Burned puppies on mend, await new homes

RALEIGH, North Carolina -- three puppies with severe burns on their backs are on the road to recovery and forever homes.

Nearly two weeks ago, the Johnston County Animal Shelter in North Carolina received four puppies that were surrendered to them. Three of the Labrador-mix pups have severe burns to their backs.

"We do not know the exact cause of the burns, but it is possible that somebody did this intentionally or that the puppies walked under a grill or piece of equipment of some sort and hot grease/liquid dripped on them," read a statement from the SPCA of Wake County, a nearby shelter helping the puppies recover.

After receiving medical attention, the puppies were then placed in foster care until they are healthy enough for adoption.

"I wish I could say it was a unique situation but this is a yearly and sometimes year-round occurrence where we see animals that are suffering from either abandonment or neglect," said SPCA director of development Mondy Lamb. "We take them into our shelter and we heal them up and pretty soon they'll be available to the public."

According to SPCA, the foster family named the four puppies Chipmunk, Skunk, Marlin, and Zebra. Their next checkup is Monday.

If they pass their test, they will then be scheduled for surgery to be neutered. Once neutered, the puppies will then be available at SPCA's adoption center on a first-come, first-served basis.

A representative expects the puppies to be adopted into a forever home within two weeks.

"Everything takes an emotional toll but the big balancing act in that is that we get to see these animals heal and see them re-homed," Lamb says. "So that emotional toll is balanced by this incredible happy ending."