MAUMEE, Ohio — An animal cruelty investigation is underway after a dog was found abandoned in a vacant lot with her newborn puppies while she wasn't finished giving birth.
Toledo Area Humane Society volunteers and workers have managed to save five dogs after the incident, but the rescue still feels a little bittersweet to them.
Some of the puppies didn't make it and now the search is on for the dog's former owners.
"If you have any information that could lead to the prosecution of these people, we would love to hear it," said Stephen Heaven, CEO of the Toledo Area Humane Society.
Officials with the humane society said that a neighbor saw a dark four-door sedan pull up to a vacant lot on Wednesday morning in north Toledo and dump something before driving off.
That neighbor believed something was up and immediately called for help.
"He said, 'You know, a lot of times people come by the lot there and dump garbage and things.' So, he wasn't really thinking anything about it when he saw the car pull up, and then after he had left is when he saw something moving in the tall grass," said Greg Rayot, cruelty officer at the Toledo Area Humane Society.
Animal cruelty officers went directly to the scene to get the dog they that they now call Elle and two of her puppies, which were born about a day earlier.
The neighbor had taken the pup onto his porch and gathered blankets to make her comfortable in the meantime.
"When we first saw her, she was in a lot of pain and a lot of discomfort. I mean, she kind of had these eyes looking at us like 'Please, help me.' And so you know, we did. We were able to react quickly," Rayot said.
Elle had to have an emergency C-section as soon as she arrived at the humane society facility in Maumee.
One puppy was breech in the birth canal, causing the others to get stuck.
"If he hadn't have been there at the time, that dog could've suffered for another day or two before it actually died," Rayot said.
Two more puppies survived, but five didn't make it.
Humane society leaders said this situation was completely preventable.
"It's something that could've saved these puppies' lives. It would've prevented her from being in excruciating pain for anywhere up to 24 hours. And so, it would've been as simple as that. Easy remedy - take her to a vet," Heaven said.
The humane society also recommends having pets spayed or neutered to keep this from happening.
"They could've brought her here if they realized she was in trouble. We would've been happy to help save those puppies, but people just don't seem to think and their first thought was just to get rid of the animal, which is very, very unfortunate," Heaven said.
An investigation is now underway and multiple charges likely will be sought.
If you know anything, contact Crime Stoppers at 419-255-1111 or the Toledo Area Humane Society at 419-891-0705 and on their website. If you would like to remain anonymous, you can do so.
Once the dogs are ready, they will all be available for adoption.