Dog Saves Pups From Grave Nine Unwanted Puppies Buried Alive, Dug Up By Their Mother

A dog owner who didn’t want a litter of nine puppies allegedly buried them alive, but their mother rescued them the next day, digging them out of their 2-foot-deep grave.

All nine survived, and the veterinarian caring for the mother and squirming, sightless puppies has received 25 adoption offers.

Robert Homrighous, 41, admitted burying the mixed-breed puppies because he didn’t want them, said sheriff’s Sgt. Sherry Schlueter. “He doesn’t believe in spaying or neutering, but he does believe in burying his dogs alive and killing them.”

The puppies were born Sunday and were buried in a brown paper bag a short time later. The owner “tamped down the earth with a shovel,” Schlueter said.

The puppies’ mother, Sheba, apparently was watching the burial. When Sheba got off her chain Monday, she unearthed her puppies as a neighbor watched. The neighbor, alerted by the howling Sheba, realized the puppies had been buried alive and called police.

“They were a little dehydrated, and they all had a lot of sand in them,” said Dr. Cindi Bossart, a veterinarian now caring for mother and pups.

Six of the nine puppies “are really, really bright and alert. Three of them are a little bit behind the rest of them,” she said. “The fact that they’re even here today is a real miracle.”

Prosecutors will decide whether to file charges. Homrighous could be charged with aggravated animal abuse, a third-degree felony.

The mother “obviously knew what was going on and what happened,” Schlueter said. “This dog is really quite a hero as far as I’m concerned.”