A father and his son were driving in the area of Donnelly Road in McIntosh County when they spotted a disturbing sight – a helpless mama dog dragging a crate filled with her puppies.
The family stopped to pick them up and immediately brought them to the McIntosh County Animal Services (MCAS) in Darien, Georgia.
In a Facebook post, MCAS shared the heartbreaking situation the dogs were found in.
“We know there is evil in this world and this just further proves that! This poor mama dog watched as someone put her four young puppies into a wire crate and then tied a blue belt around her collar and then tied the belt to this crate and left them down a dirt road!!!” the shelter wrote of the sorry state the mother dog and her puppies were found in,” they wrote.
As soon as the poor pups were surrendered to the shelter, the staff immediately got to work. They “fed, watered, vaccinated, dewormed, bathed, and defleaed” all five dogs. The mama dog and her puppies clearly showed signs of neglect.
The shelter has had to take in many rescued dogs in the past, but this one, in particular, was a very unique and heartbreaking case.
“This was a new one. New things happen all the time. I’ve never had a dog pulling a crate full of puppies down the road before,” MCAS Director Marianna Hagan said.
There was barely any room for the puppies to move around inside the small wire crate. They were also found in a very unhygienic state.
“They were covered with fleas, with ticks and feces. They smelled really, really bad,” recalled Hagan.
But under the shelter’s care, their condition has improved a lot.
“There’s been a dramatic difference in their health and in their behavior,” Hagan said.
Thankfully, the future is looking bright for these abandoned dogs. After staying in the MCAS for a few days, the family will soon be on their way to Fancy Cats and Dogs Rescue in Virginia, where they will be able to fully recover before they are adopted by their new families.
A non-profit animal rescue and transport for at-risk pets named Pilot N Paws has volunteered to fly them for free to Virginia.
In a Facebook post, the rescue asked their followers for name suggestions for the mother dog and her puppies – 2 girls and 2 boys. They are also requesting the public to donate any amount that they can to help the dogs with their medical expenses.