BRADENTON, Fla. — The Manatee County Animal Welfare (MCAW) is asking for help locating the people responsible for leaving two puppies in a sealed box in Bradenton.
On Friday, June 9, MCAW said a good samaritan found a sealed box near a Walmart off of SR-70 and US 301. In it were two seven-week-old Chihuahua puppies.
"Upon intake at our facility here, we tested them for parvovirus, and they tested positive, and they also had temperatures of 106,” said Hans Wohlgefahrt, the Outreach and Event Specialist with Manatee County Animal Welfare.
On Tuesday, staff said one of the puppies is stable and doing very well, while the other is considered to be in critical condition.
"This is a very serious offense. Animal abandonment is a crime, and these puppies so young and defenseless and deathly sick with parvovirus needed immediate medical care,” said Wohlgefahrt.
If you’re having a hard time caring for your pet, staff ask owners to reach out for help.
“A lot of people are struggling right now,” said Wohlgefahrt. “A lot of pet owners are struggling to keep their pets, so we just ask before you find yourself in a dire situation to please reach out to us first. We deal with every case on a one-to-one basis, and we totally understand some of the situations that pet owners are facing, and we want to do what we can, whatever we can do to help people.”
MCAW is asking anyone with any information about the puppies or the people involved to contact MCAW at 941-742-5933.
