Ten puppies that were thrown from a car near a Mission Viejo animal shelter last month were rescued and will soon be put up for adoption, officials said.
The city said in a statement Wednesday that a suspect threw the puppies from a vehicle into some brush near the Mission Viejo Animal Services Center around 2:30 a.m. on July 24.
A few hours later, a volunteer dog walker found the puppies in a vinyl pool, lucky enough to have spent the night in what officials call “coyote country.”
The puppy is only three weeks old. Officials recommend that puppies and kittens should stay with their mothers until they are at least twice that age.
Animal Services staff then nursed the puppies back to health and placed them in foster homes. The suspect was captured on surveillance footage at the center and later interviewed by Mission Viejo police.
Mission Viejo Animal Services will file animal cruelty charges with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office against the alleged owner, officials said.
The dogs’ mother, Holly, “was located, captured and quickly reunited with all of her puppies,” the city said.
All dogs are healthy and will be available for adoption soon.
Those who cannot afford to care for their pets can leave their pets at local animal shelters.
