It can be pretty hard to imagine that anyone could be cruel to animals. However, there are cases where this happens. One woman was in total shock when she found a trash can filled with the strangest thing. You won’t believe how one person chose to abandon a litter of puppies.

20. Rescue Dogs Rock

Stacey Silverstein is the co-founder of Rescue Dogs Rock. She has always been passionate about animals and decided to put her passion to the test. So her and Jackie O’Sullivan decided to start their animal rescue together.

19. Their Mission

Rescue Dogs Rock is a not for profit animal rescue that relies on donations from the community. On their website the rescue lists their mission as growing awareness to the “plight of homeless animals” throughout the country. Thanks to such a clear mission they have really been successful…

18. Successful Rescue

Thanks to the passion behind the rescue, dogs everywhere have been cared for and sheltered. In fact Stacey herself has managed to save over 3,000 dogs. That’s an almost unbelievable number.

17. Seen It All

With all of her vast experience in saving dogs, Stacey had thought she’d seen it all. After all, she has been doing this for the last 10 years. However, one day she stumbled across a situation that shocked her.

16. A Call

One cold night in January, Stacey received a phone call from one of her workers. The worker had called to inform her that somebody had left behind 10 newborn puppies in a trash can. Stacey couldn’t believe her ears.

15. Like Garbage

“They were left in that bin like trash,” Silverstein told The Dodo. “They were just thrown in there — piled like garbage, thrown in like trash. There was no care, no respect. Awful.” Stacey couldn’t believe that someone could throw away puppies like that.

14. Discovery

The worker had discovered the puppies by accident as well. The workers were simply packing up to leave when they saw the garbage bin in front of the door. Curiosity caused them to open up and discover the puppies.

13. Coldest Day

To add insult to injury, the puppies had been abandoned on the coldest day in Del Rio, Texas. The temperatures dropped to as low as 30 degrees Fahrenheit. If the puppies had stayed out any longer who knows if they would have survived.

12. Saving Them

The workers quickly brought the puppies inside and started to help warm them up. They wanted to feed them because they looked absolutely starved, but they had to wait. If they fed the puppies while they were still cold the milk would curdle in their bellies and kill them.

11. Malnourished

Once the puppies were warmed up, the workers began to feed them. The puppies were so malnourished that the workers assumed that they were younger than they really were. Everyone was shocked when they discovered their true age…

10. Small

“We thought that they were like a week or two old, but in fact they’re 3 or 4 weeks old,” Silverstein said. “They’re so malnourished, they look like they’re a week old.”

9. Facebook Post

Once the puppies began to slowly get better, one of the shelter volunteers made a Facebook post about them. Word surrounding the puppies quickly spread thanks to social media. Then one woman reached out…

8. Reaching Out

A woman named Leslie Ysuhuaylas offered to pick up the puppies and put them into a great foster home. Leslie was already working as a volunteer at the shelter and had easy access to the pups. Unfortunately, bad news struck…

7. Bad News

Unfortunately, not all of the pups made it out healthy. One of the puppies ended up passing away. However, the rest of them continued to fight on.

6. Looking Good

“They look good; they’re in great hands and they’ve had medical treatment,” Silverstein said. “One is not doing well, so [the foster mom is] basically carrying that one wherever she goes.”

5. Getting Healthier

“It will be a long time before the puppies go up for adoption,” Silverstein explained. “First, they will need to regain their health, and they also have a lot of growing up to do.” When they are ready the puppies will have a serious trip ahead of them.

4. A Trip

The puppies are continuing to grow and become healthier as each day passes. Once the puppies are finally strong enough, Silverstein hopes to bring them into New York City. So why NYC?!

3. Main Center

The main animal rescue center is located in New York City. At the main center, the puppies will have a greater chance of getting adopted. However, they’re still not quite ready for that leap.

2. Monitoring

For now, the puppies are being diligently looked after. Siverstein and her staff have been taking notes on the puppies progress and health. So far, things have been looking good!

1. Safe Now

Although we might never find out who dumped the puppies in that trash can, we do now that they are in far better hands now. The puppies will continue to be cared for until they are strong enough to be adopted into a family that will love them forever.