On April 18, a woman was caught on surveillance allegedly tossing a bag full of puppies into a dumpster in Coachella, California. A man, who was rummaging through the trash is credited with finding the bag and saving the puppies’ lives. In a statement, the Riverside County Animal Services said that temperatures reached 90 degrees on the day the puppies were discarded.
(Part 2): we are investigating a case of suspected felony animal cruelty in Coachella. Woman tossed bag of pups in Dumpster. #RivCoNow pic.twitter.com/Xd9ePVbZix
— RivCO animalSERVICES (@helpinRIVcoPETS) April 20, 2019
“The Good Samaritan played a major role in saving theses puppies’ lives,” Commander Chris Mayer said. “His actions were humane and heroic.”
It didn’t take long for officials to learn the suspect’s name, Deborah Sue Culwell, and within days she was arrested and charged with seven counts of felony animal cruelty. In addition, police discovered 38 dogs inside Culwell’s home.
Because of the passerby’s quick actions all of the puppies, which they estimated were only three days old, were able to be rescued.
A woman tossed these pups in a Dumpster in Coachella. News release posted on our Facebook pages. Pups OK. In foster care #RivCoNow pic.twitter.com/Jn2OMBSOZj
— RivCO animalSERVICES (@helpinRIVcoPETS) April 20, 2019
Once the terrier mixes received an initial round of care from veterinarians, they went to a foster home.
Unfortunately, a few days after the discovery, sad news hit. One of the puppies passed away.
“I lost the little tiny runt yesterday… my heart is so broken,” Noni Boen Schirm, the volunteer caring for the puppies wrote. “He was just so weak and held on for as long as he could.”
Schirm believed the littlest pup that passed away was possibly at the bottom of the bag when Culwell discarded them, and due to the trauma and its size, the puppy was unable to survive.
Despite the sad news, Schirm reported the remaining puppies have continued to grow and their health has improved.
A newly released photo from Riverside County Animal Services shows that the puppies have opened their eyes.
Culwell Case Update (and a new, cute photo collage from the foster mom of the dumped pups):Owner Relinquishes 38 Dogs…
Posted by Riverside County Animal Services on Monday, April 29, 2019
According to Dr. Drusys, the county’s chief veterinarian, there’s no plan to reintroduce the little ones to their mothers–they’re from two separate litters.
“The woman who has graciously dedicated many hours and a fair amount of her own money toward these abandoned puppies is doing a great job,” Dr. Drusys said. “We don’t want to interrupt her wonderful work with the two mothers, especially since time has passed and the mothers may reject the pups at this stage.”
Currently the 38 dogs that were impounded when Culwell was arrested are at the Coachella Valley Animal Campus in Thousand Palms, but they will be made available for adoption or transfer to rescue groups in the near future.
“There is no excuse for dumping puppies,” Commander Chris Mayer said. “Especially in today’s age when we or other shelters would be willing to get these animals to foster parents or rescue partners. This was a shameful act.”
What Culwell did to these poor puppies and the 38 other dogs is despicable. Thankfully, there were several other people who stepped up and played a major role in saving these pooches lives.
Pass this article on to show your appreciation for the Good Samaritan and Noni Boen Schirm, who was kind enough to take the puppies into her home.
