Shock Over Litter of Beagle Puppies Found Abandoned in Dumpster: ‘Evil’

A litter of beagle puppies has been found abandoned in a dumpster in rural southern Virginia.

Sky, Sweetie, Zuma and Rocky were originally picked up by the Halifax Dog Squad, Inc before being passed on to Triangle Beagle Rescue, a specialist shelter in North Carolina dedicated to the care and rehoming of beagles.

“We named them after Paw Patrol characters,” Leann Tenbusch from Triangle Beagle Rescue told Newsweek. “We wanted to name them something cute and innocent to help give them a fresh start at their new rescued life.”

The life they led previously was clearly not an easy one. When the puppies were found they had scratched and bitten most of their hair off. Their coats were littered with sores while staff at the shelter fear one of the beagle puppies is likely to be blind.

Tenbusch would like to say a case as shocking as this represents something of an outlier but that wouldn’t be accurate.

“Unfortunately, cases like this are all too common in our line of work,” she said. “We receive numerous intake requests daily, many involving neglected or abused animals. It’s a concerning reality, but we’re dedicated to making a difference.”

Stephanie Filer, executive director of Shelter Animals Count, an organization that surveys close to 7,000 shelters every year, told CBS MoneyWatch the number of stray dogs being taken in by shelters from January to November last year was up 22 percent on the numbers reported in 2022. “Animal shelters generally reflect what is happening to people in a community and where there is food insecurity,” she said.

The plight of Sky, Sweetie, Zuma and Rocky is made worse by the fact they are puppies and, according to Tenbusch, their situation could have had a significantly worse outcome had the shelter not been there to help.

“Another rescue may have stepped up to help them or they may have been euthanized in the shelter,” she said. “Sadly, many rural shelters have few resources to provide medical care for dogs.”

Though the puppies avoided that particular fate, the circumstances surrounding their rescue sparked anger after the Triangle Beagle Rescue posted a video to TikTok showing the conditions in which the young dogs were found.

“I don’t understand how anyone could do this to those sweet babies,” one user wrote, with a second adding: “How could anyone do this?? How!!! Honestly.” Elsewhere, a third commented: “How are people so evil…. They could have easily called a rescue instead of dumping.”

The good news is that, despite their difficult beginnings all of the puppies are beginning to thrive in their new surroundings.

“The puppies have already shown signs of improvement, engaging in play and displaying less discomfort after just two baths,” Tenbusch said. “We anticipate it will take approximately one or two months for them to fully recover and become ready for adoption.”

During that time staff at the shelter will be taking extra care of the young pups while also starting the process of finding each of them a new home.

“Our adoption process involves thorough screening, including application reviews, veterinary reference checks, and virtual home visits,” Tenbusch said. “Once the puppies are healthy and their personalities are better understood, we’ll match them with suitable families.”

Anyone wishing to keep tabs on their progress or make a donation to support the puppies’ ongoing care can do so via the Triangle Beagle Rescue website.

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [email protected] with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.