Sickly puppies found in trash bin; 1 dies

King County Animal Services is investigating an animal-cruelty case involving six golden retriever/Labrador mix puppies that were found shaking, wet and near starvation in an Issaquah trash bin last week, officials said Monday.

One puppy has since died; the other five are recuperating at the county animal shelter in Kent.

An anonymous caller alerted authorities Thursday afternoon after hearing cries of the 5-week-old puppies coming from the waste bin in the 11400 block of the Issaquah-Hobart Road near Tiger Mountain. Temperatures hovered in the 30s that day.

"This is an act of a cowardly person," said Kim Sgro, executive director of Pasado's Safe Haven in Sultan.

The nonprofit group and the Humane Society of the United States are offering a combined $7,500 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

"These are living, breathing creatures — not garbage," Sgro said.

The puppies arrived at the Kent Animal Shelter suffering from hypothermia, said veterinarian Dr. Marilyn Christensen.

They were put on a heating pad to warm up and given water and food, she said, adding that it was difficult to determine how long the puppies had been in the trash bin.

Two of them were timid but alert and active, she said. But three of the puppies were "very thin," with their ribs, backbones and hips clearly visible.

The female that died the night after being rescued weighed 3.4 pounds.

That puppy was "very, very emaciated," Christensen said. "She was unable to even stand or raise her head."

Pasado's Safe Haven enlisted the help of about a dozen volunteers on Monday to pass out fliers in the area asking for information.

After the puppies gain weight, they will be taken to foster homes for two to three weeks to become more socialized with people, said Al Dams, acting manager for the county's Animal Services.

They'll likely be ready for adoption by late February, he said.

Animal Services is asking the public to report any information related to the case to 206-296-3958.

Sonia Krishnan: 206-515-5546 or skrishnan@seattletimes.com