4 Chihuahuas thrown over 9ft fence at SPCA in Sumter, only 2 survive

SUMTER, SC (WIS) - The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office is looking for two people responsible for throwing and abandoning four puppies over a barbed wire fence Saturday night.

It happened at the Sumter SPCA off South Guignard Drive just before 8 p.m.

Cindy Cook, the Sumter SPCA manager tells WIS they received a call from their 24-hour answering service stating that “good samaritans had seen two individuals tossing four Chihuahuas over our 9-foot fence.”

Cook says four employees responded within minutes and were on the scene.

They found that two of the four Chihuahuas escaped through a gap in the front fence and were hit by cars before employees arrived.

“It was awful, it was terrible,” Cook said. “My heart sunk to my stomach. I was just trying to get over here to see what I could do to see if I could catch them.”

Cook says it took SPCA employees an hour and a half to catch and save the remaining two puppies.

“They were extremely frightened from the ordeal,” Cook said.

The two dogs are named Lucky and Destiny.

Lucky, the boy, has a few scratches from being thrown over the fence. Destiny, the girl, is being treated for heartworms.

Employees say the hardest part about it all, is knowing the dogs could have been easily saved.

“If the people had come earlier that day, I mean we were here, we could have taken the animals in, and instead they chose to come at night when no one was here,” Crystal Prescott, an SPCA employee who helped save the puppies said. “It’s cruel. I mean you wouldn’t do this to a child, so why would you do it to a helpless animal?”

Cook says since the two puppies have been in SPCA care, they have received vaccinations and deworming.

After 14 days, they will be spayed and neutered and will be placed up for adoption.

An incident report has been filed with the Sumter County Sheriff’s Department.

If you have any information that can lead to an arrest call Crimestoppers 1-888-CRIME- SC.

Anyone who wants to donate to the care of the chihuahuas can do so by sending a check to Sumter SPCA, 1140 S. Guignard Dr,. Sumter, SC 29150 or donating through the website at www.sumterscspca.com.

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