KMPH Fox 26 Central San Joaquin Valley News Source in Fresno, California Entertainment, News, Sports and Weather | Dumpster Puppies Saved

Dumpster Puppies Saved

By Nicole Garcia

Selma – Eleven furry lives are now saved, and have been placed in foster care, while Selma police are looking for the person responsible for throwing the dogs away.

An anonymous man dropped off the 4–week old babies to the Selma police department Monday.

Their foster parents say, the situation is common.

"In this valley it's way too common, it's very horrifying every time you hear about it," said Kathy Cogdill, who's family volunteered to care for the 11 abandoned puppies at their home in Squaw Valley.

They were found in a dumpster behind the La Abuela Laundromat, on McCall Avenue, in Selma... in relatively good shape.

"It' crucial for them to keep their body temperatures warm, so for them to have survived this dumpster experience they must not have been there very long," said Amanda Allen with Animal Compassion Team, who's helping care for the puppies.

They're still too young to determine what breed they are.

"We think maybe border collie, maybe husky, maybe springer spaniel. We're not sure exactly what they are yet, but we will be able to tell in about a week or two," said Allen.

In the meantime, the foster family is working around the clock, feeding the puppies formula every four hours. But they say, that's not the hard part.

"It's a lot of cleaning more than anything. When they're all up and active and eating and going potty at the same time, it's a lot of work," said Cogdill.

They plan to care for them for the next four weeks, get them spayed and neutered, micro–chipped, and also get them their first round of vaccines.

So the family is asking for all the help they can get.

"Blankets, towels, formula, newspapers, caring for 11 puppies, it's a lot," said Cogdill.

Once the babies turn 8 weeks old, they hope they can place them in loving homes.

Selma police say whoever dumped the puppies in the trash could face charges of animal abandonment, which is a misdemeanor crime.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Selma police department.

You can help donate to the puppies by calling (559) 272-8696.