Puppies recovering after rescue from LaSalle Park dumpster

Published: May. 25, 2023 at 10:23 PM CDT

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOV) - Two puppies are recovering after being left in a LaSalle Park dumpster Tuesday.

The Humane Society of Missouri took in the two young dogs, one male and one female, after local residents found and pulled them out of the bin Tuesday morning.

Frenchtown Records owners David and Christine Boykin live just down the street. They first saw a picture of the dogs posted in a neighborhood Facebook group, but the person who posted it could not get them out. The couple ran over to the dumpsters behind their store to help out, jumping into the dumpster to rescue the pups from the building 77-degree heat.

“It hurts us to our heart,” David Boykin said. “There’s a special place in hell for the person who did that.”

The Humane Society of Missouri took in the dogs, and they are being showered with love and care. They received baths and will get check-ups and new names in the coming days. Ella Frank leads the Animal Cruelty Task Force at HSMO, and she says they were rescued just in time.

“They could have died,” Frank said. “On a hot day, it can take a few hours for their temperatures to rise.”

The two pups will eventually be up for adoption, but Frank says the timeframe is unclear. News of the rescue spread quickly on social media, leading to several calls from potential adopters.

St. Louis Police confirm they were also on the scene Thursday, but they don’t have information on who did it or why. The penalty for animal neglect and abandonment in Missouri is up to a $500 fine for the first offense and possible prison time.