Dog That Was Thrown From Vehicle, Refused to Leave Side of Her Dead Puppy Near Santa Cruz County Dump is Adopted

A dog that stayed at the side of its dead puppy after they were thrown from a moving vehicle into a dump in unincorporated Watsonville Feb. 20 was adopted on Sunday, according to an animal advocacy group.

The dog, a tan and white Miniature Pinscher and Chihuahua mix named Beverly, was taken in by a family in the Santa Cruz area, according to representatives of the Center for Animal Protection and Education in Scotts Valley.

The center posted a video on YouTube telling the story of the family's adoption of Beverly.

Meanwhile, officers of the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter are still searching for the person or persons responsible for disposing of the two dogs that resulted in the death of Beverly's male puppy, shelter officers said.

The company Pet Food Express has offered a reward of $25,000 for information leading to the arrest and capture of suspects in the case who could face felony counts of animal cruelty and two misdemeanor counts of willingly abandoning an animal, officers said.

At 5 p.m. on Feb. 20, animal control officers responded to a report of an abandoned dog and puppy on Minto Road near a refuse dump outside Watsonville.

Officers found the dogs had been sealed in sandbags and apparently thrown from a vehicle near the waste disposal site. Beverly had chewed her way through the bag to get out.

Beverly stayed beside her puppy, which had died from head trauma from the fall inside the bag, and refused to leave when officers arrived.

After she was placed into an animal control vehicle, the mother cried and scratched at the door until officers put her dead puppy beside her, officers said.

Beverly was permitted in the room during the necropsy of the puppy's body and would at times walk over to lick the puppy and then go back to the veterinarian performing the procedure, they said.

She had chewed her puppy's tongue off while trying to revive it before officers picked them up, according to officers.

Beverly is about 6 years old and her puppy was around 4 to 6 weeks old when it died.

The animal shelter is asking anyone with information on those responsible for abandoning the dogs to call (831) 454-7303.

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's and District Attorney's offices are also taking part in the investigation.