Deborah Culwell, 54, has been arrested after being caught dumping 7 puppies into a trashcan in 90F Coachella heat. The puppies, terrier mixes, were left in the trashcan for almost an hour before being rescued by a passerby.
Puppies Thrown Away in a Bag Like Trash
Riverside County Animal Services released surveillance footage last Thursday that shows Culwell stepping out of a white jeep. She looks inside of a trashcan that is used for recyclables, and then dumps a bag into it, before casually walking away.
The bag contained the seven puppies, and they were very lucky that a passerby found them, as the bag only made the 90F heat even worse. Authorities say that if they hadn’t been found so quickly, they wouldn’t have made it.
Chris Mayer, the Riverside County Animal Service Commander, said, “The Good Samaritan played a major role in saving these puppy’s lives. His actions were humane and heroic.”
“There is no excuse for dumping puppies,” he continued. “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.”
John Welsh, the chief of the Riverside County Department of Animal Services, said, “You can clearly see the bag of puppies being dumped into the dumpster. There’s clearly not a level of intelligence that’s going to be used if you’ore going to toss animals.”
He and Mayer are now working together to build a strong cruelty case along with the District Attorney’s office and Riverside County Sheriff’s investigators.
Arrested, Facing up to Seven Counts of Felony Animal Cruelty
Thanks to the surveillance footage, authorities were able to arrest Culwell at her Coachella home, and she is now facing up to seven counts of felony animal cruelty.
Not only that, 30 additional dogs were found in her home that had to be immediately impounded to ensure that they were being properly cared for and fed at a shelter in Thousand Palms.
The seven puppies that were rescued are currently being cared for at the Orange County rescue shelter.
