Indianapolis Metropolitan Police say seven newborn puppies were rescued from a dumpster over the weekend, after they were abandoned during a winter storm.
Officer Scott Charleswood responded to a call Saturday night and discovered the puppies stuffed inside a garbage bag.
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Charleswood rushed the puppies to a local animal rescue shelter in hopes of saving the freezing animals.
“I think they were probably just born that day,” Tara Harris, an employee of Every Dog Counts Rescue told WTTV. “They’re fighting to survive.”
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“I think it’s inspiring to see that will to live.”
Harris said she and other volunteers stayed up throughout Saturday night nursing the puppies, who are so young that their eyes haven’t fully opened yet.
“Right when you start to get tired, you just look at them, and they’re so cute, and they’re so helpless, they’re completely dependent on us,” Harris said.
She is not sure what breed the dogs are, but believes they could be pit bull, Australian kelpie or Australian cattle dog mixes.
According to Harris, the pups received their first check up from veterinarians on Tuesday and appear to be in good health, but remain at risk.
She added that the dogs will need at least 10 weeks to recover and grow, and likely won’t be ready for adoption until February.
Charleswood, who already owns a pair of rescue dogs, including one he recovered from a homicide scene, is considering welcoming one of the puppies into his family.
“It’s possible. I’m going to leave it at a possibility right now,” he said. “You’ve seen these puppies in their worst time and you would like to see them get to the point where they’re raised up, nice, healthy, happy dogs.”