A Typical Afternoon
For Savannah Minter, spending an afternoon with her friends was normal for a Saturday.
She had enjoyed a great lunch, wandered around the mall and after exhausting all options was finally dropping her friend back home. However, not all was as it seemed.
The Mysterious Crate
As Savannah pulled into her friend’s apartment complex, she noticed a strange crate by the dumpster.
Intrigued by the mysterious object, she approached it cautiously…and what she found inside made her burst into tears. You won’t believe this incredible story.
Dropping Off A Friend
It was a sweltering summer day back in July of 2017 when 16-year-old, Savannah and her best friend were returning home from a day of hanging out.
As they pulled into the parking lot of her friend’s apartment complex, Savannah noticed something very strange.
Something Strange
After parking near the dumpsters, a strange crate caught Savannah’s eye.
It was nestled up against the green aluminum and stood out from the other garbage piled around it. What could it possibly be?
A Surprising Discovery
Unable to satiate her curiosity, Savannah walked over to the crate, which she later determined to be a dog kennel.
As she got closer, the teen jumped back alarmed. Something was moving inside the crate AND it was making noise.
Abandoned and Alone
Savannah admitted to the local news, the discovery was quite shocking.
“I freaked out! I was on the phone with one of my friends and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh!’” And when you find out why, you’ll be shocked too.
In Need of Help
Inside the crate, were five, tiny and scared chihuahuas. To say Savannah was shocked and disturbed by the situation would be an understatement.
“I almost started crying and my friend had to calm me down. I was like, this is sad. How would someone ever do that?”
A Helping Hand
After taking a closer look at the puppies, Savannah realized they were not doing well. They looked malnourished and were covered in fleas.
There was absolutely no way that the teen could leave them in a crate by themselves overnight. Therefore, she decided to take them home.
The Long Weekend
Thankfully, Savannah had a great group of friends who were willing to pitch in and help her take care of the animals over the weekend.
The hope was that she could get them to a local vet come Monday morning. However, something even more shocking was about to be revealed.
Scared and Confused
It seemed these terrified little chihuahuas most likely had spent their entire lives in a cage. According to a family friend, the precious pups probably had been used for breeding and were no longer viable.
That’s why someone unceremoniously dumped them off. How could anyone be so horrible to a living thing?
Love and Care
Since the dogs had been through such a harrowing ordeal, they needed lots of love and attention. Savannah’s friends all agreed to pitch in and help take care of the dogs.
They wanted to provide them with the comfort they so desperately needed. Isn’t it wonderful to see such a selfless younger generation?
Finding Forever Homes
The group of friends ultimately wanted to find these dogs forever homes once they were checked out by a vet.
They feared sending them to an animal shelter could put them at risk for euthanization; therefore, they decided it was up to them to find suitable adopters for the dogs.
Splitting Up the Puppies
Since there was absolutely no way that Savannah could take care of all five dogs in her home, even with the help of her friends, the teens asked their parents if it was okay to split the dogs up.
In the end, each friend brought one of the sweet and scared puppies home. Now, they would need to figure out how to find them permanent homes.
The Nextdoor App
One parent suggested that the teens check out the Nextdoor App, which worked as a social network for communities to stay in touch.
The app is used by people to find babysitters, items for sale and as well as to learn more about their local neighbors. Could it possibly work to help find the dogs new homes?
Posting An Ad
Thinking they had nothing to lose, the teens posted an ad on the app, hoping it might attract some kind dog owners.
Even if someone couldn’t take one of the dogs, any help they could offer for their well-being would be much appreciated.
Waiting Patiently
At first, no one seemed to respond to the ad. As the teens continued to shower their little orphans with love, they hoped that someone might come to their rescue.
Thankfully, they didn’t have to wait too long.
A Flood of Responses
The next day, residents of the community began to respond to the ad in droves. They offered money for vet bills, showed support for the teens’ efforts and soon the group had secured foster homes for the dogs.
Some of the dogs were even adopted outright. Sadly, one of the precious pups had a problem no one could have expected.
In Bad Shape
One of the little chihuahuas named Emma was in seriously bad shape and had a hernia.
After being examined by a vet, it was determined she needed serious medical attention. Thankfully, her rescuer was going to be right there by her side.
A High Cost
Unfortunately, the cost of a hernia repair was much more than Savannah and her family could afford.
Worried about how she could get the sweet dog the treatment she needed, Savannah was shocked when a friend from school’s parents stepped in to help.
A Wonderful Gift
The Perez’s saw the advertisement about the sweet pooches on the Nextdoor app and immediately fell in love with Emma and knew they just had to help her.
Therefore, they reached out to Savannah and offered to pay for her medical expenses as well as foster her during the recovery process.
The Last One
During Emma’s recovery, the other chihuahuas all found their forever homes.
This left sweet Emma still without a permanent place to live. Would she ever find her forever home?
Worried About Her Condition
Savannah and her friends were worried that due to Emma’s medical issues, someone might not want to adopt her.
However, their fears were not warranted because another one of the pups had found her forever home despite having a medical condition as well.
Meet Loca
Loca was another one of the abandoned chihuahuas and she suffered from a muscle disorder. This left her unable to walk normally, but that didn’t matter to her new family.
They adopted her anyway. This gave Savannah hope that Emma would find a home too.
A Very Different Outcome
For Savannah, the outcome for the dogs was more than she could have dreamed of. However, she realizes that if she hadn’t taken them home that night, they most likely would not have survived.
The outpouring of love from the community was also a pleasant surprise for the teen.
Puppy Love
“It makes me so happy that everyone in the community was wanting to find [the dogs forever homes],” she told FOX 26.
“And some people even want to donate money to the animals.” Savannah was so lucky to live in such a giving community!
Proud Mom
For Emma’s foster mom, Mrs. Perez, she couldn’t be more proud of the teens. “As a mom, it touches my heart,” Perez added.
“Not only is my son associated with these young ladies… but they have all decided to take it upon themselves to help someone else that was in need. Even if it’s an animal.”
The Remaining Mystery
Even though the chihuahuas found new homes, who abandoned them and why is still a mystery.
Investigators have looked into the matter, but there are very few clues to go on to determine who might have left the pups at the dumpster.
Texas Laws
According to Texas state laws, abandoning an animal is a chargeable offense in both civil and criminal court.
Sadly, the people who abandoned these five chihuahuas have gotten away with it at this point. Justice must be served!
Sad Statistics
Unfortunately, dogs being abandoned isn’t a rare occurrence. According to ASPCA, over 3.3 million dogs are abandoned at animal shelters in the United States each year.
Out of those 3.3 million, 1.5 million are euthanized at kill shelters. It’s a terrible fate for an animal that’s nothing to deserve it.
A Second Chance
Thankfully, these sweet chihuahuas were able to beat the odds thanks to Savannah’s kind heart and selflessness.
Now they can enjoy homes where they are loved, cared for and treated with the respect they deserve. We wish these sweet puppies all the best in their new lives!