FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA—A box filled with four newborn Pitbull puppies and their mama were heartlessly left in a pet rescue center in July 2023.
Rescue staff Kara Starzyk of the Abandoned Pet Rescue, Inc. was startled when a ‘gentleman' approached her and handed her a container before immediately turning away.
“He was walking away before I could even ask him any questions,” said Starzyk in an interview with WSVN 7News. She recalled he only said ‘he found them' before leaving.
Earlier, the man was caught on camera near a parked black sedan carrying the container, and seemed to be luring the pups' mother out of the car.
Upon checking the container, Starzyk was surprised to find four puppies inside, all of which were seriously injured.
“They had slices on their neck. One of them was missing an ear. One of them was sliced on the bottom of their foot which all probably occurred while they were cutting her open to remove the puppies,” she said.
@abandonedpetrescue Betsy’s experience breaks our heart, but Betsy is now & forever safe with Abandoned Pet Rescue. Her surviving puppy is with the Milk Drunk Foundation who assisted us with this rescue. Your support saves lives so please help us find this sweet mom a home and any donations will go toward helping her and the many other abandoned pets in our care. 🙏🏼❤️ #animalrescue #nokillshelter #adopt #fyp #rescue #dogsofttiktok #dog
Despite efforts to revive the pups, only one of them survived.
Apparently, their mother, who the rescuers named Betsy, was cut open during labor. And based on her wound, it looked like the ‘Cesarian section' was made by a non-professional.
“There was an incision going down her belly and it showed us that somebody, who was using her for breeding, had somebody that was not a professional veterinarian, come and slice her open to remove those babies from her.”
Because of this, Betsy and her pups were suspected to be victims of illegal breeding practices.
The surviving pup, who they named Tzatziki, is being fed with milk round the clock every three hours with the help of The Milk Drunk Foundation, another animal rescue foundation specializing in neonatal care.
Unfortunately, Betsy passed away due to surgical complications a month after her rescue, as confirmed on a Facebook post on August 12.
Irresponsible breeding practice is still rampant not just in the US, but in other countries too.
If you are thinking of getting a new pup, make sure that the place or person you're getting it from is trusted and only does acceptable practices.
Better yet, we encourage everyone to adopt dogs like Betsy, who very much deserves all the love in the world, in animal rescue centers across the country.
