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Search Is On For Person Who Dumped Puppies In Trash

HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. (CBS4) - Investigators in Douglas County need help finding who abandoned five very young puppies in a park in Highlands Ranch.

The county's animal law enforcement officials said the puppies were discovered in poor health in a trash can on Tuesday next to a bathroom inside Heritage Regional Park.

A man coming out of the bathroom heard wimpering or crying and spotted four of the animals. He then took the pups to the park office and animal control officers were called in.

"I can tell you at the time we found them their temperature was very low and they probably would not have made it much longer," Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region spokesman Joe Stafford said.

One puppy didn't make it. An officer went back to the trash can and found the fifth puppy dead.

"I don't have any answers with regards to how somebody could do something like this," Stafford said.

The other four have a long way to go. They are being fed every two to three hours and are being kept warm in a foster home.

"Our officer provided immediate supportive care, tried to get their body temperature up and transported them to a veterinarian who continued that supportive care," Stafford said.

Authorities are hoping someone saw something suspicious at the park before the puppies were found or knows of a recent puppy litter where the puppies have disappeared.

Stafford says that because one puppy died an aggravated animal cruelty charge could be filed. That's a Class 6 felony.

The puppies won't be eligible for adoption until they are 8 weeks old.

Additional Resources

People interested in adopting the abandoned puppies should contact the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region website.

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