Most of 38 rescued Coachella dogs doing well
Some of the 38 dogs rescued from the house of the Coachella woman who dumped 7 puppies will be ready for adoption soon.
Last month, 54-year-old Deborah Sue Culwell was caught on camera tossing a bag of newborn puppies into a dumpster near a NAPA Auto Parts store in Coachella. One of those puppies died shortly after they were found, while the other 6 are recovering.
Authorities were able to track down Culwell and on April 22, she was arrested at her home in Coachella. Animal Services recovered an additional 38 dogs from the home in filthy conditions. Photos inside the home show several overweight dogs poorly taken care of with peeling floors and ravaged furniture.
Janeen Bahr’s animal rescue, Society’s Outkasts Animal Rescue in Palm Desert, took in 5 of the dogs. Bahr met with News Channel 3’s Lauren Coronado to show her how three of those dogs are doing.
“This is Faith. We just picked her up yesterday and this is Hope, Hope is the most fearful of all. McGregor seems to be doing a lot better. He loves to be pet. They were apparently in the house with no human interaction whatsoever,” Bahr said.
Despite the dog’s living in filthy conditions, Bahr says the five she has are all in good health. Since being recovered, they’re up to date on shots and will be spayed and neutered soon.
Bahr said some have slight respiratory issues but their mental health is Bahr’s primary concern.
“What we want to do is we want to socialize them, make sure that they’re not going to fear, bite, or just be unhappy. We always do home checks and applications and in the case of these five, we’ll be looking really closely at the home life,” Bahr said.
As far as adoption, Bahr says McGregor should be ready to find a forever home by the end of the month while the other two may need a few more months.
Culwell is being charged $570 in board and care fees for each day that the 38 dogs remain in Animal Services custody. She was charged with seven counts of felony animal cruelty and seven counts of misdemeanor animal abandonment.
Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing coverage.
