FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) – A heart-wrenching incident turned into a case of second chances outside a pet rescue’s doorstep in Fort Lauderdale when an anonymous person left a box containing four newborn puppies.
The rescue staff made the shocking discovery on July 4.
Inside the box were four tiny, defenseless puppies, left to fend for themselves.
“A gentleman came up from behind me and handed me a container and when I looked down, there were four newborn puppies in the container,” said Kara Starzyk with Abandoned Pet Rescue. “He was walking away before I could even ask him any questions.”
Ring surveillance video showed a black sedan parked near the pet rescue. A man is seen getting out of the vehicle with the box of puppies and trying to lure the mother out.
The puppies’ mother, bearing the scars of a crude incision on her stomach, is suspected to have been exploited for breeding and then subjected to a C-section to deliver the puppies, only to be abandoned afterward.
“There was an incision going down her belly and it showed us that somebody, who was using her for breeding, had somebody that was not a professional veterinarian, come and slice her open to remove those babies from her,” said Starzyk.
Despite the rescue team’s efforts to save innocent lives, only one of the puppies managed to survive. “They had slices on their neck. One of them was missing an ear. One of them was sliced on the bottom of their foot which all probably occurred while they were cutting her open to remove the puppies,” said Starzyk.
This miraculous survivor received much-needed care and attention from the dedicated members of the Milk Drunk Foundation, an animal rescue organization specializing in neonatal care. In a touching tribute, the resilient pup was given the name “Tzatziki.”
“She’s doing wonderful,” said Nicole Mayo with the Milk Drunk Foundation. “I’ve had her since she was maybe three days old. She’s been bottle-fed around the clock every three hours but she’s doing wonderful. She’s growing, she’s chunky.”
The surviving mother, now named Betsy in honor of the day she was found, demonstrated remarkable resilience and strength.
“We focus on getting Betsy to heel. She was heartbroken losing her puppies and what we did is we gave her stuffed animals, which she quickly embraced and she carried them everywhere with her,” said Starzyk. “Everywhere on the walks, she would put them underneath her, when she would sleep like she was nursing them. That really brought her a lot of comfort.”
Following a full recovery, she is now under the attentive care of Abandoned Pet Rescue, where she and her puppies were abandoned.
“I do think the kindest thing they did was bring her to our shelter. At least they gave her and the puppies a chance,” said Starzyk. “For that we are grateful but it does not excuse what they did to her.”
To learn more about Abandoned Pet Rescue, click here.
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