Saving Puppies, Kittens, And Fighting Crime In Irvine

IRVINE, CA — It isn't every night on patrol when a police officer can save the day for a puppy in distress. Late Monday evening, an Irvine Police Officer discovered a tiny puppy abandoned on the side of the road, a spokesperson for the department says.

An owner could not be located, according to Irvine Police spokeswoman Karie Davies.

"It appeared he was intentionally discarded," Davies said.

Officer Cord Blevins—a member of the department since 2016—took the itty bitty guy to the Irvine Animal Care Center, where he is currently being treated.

"Once he has been nursed back to health, he will be able to be adopted from IrvineAnimals.org," they said. As of Tuesday afternoon, the puppy was still undergoing veterinary care.

"This is just another example of Irvine Police Department going above and beyond for all of its citizens," resident Rosalie Jones commented on their Facebook post. "Even this little four-legged one."

Many commenters on Facebook agreed that Officer Blevins should get the first option to rescue the puppy from the shelter upon its release, and that might be on his mind.

After all, this is not the first time that he has rescued a creature in distress, his mother Kim Blevins says.

"A few years ago, while on duty, Officer Blevins rescued an abused kitten from a dumpster," Kim Blevins said. He took her to the Irvine Animal Hospital, where she received medical care for two weeks. "Once recovered, guess who adopted her? Officer Blevins."

According to the Blevins' family, the kitten's name is Neela. Whether Neela will be getting a puppy-brother soon remains to be seen.

Both the Irvine Police department and Patch have requested a current status on the puppy's condition from the animal shelter and will update this report when that is received.