Hungry, dehydrated puppies rescued from trash at MS rest stop

MEMPHIS, Tenn.– A security guard says three puppies were dehydrated and hungry when they were rescued from a dumpster at a truck stop along I-55 in Hernando Friday.

JC Thomas said maintenance workers at the Desoto County Welcome Center were filling up the large trash bin when they heard what sounded like a dog crying for help.

“I got my light and shined it down there, and there were three little dogs down there. I mean, the cutest little things you’ve ever seen, and I said my God, there are dogs here. Who in the world would put dogs in a dumpster?” said Thomas.

Thomas said it took them close to an hour to remove the puppies from the dumpster. He said the dogs had likely been in there for a few days and wouldn’t have survived much longer.

“They were so thirsty. I tell you what, I gave them at least a gallon of water before they got caught up with this water,” said Thomas. “They were about to starve to death, too. I had some sausage and biscuits in there, and so I cut them into little pieces, and they ate every little bit of that.”

Thomas said he took the pups to the Tunica Humane Society as soon as he got off work.

“I called my wife and said we need to keep these dogs, and she said no, we can’t. She’s a cat person. She saves cats and gives them away,” said Thomas. “We’ve got 14 cats around our house.”

The Tunica Humane Society posted pictures of the dumpster puppies on their Facebook page.

Over the last several days, posts about the dogs have been liked, shared, and commented on hundreds of times. Many thanked the security guard for saving the dogs, while others condemned the person who threw them away.

“Why in the world would some heartless person throw these innocent puppies in a dumpster is beyond my comprehension. Thank goodness a person with a good heart found them,” Carol Moss said.

“They are the cutest little babies,” Brenda Williams said. It’s so hard even to think that humans are so horrible nowadays. They are in a safe and loving place. Thank the Lord.”

Thomas is a huge animal lover, and he’s glad he was there to rescue the pups, who have since been named Cookie Monster, Oscar, and Grover.

“They would have died soon. They were putting trash in that dumpster, and man, they fill that thing every week, and all those boxes, they would have killed them,” said Thomas. “They were pitiful.”

The puppies, two males and one female, were seen playing at the Tunica Humane Society over the weekend and will soon be up for adoption.

They will be among several dogs at Hollywood Feed in Southaven on Saturday.

If you want to adopt one of the puppies or want more information about the Tunica Humane Society, click here.

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