FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. – A 911 call in Farmington Hills led officers to nearly a dozen abandoned guinea pigs in the freezing cold.
It happened at an apartment complex near Eight Mile and Gill roads. The person who discovered the animals said they heard the cage getting dragged to the dumpster. They later found the guinea pigs in the grass, struggling to survive.
Guinea pigs are supposed to be kept in 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit but in the early hours of Sunday when they were left outside, it was 7 degrees Fahrenheit outside.
“The first thing that struck me was, because of the extreme temperature, the maliciousness or the evil of this person to dump such a fragile little animal, such a helpless little animal, under conditions that were obviously going to result in these animals dying,” said Jeff King, Farmington Hills police chief.
King said officers picked up the guinea pigs and brought them back to the police station to get warm.
“We started the the process of the next step. You know, what were we going to do with these animals now? We contacted numerous local veterinary clinics and animal rescues, and we actually had to go all the way out to Holt, Michigan to find a rescue that was willing to take all 11 animals,” King said.
He said helping those guinea pigs get the happy ending they deserve brings a little more joy to his job.
“Maybe each one of those animals is going to get into a kid’s life and make that child’s life or that adult’s life that much better for for a long time to come,” King said.
The Cozy Cavy Guinea Pig Rescue said eight out of 11 of the animals are pregnant. If you want to help them visit you can donate here.