The Titan Puppies, named after being rescued on Coal Mine Road by a school resource officer in the morning of a school day, were saved, fed and are in great health now.
“One of my school resource officers, Zach Lienemann, was on his way to the high school for a meeting,” Gibson Southern SRO Dan Linenmann said. “While he was driving, he noticed a puppy on the side of the Coal Mine Road. He stopped to pick up the puppy so it would not get hit. When he did that, he noticed six more in the ditch; it looked as if someone had just thrown them there.”
The puppies were rescued by the Gibson County animal control and taken to their shelter home. The puppies were all taken care of and tended to by many veterinarian. To the vets, the puppies looked as if they were starved and thrown out on the side of the road with no care.
“Gibson County animal control came to Gibson Southern the day we rescued them and took them to the shelter where they were checked by a vet and cleaned up, as well as fed,” Dan Lienemann said. “The vet said they were really beat up and not in the best of condition, with their health. They needed shots and a lot of food to keep them alive and going.”
There are many puppy lovers at Gibson Southern High School. The news of such animal cruelty touched the hearts of many students and staff.
“I would have taken all of those puppies home if I could,” junior Kendallyn Fauquher said. “My heart hurts to whoever did that to those poor puppies; they do not deserve that.”
It is heartbreaking to think about puppies being abandoned on the side of the road. They are left to fend for themselves in a dangerous environment. Without proper care and protection, they can be against numerous threats: traffic, predators and harsh weather conditions.
“It is very sad that someone would do this, but I am not surprised,” Fauquher said. “I see how some people treat other human beings, so someone throwing the pups in a ditch just shows you how selfish and cruel some people can be. I am shocked that these types of people are from our community. South Gibson is better than that.”
Dogs being left on the side of the road are not good for the communities. Young children seeing this behavior will think it is okay when it is not. Adults need to realize the effect they have on young people.
“I have a dog named Coco,” junior Kynlee Reeves said. “I could never imagine if something like that happened to my puppy. I would probably cry if I knew there were dogs left on the side of the road, especially if I was a little kid.”
Some of the Gibson County officers and the community adopted the puppies. They now have homes and are adjusting to their new parents and homes.
“Fort Branch Community Schools SRO Fred Scheletter adopted one, and I believe a teacher at Gibson Southern adopted another one,” Dan Lienemann said.
In hopes of having a visit from the Titan Puppies, the four schools held a pet food and supplies drive to benefit the Gibson County Animal Shelter. Hundreds of pounds of food were collected. Ultimately, Haubstadt Community School donated the most items, giving them a day to spend time loving the puppies.
