Puppies abandoned outside El Paso’s Animal Rescue League
EL PASO, Texas -- Three puppies were recently dumped outside of Animal Rescue League, a non-profit rescue shelter. They were left on a hot day in a box, covered with a heavy blanket, in their own feces and vomit. It's not an uncommon sight for director Loretta Hyde, who says those puppies are lucky a neighbor called to alert her they were there.
Hyde took to Animal Rescue League of El Paso's Facebook page, sharing a video of a young man driving up, dumping the puppies, and driving away. That post has more than 16,000 views. Some commented that they had seen those same puppies for sale on Facebook days earlier, others came forward to help identify the young man.
Dumping animals is against the law, and Hyde wants people who abandon animals to be prosecuted. She wants the District Attorney and the Sheriff's Office to be held accountable for going after these people when she files reports.
"It's a slam dunk. You've got the person, the license plates, the car, you've got them in the act of dumping on Facebook, I don't know what else they need to prosecute this case. It's so simple. So do it. Do it!" said Hyde.
Hyde says a cat was recently left behind. Security footage shows a woman driving up, releasing a cat from a crate, and the cat runs off. A short time later, it was found dead on the road. She cites another time when she opened a box and found several dead kittens inside.
An officer who responded the day the three puppies were dumped tells ABC-7 that he completed the paperwork and submitted it to a detective. That detective confirms he received it and tells us the investigation is ongoing. The Sheriff's office sent us a statement that reads in part, the case "has been assigned and will be pending investigation by the El Paso County Sheriff's Office Animal Cruelty Investigator."
Hyde says out of the last five cases she's called in, not a single one has been prosecuted.
"I'm disappointed in the detective because you never hear from them," Hyde says. "If I hear from them, it's because I call him to do a follow-up."
So what should you do if you have a pet to surrender? Hyde says most rescues will put you on a list to drop off. Animal Services will take in a dog or cat if you found it. Otherwise, she says it's up to you to find a home responsibly or hold onto your pet until a rescue facility is able to help you. And of course, always spay or neuter your pet.
