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Case ID: 17052

Classification: Neglect / Abandonment

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Puppies found abandoned in woods
Pollock, LA (US)

Incident Date: Sunday, Dec 5, 2010
County: Grant

Disposition: Open
Case Images: 1 files available

Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!

Debbie Knowles is an animal lover. She has four "inside dogs" and a three-legged cat named "Three Legs."

But Knowles knows she can't adopt the 13 puppies she helped rescue this week after finding them abandoned in the woods. She is hoping area residents step forward to adopt the puppies, which are currently staying in the back yard of her home on La. Highway 8 in the Pollock area.

"We love animals, but we can't keep 13 puppies," said Knowles, who noted "Three Legs" gets along well with all of the canines.

One of her four dogs is a boxer which had been abandoned and which has various medical problems. While her own dogs stay inside, she can't have all of the newfound puppies inside, so they are in her back yard. She is feeding them well -- which is not cheap -- but is hoping people are willing to give them good homes.

The puppies were found on leased deer hunting property about 16 miles west of Olla. Knowles said the property "is in the middle of nowhere" so whoever left the puppies there went out of his or her way to do so.

The Protective Animal Welfare Society is offering a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person who dumped the puppies, said P.A.W.S. representative Helga Benoit.

Knowles had been out deer hunting last week when she talked to a fellow hunter who told her about seeing a couple of the puppies and hearing more of them.

Knowles, 53, and a friend went to the wooded area on Sunday to rescue the puppies, having to brave briars to get to reach some of them. "They filled up the truck," she noted.

"It broke my heart when I put water out. They went crazy" because they were so thirsty, she said.

Also, she said, "They were starving to death," but she has "wormed them, and they are putting on weight. They're beautiful."

Anyone interested in adopting any of the puppies can call Knowles in the evening at (318) 765-3093.

Benoit said the person who dumped the dogs could face a criminal charge of simple cruelty for abandoning the animals, and a conviction can result in a fine of up to $1,000 and/or a jail term of six months.

Having pets spayed or neutered can prevent owners from having to figure out what to do with large litters of puppies or kittens. Owners who no longer want to keep their pets should bring them to an animal shelter, where they have a chance at adoption, she said.

"People say they don't want to bring them to the shelter because they (shelter personnel) will kill them," Benoit said. "The real killers are the people who dump them.

"They are not better off in the woods where they can die of starvation or freezing cold."

To report abandoned animals, call the P.A.W.S. hotline at (318) 443-0010.

If you have information on this case, please contact:
P.A.W.S. hotline
(318) 443-0010

References

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