Starving puppies dumped along trail in Greensburg
KDKA-TV intern Gianna Girol contributed to this story
An animal shelter is asking for help after three emaciated and dehydrated puppies were dumped along the Five Star Trail.
Ninth Life Rescue Center is asking for help figuring out who abandoned the dogs, calling it an active investigation.
"We are desperately seeking information regarding where they came from and who dumped them. Did you see someone on the trail carrying a box? Did your neighbors have puppies on Wednesday but not on Thursday? Call us," .
Ninth Life Rescue Center says the dogs have almost no body fat, and their ribs and bones can be seen through their bodies. They also have puncture wounds and broken teeth.
"We are sad and angry about their conditions and complete lack of body fat. You can see every bone in their body, this didn't happen overnight. These are not sick puppies who got this way because of a medical condition, they were starving," Ninth Life Rescue Center said.
Many stepped in to care for the dogs
Christine Menchio said the 8-week-old pit mix puppies were found in a box along the Five Star Trail near Lynch Field Park.
"A good Samaritan found them and somehow got in touch with Hoffman Kennels and then they got them and rushed them to us," Menchio said.
Menchio said the puppies, a male and two females, were extremely emaciated and dehydrated when they got them.
"There's no body fat to them. They don't really have too much of a personality. They really don't know how to dog," Menchio said.
Menchio said it's a miracle the person found them on the trail when they did, reminding that it was over 90 degrees on Thursday.
"I don't know how big the box was, but having all three of them, you know, with that hot air that they're breathing and they're moving and, you know, the sun beating down on them, they could have very easily died of heat stroke," Menchio said.
Menchio said the dogs weigh between 8 to 11 pounds, likely from long-term starvation.
"I don't know if it was just little bits of food were only available, or if they weren't feeding them at all. We don't know any of that, but this did not happen overnight," Menchio said.
Rescue working to find who is responsible
Now, the rescue is working to determine where they came from and who is responsible for dumping them.
"Where did they come from? Where are their parents? Where do they have more siblings? What's the story?" Menchio said. "We want to find who's responsible, see what the other, you know, what else is going on in that home? We just want everybody to get help. Maybe your neighbor had puppies and now doesn't have puppies. Like, if you see something, you got to say something. Somebody has to be their voice."
Menchio said unfortunately, these aren't the only animals that have been abandoned.
"Everybody's full so there's nowhere to take them, and so they're dumping them there. It's all day. Every day," Menchio said. "Rescues are overwhelmed. I don't know if it's spaying and neutering has become unaffordable to people, that they're just not seeing it as a need. It's more becoming like a luxury and there's cats and dogs, the same. There's just too many."
Menchio stressed the importance of spaying and neutering animals to avoid something like this from happening.
"We don't want this to happen. So, if we can prevent this from happening, you know, by helping someone spay an animal, just reach out, ask for help. We're willing to help," Menchio said.
The dogs are being cared for
The center is providing the dogs with veterinarian care, feeding the dogs and giving them water every few hours to help them recover. Their bodies are currently adjusting to the nutrients and the feeding schedule.
In the meantime, she said the rescue is in need of donations to help bring these puppies back to health along with the other animals in their care.
"Donations are desperately needed. You know, this is, I mean, there's three of them. The vetting process is going to be, you know, grueling. And they're not the only three that we have in the rescue, you know, like the need is so high right now, we need the community support," Menchio said.
If you'd like to donate, .
