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HENDERSON, LA – Eight puppies are lucky to be alive after they were cruelly tossed from a bridge in St. Martin parish on Sunday, February 16th. According to the Humane Society of Louisiana, the pups were rescued from the bayou with just moments to spare. The animal protection charity is offering a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator in this case.

The miraculous rescue occurred when a local fisherman saw a man stop his truck on a wooden bridge behind Pat’s Restaurant, on Potato Shed Road. He saw the man toss a dog food bag into the bayou and went in his boat to retrieve it, thinking it was litter. He was instead shocked to find eight cold, wet, black lab mix puppies in the water. The helpless pups were just 3-5 days old.

According to this witness, the perpetrator was driving a white, older model truck. The vehicle had a built-in dog kennel with yellow trim around it in the back.

The rescuer notified the St. Martin Sheriff’s Department. Deputies photographed the crime scene and took witness statements. The puppies were originally placed with Precious Paw Prints Animal Rescue in Acadia Parish, before subsequently being transferred to Every Paw Animal Rescue (EPAR), an Evangeline Parish animal rescue group. EPAR volunteers are bottle feeding the orphans and giving them antibiotics every eight hours, to ward off potential respiratory infections caused by their ordeal in the cold water. Barring any unforeseen medical emergencies, all eight puppies are expected to survive. Those interested in adopting can visit the EPAR website or Facebook page at  https://www.facebook.com/everypawanimalrescue/.

“We are horrified that anyone would be so callous and cruel to these defenseless, newborn puppies,” says Jeff Dorson, Executive Director of the Humane Society of Louisiana. “We are hopeful that the $500 reward we are offering will help the St. Martin Sheriff’s Department find this perpetrator and seek justice in this case.” 

A post detailing the puppies’ dramatic rescue has already been shared widely on Facebook, where more than $1000 has been raised for the animals. Those interested in contributing to their care can donate online at https://www.facebook.com/HumaneLA/?epa=SEARCH_BOX, or on the Humane Society’s  website, www.humanela.org.  Checks to the Humane Society of Louisiana may also be sent to PO Box 740321, New Orleans, LA 70174.  Donors should indicate ‘St. Martin puppies’ in the memo/comments section. All contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

Anyone having information about this crime is urged to contact the Humane Society of Louisiana at info@humanela.org or at 1-888-6-HUMANE.  All information will be shared with the St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Department.