Following the discovery of a puppy inside a plastic bag in a Coachella Valley dumpster for the second time in less than a month, this time with severe burns and a portion of her tail severed, Californian animal advocates are currently looking for answers.
Alejandra Espinoza Zazueta tells PEOPLE that on Sunday afternoon, her mother saw some customers rummaging in a garbage outside the Coachella jewelry store where she works.
Zazueta claims her mother was taken aback when the clients, believing that they were searching for something they had inadvertently thrown away, took out a plastic Walmart bag holding a weeping puppy that they had called Hope in honor of “the fighter that she is.”
The discovery was especially unsettling because it was the second time in Coachella Valley that a bystander had found a plastic bag carrying pups inside of a garbage. (Debora Sue Culwell was accused last month of throwing seven pups into the garbage in a zipped plastic bag.)
Upon arriving at the scene, Zazueta recounts that her mother had no choice but to summon her as the dog had third-degree burns covering her flesh from her mid-waist down to her rear legs. “We were unsure if she would survive.”
Zazueta claimed she phoned Animal Control and the Sheriff’s Department to report the event and sought assistance on social media after gently moving Hope to a towel inside a tiny box.
The wounded dog was given to the nonprofit Animal Hope and Wellness Foundation in Sherman Oaks because the expense of the puppy’s ongoing care was too high.
Zazueta described her three-hour journey from Coachella as “hugging my butt to Los Angeles, trying to get her there as fast as I could because her medication was going to expire within two hours.” “She endured some hardships in route, but as soon as she arrived, she received prompt medical attention.”
Hope’s terrible burns were probably induced on purpose, according to medical personnel at McGrath Veterinary Center, who were called in while Hope was there. Owner Brian McGrath told PEOPLE that the wounds were brought on by contact with “corrosive chemicals” or a hot instrument.
He claims that she received serious burns over thirty percent of her body, which caused her skin to peel off. “Either exposure to corrosive chemicals or a severe thermal burn causes this type of injury.”
He continues, “She is still very weak.” She need daily wound care, fluids, antibiotics, and painkillers because she is now at risk of infection. She has been responding amazingly well to therapy thus far, and we anticipate a full recovery after a protracted journey.
The puppy is still unable to walk, so she is being monitored around-the-clock in a critical care center until she heals from her wounds.
Hope was doing noticeably better as of Thursday morning, according to Zazueta, with greater energy and increased movement.
Though Zazueta tells PEOPLE that the puppy may be paralyzed, she is fully accepting of the possibility as Hope’s new owner since she intends to adopt the dog once she is well enough to return home. Her rear legs, however, still move very little to at all.
She says, “We’re perfectly fine with that, we are more than willing to take her in,” adding that if it turns out the little dog is unable to use her hind legs, she might be able to obtain her a wheelchair.
Zazueta continues, “She has a home, and we’re eagerly waiting for her.” “We just need to wait for the day when they call and tell us to go pick her up. We have everything for her and we’re ready.”
