Sherry Barkas | The Desert Sun

USA TODAY

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. – A woman who dumped a bag containing seven 3-day-old puppies behind an auto parts store in Coachella on Thursday is being sought by Riverside County animal control and law enforcement officials.

Officials say store surveillance video shows a woman with long dark hair, dressed in a dark blue or black tank top and skirt, pulled up in a Jeep next to a trash bin outside the Napa Auto Parts store at 49251 Grapefruit Blvd. just after 1 p.m.

The video shows the woman getting out of the vehicle carrying a plastic bag. She walked toward a bin used for recycling materials, opened the lid and then dropped the bag in, and drove away, animal services officials said Friday in a press release.

Riverside County Animal Services Dept.

A passerby saw the incident and contacted a store employee, who called the Riverside County Department of Animal Services. Officer Jose Cisneros arrived just before 2 p.m. and collected the puppies, believed to be terrier mix.

The puppies were brought to a Riverside County animal campus where veterinarians cared for them. MeoowzResQ, a Southern California rescue group that specializes in kitten and cat rescue, has partnered with animal services to foster the puppies and take over bottle-feeding duties.

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Temperatures in Coachella on Thursday were in the mid-90s, and if the passerby had not stopped and found the puppies when he did, they likely would have died in the heat, animal services officials said.

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“The good Samaritan played a major role in saving these puppies’ lives,” animal services Commander Chris Mayer said. “His actions were humane and heroic.”

Animal services spokesman John Welsh said no arrests have been made, but the woman is being sought on suspicion of animal cruelty.

Mayer described the woman’s actions as “despicable.” He and the department are working with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department and District Attorney’s office to find and arrest the woman.

It is the second case of puppies being dumped in Riverside County in a month. In March, animal services reported two puppies were found in a trash bin at Desert Recycling in Thousand Palms.

They were dehydrated and malnourished and taken to the Coachella Valley Animal Campus in Thousand Palms, where they were cared for by vets.

“There is no excuse for dumping puppies,” Mayer said. “Especially in today’s age when we or other shelters would be willing to get these animals to foster parents or rescue partners. This was a shameful act.”

Anyone with information about this incident should call Riverside County Animal Services at 951-358-7387.

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Follow Sherry Barkas on Twitter: @TDSSherryBarkas

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