RICHMOND, Va. β A six-week-old puppy discovered in a Richmond dumpster Friday night has died, according to Richmond Animal Care and Control.
RACC named the puppy Sapphire after she was found wrapped in a plastic Walmart bag in a dumpster along the 400 block of Westover Hills Boulevard at about 5:40 p.m. Friday.
The person who discovered Sapphire wrapped the puppy in a t-shirt and called RACC for help.
"Our officer responded within 15 minutes when we arrived, we couldn't believe that she was even alive. She was soaked in urine from inside the bag, and our officer took her straight to the emergency clinic," Richmond Animal Care and Control Director Christie Chipps-Peters said.
Unfortunately, RACC said Sapphire was unable to recover and had to be euthanasia.
"Our team is heartbroken and angry and sad and mad," RACC posted on social media.
RACC said it is channeling its anger toward finding the person or people responsible for putting Sapphire in the trash.
Fliers around the dumpster where she was found now tell Sapphire's story.
"Someone has seen this puppy before, and someone knows whose it is and someone may know the circumstance around this act," Chipps-Peters said. "Any information can be shared anonymously. Crime Stoppers. You can do everything through Crime Stoppers. You don't have to contact us directly."
You can contact RACC directly at 804-646-5573, email daniel.leech@rva.gov, or send them a message over social media.
"How cruel to do that to a living creature," Chipps-Peters said. "Never resort to an act of cruelty, because that puppy, had that citizen not taken his trash out at that time, would have suffocated and died in a plastic bag in the trash. Just completely unacceptable."
Investigators say this is a felony crime that could mean up to five years in prison.
RACC hopes Sapphire's story reminds people of their obligation to treat animals humanely.
"If you are in a position where you cannot take care of a pet, where your pet is sick or injured or needs help, that's what we're here for," Chipps-Peters said.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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