Latest news with #GillianKocher
Newsweek
01-08-2025
- General
- Newsweek
CCTV Captures Moment Critically Ill Puppies Are Dumped Outside Shelter
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Pennsylvania SPCA are seeking help after a box of severely ill puppies were abandoned outside the ACCT Philly shelter last week. Security footage captured from the shelter parking lot at approximately 2:15 p.m. on July 24 showed the moment two people pulled into the shelter's parking lot, leaving a box near the entrance before driving away. When staff looked inside the cardboard box, they were shocked by what was inside. It contained two six-to-eight-week-old puppies suffering from terrible wounds and covered in maggots. ACCT Philly contacted the Pennsylvania SPCA's Animal Law Enforcement team, and the puppies were transferred to the PSPCA's hospital immediately. The puppies were in a "critical" state when they arrived and were quickly rushed to get medical help. Gillian Kocher, director of public relations at the PSPCA, told Newsweek: "The puppies had open wounds, some necrotic and were infested with maggots throughout their bodies." Pictures from the security footage of the dog drop off. Pictures from the security footage of the dog drop off. Pennsylvania SPCA The puppies, believed to be shepherd or husky mixes, were transferred to the Pennsylvania SPCA's hospital. One required emergency care at an off-site facility but both are now showing signs of improvement. "The puppies are not anywhere near being ready for adoption. We are still doing everything we can do ensure they survive. That is our main focus at this time," Kocher said. "We do hope that when they are stable enough, they are able to go into foster care to continue their recovery." According to the 2024 Shelter Animals Count Annual Report, approximately 5.77 million dogs and cats entered shelters and rescues across the United States through community intakes, which excludes animals transferred from other organizations. Of these, about 60 percent, or roughly 3.46 million animals, were found as strays, making stray intake the leading cause of shelter entries. This included approximately 1.7 million stray dogs and 1.79 million stray cats. Currently, the Pennsylvania SPCA Animal Law Enforcement team are working to try and established the details around the case. In a post on Facebook, the SPCA urged anyone with any information to come forward in helping to identify the people who left the animals at the shelter, hoping to ensure no other animals are in danger, and learn more about where the puppies came from. "An investigation is underway which is why we are working to identify the individuals in question," Kocher said. Anyone with information about the individuals in the footage is asked to contact the Pennsylvania SPCA's Humane Law Enforcement cruelty hotline at 866-601-7722 or email cruelty@ Tips can be left anonymously.
CBS News
26-07-2025
- CBS News
Critically ill puppies left abandoned in a box at Philadelphia animal shelter
The Pennsylvania SPCA says two three-month-old puppies in "bad shape" were left outside a Philadelphia shelter on a hot afternoon, and now are searching for the people who dropped them off. Staff made the discovery around 2 p.m. Thursday at ACCT Philly's shelter on Hunting Park Avenue near Front Street. "The puppies unfortunately had wounds that were old, some that were necrotic already, as well as maggots throughout their bodies. So, in very bad shape," said Gillian Kocher, PSPCA's director of public relations. After the puppies were found in a box, calls were made to the PSPCA's animal law enforcement team, and the puppies were taken to the PSPCA's hospital. One dog remains there but another was transported to an emergency veterinary center. The puppies are believed to be a shepherd mix and about three months old, but their age is difficult to determine. PSPCA is now asking for the public's help locating two people seen on surveillance video turning into the parking lot and getting out of their vehicle with what appears to be a cardboard box, which they left behind. PSPCA says the video could assist in protecting other puppies potentially in harm's way, and to learn more about the puppies who were left behind. "The injuries that these puppies had didn't happen yesterday or the day before, it's something that's been going on for awhile, so if there are other puppies in this litter, it's possible they might also be heading in this direction," Kocher said. Anyone with information is asked to contact the PSPCA cruelty hotline at 866-801-7722 or email cruelty@
