Coachella Woman Accused of Dumping Puppies Had 38 Dogs in Filthy Home: Authorities

A woman who was caught on video dumping newborn puppies into a dumpster in Coachella was arrested on Tuesday after police found 38 dogs living in her home, the Los Angeles Times reports. Riverside County Department of Animal Services officials found that the home of Deborah Sue Culwell, 54, was dilapidated and overrun with dogs. The home’s floor was “dirty and cracked,” the walls had holes, and a destroyed couch was inside one of the rooms, photos show. Despite the home’s condition, the dogs were “somewhat” healthy but were “aggressive or fearful” towards authorities. The dogs were subsequently taken to Coachella Valley Animal Campus, and officials are attempting to determine which of the dogs gave birth to the puppies Culwell tried to dump. On the security video, Culwell was allegedly seen driving up to an auto-part store’s dumpster and tossing a plastic bag containing seven puppies in the full trash bin. A man rummaging through the dumpster reportedly found the puppies inside the bin and left them outside the store, where another man found them and took them inside.