A tiny puppy abandoned outside a closed Mission Viejo shelter one night last week in an area known for coyotes has attracted multiple adoption offers, while authorities say they have identified a man caught on security video leaving the pup to fend for herself.
Surveillance footage showed the man arriving around 3:30 a.m. on April 10 in a red four-door vehicle and pushing a chihuahua mix puppy through the closed facility’s gate before driving away, according to Mission Viejo Animal Services.
The puppy weighed about 2 pounds and was estimated to be between 9 and 10 weeks old, Mission Viejo Animal Care Services Lt. Kyle Werner said.
The pup wandered alone outside the facility for about an hour before slipping under a fence. She eventually made her way to the 24-hour veterinary hospital next door, where she scratched at the entrance door until staff noticed and brought her inside.
The puppy, now named Magnolia, has already received numerous adoption applications, Werner said.
“We exist to help people in these situations. We take animal surrenders all the time,” Werner said. “The way he did it is the problem.”
Werner said the parking lot is known to have coyotes at night, which could have easily harmed such a small dog.
“He couldn’t have waited until we were open?” Werner said.
He added that the man could have taken the puppy to the 24-hour animal hospital next door, where staff could have contacted on-call Animal Services personnel.
Investigators had asked for the public’s help identifying the man and announced the following day that he had been located. Officials determined he was the puppy’s owner and contacted and interviewed him.
The man was not arrested, but Werner said he could face charges of willful abandonment or permitting an animal to go without care if the Orange County district attorney’s office decides to file a case.
“Don’t feel like you need to do that,” Werner said. “You can call us. We’re here to help you.”