Soulful Cries From Dumpster Reveal Puppies Covered In Motor Oil

TAMPA, FL — It was the heart-wrenching cries coming from the dumpster that alerted the employee at a Zephyrhills business.

Peeking inside, the employee was greeted by a pitiful sight. Two puppies covered in motor oil had been casually tossed into the bin like pieces of trash.

She pulled the puppies out of the dumpster and quickly drove them to the Humane Society of Tampa Bay.

Named Zoey and Zena, the terrier mix puppies, estimated to be about 6 months old, were frightened and confused. Moreover, the shelter's veterinarian discovered that Zoey had been shot in the face with a BB gun pellet.

"The pellet was still lodged in her lower right jaw," said Maria Matlack, marketing director at the shelter.

Despite witnessing animal cruelty on a regular basis, Matlack is still shocked by the brutality.

“One of the hardest things working for an animal shelter is seeing the horrible cases that come in each day -- animals being dumped in garbage cans or tossed out of cars onto highways. It makes you question humanity," she said. "Who could do such a thing to these poor sweet animals?"

Pasco County animal cruelty investigators would like an answer to that question as well. They're looking into the case in the hopes of finding the person responsible for dumping the puppies.

Pasco County is among a handful of Florida counties to pass an ordinance establishing a registry for convicted animal abusers. In 2016, Hillsborough and Marion counties were the first counties to ban abusers from owning pets and placing their names on registries.

The Pasco County ordinance forbids selling, exchanging or transferring cats or dogs to people who have been charged and convicted of an animal cruelty offense after March 1, 2017.

Animal shelters, pet stores and breeders are required to check the registry before adopting out or selling a pet.