These seven puppies and their mother were abandoned. Now six of the puppies are looking for a good home.

Families would not leave their child or box of belongings behind when they move or when money gets tight, so why are pets any different?

Becky Henderson, from Pell City, left her home on Memorial Day to run some errands. She said she saw a bird dog, which looked “starved and in terrible shape,” on the road where Mountain Top Loop ends at Highway 78. On her way back home, she said she saw the dog again, and she thought it might have been hit by a car. When she pulled over to check on the dog, she saw it had not been hit but was nursing seven puppies, with their eyes still closed.

“I cannot imagine how anyone could so willingly throw any animal out,” Henderson said. “I find it hard to believe in 2010 people still think, ‘dump the dog in the country. Somebody will take them in.’”

Henderson did take the dogs into her home, and she has been nursing them back to health.

“The puppies are thriving and just being puppies,” Henderson said. “When asked what kind they are, I say, ‘Fat, healthy and happy little guys.’”

She said her sister-in-law, Dianne Nixon Brown, helped her with the first vet bill, and the puppies would go back to the vet on Wednesday for shots and worm medication. She said she plans to keep the mother and one of the puppies, but the others will be ready for their “forever home” on Thursday. Anyone interested in adopting one of the six-week-old puppies can call 410-5330.

Henderson said she wants to “bring to light the horror of dogs being dumped, thrown away. That should never happen when we have a shelter less than 10 miles from here.”

Rose Ogden, Pell City animal control officer, agrees too many pets are abandoned, although the number of abandoned pets has steadied since last year when the economy was struggling more. Ogden said people see pets as a “disposable item, like a candy bar, that when you’re done with it, you throw it away… It’s a lifetime for the pet.” She said people feel their pet is better off on the side of the road because they think they will be euthanized at the animal shelter.

If someone is considering abandoning their pet, Ogden said they should think about their decision. If they do not think they have another choice, she said they should have their pet spayed/neutered, groomed and trained before taking them to the Animal Shelter of Pell City, which is located at 1071 Airport Road.

She said it is important to educate people, especially young children, about how to care for animals—which is one of the animal shelter’s main missions.