...FREEZE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 9 AM
EDT TUESDAY...
* WHAT...Sub-freezing temperatures as low as 27 expected.
* WHERE...Portions of eastern North Carolina.
* WHEN...From midnight tonight to 9 AM EDT Tuesday.
* IMPACTS...Frost and freeze conditions will kill crops, other
sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor
plumbing.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold. To prevent
freezing and possible bursting of outdoor water pipes they should
be wrapped, drained, or allowed to drip slowly. Those that have
in-ground sprinkler systems should drain them and cover above-
ground pipes to protect them from freezing.
&&
Two of the seven puppies abandoned in a lot in Greenville are pictured in the hands of a Greenville Police officer. Shaqta Armstead, 36, was charged with abandoning the puppies.
Two of the seven puppies abandoned in a lot in Greenville are pictured in the hands of a Greenville Police officer. Shaqta Armstead, 36, was charged with abandoning the puppies.
Contributed photos
Armstead
Contributed photo
A photo Greenville Police posted to social media shows a woman, presumed to be Armstead, preparing to dump the puppies in an empty lot.
A woman accused of abandoning a litter of seven weaning puppies in a Greenville parking lot last week turned herself over to authorities on Tuesday, and officials with the local Humane Society said the pups will be up for pre-adoption in a matter of weeks.
Greenville Police said over social media that Shaquta Laqure Armstead, 36, turned herself in Tuesday evening and was charged with seven counts each of animal cruelty and abandonment of an animal. Armstead is accused of dumping a litter of puppies in an empty lot near Skinner and Myrtle streets in Greenville on Sept. 15.
The department on Sept. 16 posted a photo of two of the puppies after being rescued. Another photo depicted a woman believed to be Armstead preparing to remove them from her SUV.
“We appreciate everyone who shared the post and got the word out regarding the puppies,” said Kristen Hunter, public information officer for the police department. “The power of social media and animal lovers was apparent in this case, as ultimately the suspect recognized the pressure she was under from the community to turn herself in.
”We are very appreciative of the Humane Society of Eastern Carolina for taking the puppies in as it was quite an undertaking, especially at such a young age.
”We encourage anyone who would be interested in helping the puppies or donating toward their care to contact HSEC.”
Morgan May, community engagement coordinator with the Humane Society of Eastern North Carolina, said that the pups are being cared for at the facility at 3520 Tupper Road in Greenville during the day. At nights, May and two others take the puppies home where they can socialize with other animals and get the care they need, which includes feedings every six hours.
“They came in and they were on the bottle,” May said. “We bottle-fed them for about a day and a half and then two of them were still on the bottle for another half a day. Now they are all on ... wet food and their formula mixed together.
“They can’t stay (overnight) in our facility. They stay in a big playpen here during the day.”
May said the dogs are presumed to be about 4-week-old pit bull and Labrador retriever mixes, but that it is too early to tell their breed. She said in about three weeks the pups will be posted to the society’s social media accounts so people can start applying for pre-adoption.
Dogs being abandoned is common in Pitt County according to May, who said that the same day the puppies were brought in, a different puppy was dropped off in the Tupper Road facility’s parking lot in a crate. Abandonments have contributed to the 45 cats and 67 dogs at the facility and in foster homes.
“I see animals abandoned at least once a week,” May said. “Situations like this, where they are really young weaning puppies in a cardboard box in a parking lot are not as common. Most people tend to dump them at our door or at the animal shelter.”
Abandonments happen due to a lack of education and awareness, according to May.
“I believe things like this tend to happen (because) obviously, of course, there are bad people,” May said. “I think there’s a lack of education on what they can do. A lot of people do not know about animal shelters or the Humane Society. They do not know about the importance of spaying or neutering their animals to prevent a litter from happening. They don’t know about keeping them up to date on vaccinations and heartworm medication.”
Those factors might not prevent abandonment outright, but May said education can make a serious difference.
Call the Humane Society of Eastern North Carolina at 413-7247 for more information about the puppies.
