One of the seven newborn puppies who were captured on camera being tossed into a dumpster in Coachella, allegedly by a local resident, has died.
The Riverside County Department of Animal Services shared the sad news on Thursday, one day after the palm-sized terrier mix passed away.
“Unfortunately we have learned one of the dumped puppies has died,” Animal Services spokesman John Welsh said in an emailed statement. “The very kind foster volunteer contacted us last night and shared the bad news.”
In a post on her Facebook page, volunteer Noni Boen Schirm wrote that she was heartbroken over the pup’s death.
“I gave it everything i had in me, but he never grew. he never recovered. i wanted so much for him to make it and we all were rooting for him. we gave him so much love, but i guess god had other plans *fly free my baby*,” her post read.
She stated the runt of the litter may have been at the bottom of the plastic bag when the puppies were thrown into the trash, and that his littermates possibly landed on top of him, cushioning their blow.
Animal Services did have some good news to report, as the other six puppies are continuing to do well.
Welsh also shared an update about the 38 dogs who were taken from the home of the suspect, 54-year-old Deborah Sue Culwell.
The canines were found to have no serious ailments after being thoroughly examined, and they remain impounded at the Coachella Valley Animal Campus in Thousand Palms.
They still are not sure which dog is the mother of the dumped puppies, as several female dogs appeared to have given birth recently, Welsh added.
Culwell, meanwhile, was released from jail on Tuesday after $10,000 bail was posted, inmate records showed.
Prosecutors allege that Culwell is the woman who was caught on a surveillance camera tossing a bag filled with 3-day old puppies into a trash bin before driving away from the scene last week.
She has been charged with seven felony counts of injuring the puppies and seven misdemeanor counts of abandoning them, the Associated Press reported.
It was not immediately clear if she would face additional charges due to the puppy’s death.