The Austin Police Department tells KXAN that its Animal Cruelty Unit is looking into a report of several abandoned dogs. They are supposedly in the parking lot of a southwest Austin grocery store.
Austin police couldn’t share any further details right now. But, three people present that day tell KXAN it happened in the early evening on Jan. 7 in the parking lot of the Randalls store off of South MoPac Expressway near West William Cannon Drive.
However, witnesses reported seeing someone release a crate full of several small dogs. They said that many of them went running to a nearby wooded area. So, a group of concerned neighbors has been working to locate these dogs and find them homes.
First, Leslie Maguire explained she was in a car in the Randalls parking lot that evening with her friend, Cat Young. Then, she recalls they drove around to escape a crowded section. There, they saw two cars parked at the far end of the lot.
The Abandoned Dogs
Maguire said she saw a man lifting a large dog crate out of his vehicle. Then, they saw him letting several dogs run out of the crate. The witnesses told KXAN that neither the man with the crate nor the other people around him went after the dogs.
Moreover, Maguire and her friend assumed the dogs were being let out for exercise or to go to the bathroom. But, then she noticed the dogs were running toward a nearby wooded area.
A man holds open a crate in the parking lot of the Randalls off of William Cannon. Witnesses allege this man released several dogs from this crate who ran into the wooded area nearby. (Photo: Leslie Maguire)
She recalled seeing five dogs released from the crate, all of which were small and either chihuahuas or terriers.
Other people who spotted the dogs running in the parking lot began to gather near Maguire to find out what was going on.
Frances Maldonado was in the Randalls parking lot and grew concerned when she saw two small dogs race by. However, he came across Maguire, and they went in separate directions trying to track down the dogs. They found a female chihuahua and could not get ahold of two more dogs they had seen running in the wooded area near MoPac.
The Report
Maguire took home the chihuahua, who gave birth to four puppies the next day. She also posted details about what happened to social media and other Austinites volunteered to search the area for the other dogs.
The search effort has found two more dogs so far, Maguire explained. One of those dogs is now living with Maldonado.
Maldonado said the dog she has taken in was dirty, had very long nails and had clearly not been brushed.
“Kudos to everybody, that was a big team effort, ” Maldonado said, noting at one point as many as eight people were out searching for the dogs.
Maldonado and Maguire have contacted Austin police to investigate this further.
For now, Maguire is ecstatic to be caring for the newborn puppies (“they are the sweetest little things you nearly ever saw,” she said.)
The Aftermath
Maldonado said the dog she has taken in was dirty, had very long nails and had clearly not been brushed.
“Kudos to everybody, that was a big team effort, ” Maldonado said, noting at one point as many as eight people were out searching for the dogs.
Maldonado and Maguire have contacted Austin police to investigate this further.
For now, Maguire is ecstatic to be caring for the newborn puppies (“they are the sweetest little things you nearly ever saw,” she said.)
“With all this junk going on in the world, it sure is nice to have a feel-good story,” she noted.
A spokesperson told KXAN she had spoken with the director of the Randalls location, who said the store was not made aware of this incident.
“In the event we are contacted by the police, we would make every effort to cooperate with the investigation,” the spokesperson said.
Austin Animal Services told KXAN these kinds of cases can be the responsibility of different departments depending on the situation, so it’s best to call 3-1-1 to report the situation, and if it needs to be addressed immediately, APD will be called.
Source: kxan
