to them and you take good care of them, they thrive,” she said.
Hyman encouraged anyone who feels they can no longer care for an animal to seek resources in their community, such as shelters and animal societies or food banks that offer pet food.
But for her and other staff members at the shelter, it’s been rewarding to see how the puppies have bounced back.
“Today, when I went and looked at them, they were all jumping toward the cage, wanting to greet us,” she said. “They went from shy and reserved and weak to these bubbly little puppies that are full of life.”
This story was originally published May 24, 2023 at 1:49 PM with the headline "‘Bubbly little puppies’ get new chance at life after being left to die at SC dumpster."