Dirty, dehydrated puppies found abandoned outside Ohio home

Eight Great Pyrenees puppies were found abandoned in Clermont County since Saturday.

A sheriff’s deputy was called out to the area of Crane Schoolhouse Road after a 911 caller said they and other drivers nearly hit six puppies that darted in and out of the road on Saturday, our news partners at WCPO reported.

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Chief Dog Warden Tim Pappas said it appeared the four female and two male puppies were dumped at an abandoned home on the road.

“There was a pile of food at the end of the driveway along with a bucket of water. No note or anything, and the house appeared to be abandoned,” Pappas said.

The deputy, with the help of passersby, rounded up the six puppies and took them to a shelter. They were described as being dirty, dehydrated, and exhausted.

“They didn’t last two minutes on their feet in the kennel before they just collapsed,” Pappas said.

The puppies were covered in fleas and ticks, had bloated bellies, and had to be treated for worms, WCPO reported.

The puppies, who haven’t been named because they’re evidence in an active animal neglect case, were then taken to the All Dogs Come From Heaven rescue. Two of the puppies have been isolated there to fight off more severe cases of dehydration.

“We don’t know how long they were out there,” Margaret Copelan, who runs the rescue with her husband, said. “They might have been out there a day or two, they might have been out there a week. Who knows? I think that it’s just been a traumatic short period of time in their short little lives.”

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The rescue shared on social media on Monday that two more Great Pyrenees puppies, that appear to be from the same litter, were found “very close to where the 6 were found.”

WCPO reported that the puppies ended up at the shelter because the county animal shelter didn’t have room to house them. The facility is designed to hold 65 dogs. Currently, there are 80 dogs in kennels and pop-up crates. At least another 50 are in foster homes.

If they feel well enough, the puppies could be cleared for a community meet and greet on May 25. They should be ready for adoption in early June, WCPO reported.

Until then, the pups remain evidence in the ongoing investigation.

“At the end of the day, dumping animals is illegal and you will be prosecuted for it,” Pappas said. “I am actively trying to find who it was that dumped these animals.”

Anyone with information should email Pappas at dogwarden@clermontcountyohio.gov or call 513-732-8854.