Mom, 8 pups were found in a feces-filled fenced area. How Myrtle Beach police helped

A pit bull and her eight puppies were rescued by the Myrtle Beach Police Department after they were found Sunday in a feces-filled fenced area with no food or water, a police report said.

Police were given a tip to check a crying noise after a caller said he heard cries for a couple of nights, a report said. Other neighbors also told police they witnessed crying noises.

Officers went to a home on Park Drive about 9:30 p.m. and found the mother dog and her puppies in a small, fenced area where they were unable to move around “without walking in their own feces,” authorities said.

The fenced area, police said, was not sheltered from possible weather and there was one blanket that was drenched in urine. Authorities said the mother pit bull was extremely emaciated and malnourished.

A man at the home told officers his dog just had puppies, but he changed his story after police asked why the dogs did not have any food, water or proper shelter. Authorities said the man then claimed he was watching the dogs for a friend.

Officers spoke with a woman on the phone who “supposedly was the owner of the dogs.” They told her police were taking the dogs into custody, the report said.

The dogs were taken to the shelter and given food, water and a dog bed.

Officer Steven Trott with MBPD animal control said he will be requesting a warrant for mistreatment of animals. The animals will be held until a court date, he said. It’s possible the dogs will be available for adoption, but that decision won’t be made until the case is closed, he added.

Hannah Strong: 843-444-1765, @HannahLStrong

This story was originally published October 29, 2018 at 10:28 AM.