Abandoned Puppies Rescued From Tacoma Gravel Pit, But Need Help

TACOMA, WA — The Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce County is asking for public support as its veterinarians battle to save the lives of four puppies found abandoned in a gravel pit.

According to the Humane Society, last week Dickson Company employees found three of the puppies in the Waller Road gravel pit.

The dogs were nearly crushed by heavy machinery, but were saved last-minute by workers who spotted them and rushed to grab them from the pit. The Humane Society says the dogs were shivering from the cold, and likely had been abandoned in the pit overnight.

The puppies were handed to Pierce County Animal Control, who hurried them to the Humane Society. The society says its vets "immediately knew something was very wrong". Not only were the dogs dehydrated and underweight, but they were nearly unresponsive to their surroundings. A test confirmed their fears: the puppies were infected with the parvovirus, a highly-contagious, deadly disease.

When workers returned to the Waller Road gravel pit the next day, they found it had happened again — a fourth dog had been left abandoned in the pit.

"Again, the workers rushed to save her, astonished that someone could be so cruel as to dump sick puppies alone in the cold," the Humane Society said in a press release.

Unfortunately, like the first three, the fourth dog was also carrying the parvovirus.

All four puppies are now receiving medical aid, but their lives are hanging in the balance. The canine parvovirus can have a mortality rate of up to 91 percent in untreated cases, and treatment requires round-the-clock care to keep the dogs hydrated, so their bodies can battle the disease. Despite that challenge, the Humane Society says it is committed to saving these puppies — but need the public's help to do it.

24/7 supportive care can cost thousands of dollars per puppy, the Humane Society says, so they've launched a donation drive seeking support to help their vets give these sick dogs another shot at life.

"A donation today of any amount will enable us to provide top-quality care to these devastatingly sick babies," the Humane Society said. "Your support will pull them through the very hard days to come and give them the second chance at life that they deserve."

The drive to support the dogs can be found on the Humane Society's website. As of midday Thursday, the drive has already raised nearly $2,000.