'Quite obviously terrified'

COEUR d’ALENE — Three puppies brought Tuesday to Companions Animal Center couldn’t stop trembling.

Malnourished, thin, with fleas, they had been found abandoned near Fighting Creek Landfill off U.S. 95. It was about 40 degrees and windy.

“They’re severely underweight, about half of what they should be,” said Candace Clark Brailey, CAC dog technician. 

“Quite obviously terrified,” she added. “They’ve been shaking the whole time. Even in the back of a warm car, they were shaking.”

Mikayla Freeman, also a dog tech, nodded in agreement.

“They’re terrified. You can tell by their behavior,” she said.

The male puppies, dubbed Kevin, Joe and Nick, respectively weighed 9, 11 and 12 pounds. 

Given their age of maybe 3 months old, they should have weighed around 20 pounds. Instead, ribs were visible against coats. 

The pups gobbled up a measured amount of dry dog food in a bowl and lapped up water.

“It’s probably been a while since they’ve eaten,” Clark Brailey said.

It's not known how long the animals had been left on their own. A man and his son were driving near Fighting Creek when they saw the puppies.

“Look at them,” the son said to his father. “They’re pitiful.”

They stopped.

“They were just sitting there together,” said the man, who declined to give his name. “We were surprised because there was nobody around.”

They easily gathered up the trio of frightened, shivering pups and drove them to CAC.

The puppies were tested to be sure they were free of parvovirus, then brought inside, where they were examined, vaccinated and given flea treatments.

When one was temporarily removed from the kennel, the others whimpered.

"Good job, handsome,” Freeman said to one of the pups when it didn’t flinch as it was given a shot.

Vicky Nelson, CAC development director, said they’ve seen an increase in abandoned dogs as of late, with at least five such cases in January.

“It happens a lot,” she said.

The puppies will undergo a few more tests. If they get a clean bill of health, they’ll be put up for adoption, perhaps in 10 days.

“Because of the shape they’re in, they’ll probably keep them a little bit longer to try and get some weight on them," Nelson said.

Debbie Jeffrey, CAC executive director, said the rise in dogs never claimed after being picked up by animal control is alarming.

"I have never seen what we’re seeing today," she said.

Three puppies found abandoned Tuesday sit in the back of a vehicle after being brought to Companions Animal Center.

    Candace Clark Brailey weighs one of three abandoned puppies brought to Companions Animal Center on Tuesday.