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First round of ‘dumpster puppies’ up for adoption

Posted at 2:44 PM, Feb 07, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-07 14:59:11-05

MIDLOTHIAN, Va. – The first round of puppies found in a Nottoway dumpster are now available for adoption from the Sanctuary Rescue in Midlothian.

The four puppies were found in a bag of food left in a dumpster on Dec. 22. Someone heard their cries and rescued them. They were estimated to be about 10 days old at the time.

“They were extremely dehydrated and cold when we found them,” said Sanctuary Rescue Vet Care Coordinator Nicole Kennedy. “There’s no way they would have made it much longer than what they had cause of the cold temperatures and not having food.”

The four puppies are listed as mixes that are predominantly English Pointer; some have an American Bulldog mix or an English Coonhound mix. The shelter said each puppy looks a little different, and they think calling them “good old-fashioned mutts is probably the most accurate guess.”

They are named Favorite, Rocky, Enzo and Leighanne – who happens to be the smallest. While all the others are estimated to be about 50 pounds when fully grown, Leighanne is likely to be about 30-ish pounds, according to the shelter.

The shelter mostly bottle fed the puppies and then when they transitioned to solid foods, the puppies were moved in with another rescued litter and their mother, who helped socialize the puppies and teach them manners.

Soon, the other round of Nottoway dumpster puppies will be up for adoption. About two weeks after the first round was rescued, six puppies were found in a dumpster on Davis Mill Road; four of them survived. Right now, they are five weeks old and become available at eight weeks.

That round of puppies is named after Frozen characters.

The adoption fee is $295, which includes deworming, age-appropriate vaccinations, neuter, and microchip. Click over to Pet Finder and search "Sanctuary Rescue."

Nottaway County Animal Control is actively investigating the crime. CBS 6 Legal Analyst Todd Stone said there could be possible misdemeanor and felony charges on the table.

"If the cruel treatment caused the death of the dog then it's a class 6 felony punishable to to five years in prison," said Stone. "If the dog doesn't die then it's a class one misdemeanor and it's up to 12 months."

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