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A group of puppies has been rescued after a cruel ordeal, having been left trapped inside a box at the side of the road.
Fuzzy Friends Rescue, an animal rescue shelter in Waco, Texas, shared their story on its Facebook page, explaining that the six Pyrenees mix puppies had been sealed inside the box using duct tape and left to die.
They were only found after a passerby stopped to investigate and found the pups, bringing them to the shelter for safety.
"DUCT TAPED AND LEFT TO DIE," Betsy Robinson, the shelter's founder, wrote in the Facebook post.
"These 6 Pyrenees mix puppies have been found DUCT TAPED in a box on the side of the road. A man spotted a large, corrugated box and stopped to investigate. He has no where to keep them, but thankfully, he didn't leave them on the side of the road to die. How evil a person's heart has to be, to be able to leave 6 puppies taped in a box with no means of escape."
In the comments of the post, users expressed their horror at the cruel deed.
"Hope they find who did this & prosecute them to the fullest!!" one said.
"I sure pray the evil jerk who did this is found and prosecuted. Jesus don't tape them so they have a fighting chance," another commented.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, animal neglect is considered a misdemeanor crime in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., with felony penalties in Massachusetts and Oklahoma, and felony charges if the animal dies as a result in California, Connecticut, Florida, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.
Fuzzy Friends Rescue went on to ask its followers for donations to help keep the dogs safe and comfortable.
"Please help us to help them. We can take them, but we need an intake sponsor of $50.00 for each one of them. This will help with initial vaccines, microchips, and intake exams. A total of $300.00 will cover intakes for all of them, but whatever you can do will help," it wrote.
The community responded in kind, with many enthusiastic donations and requests to foster or even adopt the puppies when the time came.
"I went into your website and donated $300 for their intake and medical costs. Please find each of them a wonderful [home]," one person commented.
"Done! They are adorable. When will they be availalble [sic] for adoption?" another said.
Up to 3.1 million dogs are surrendered to animal shelters in the U.S. every year, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, with around two million of those dogs ending up being adopted.
This latest discovery came soon after a litter of puppies was abandoned by another Texas roadside, and only days after three puppies were found poisoned to death inside plastic bags in Houston, Texas, in a separate incident.
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About the writer
Jess Thomson is a Newsweek Science Reporter based in London UK. Her focus is reporting on science, technology and healthcare. ... Read more