Dave Bautista adds to reward to find suspect accused of ‘mercilessly’ throwing 3 puppies from car in Tampa

TAMPA, Fla. - A pair of 8-week-old pointer/hound mix puppies are recovering and waiting for a new home but two nights ago they were fighting for their lives.

The Humane Society of Tampa Bay says the duo, which have been named Luke and Leia, were ‘mercilessly’ thrown from a car on the side of a dead-end road off of Bearss Avenue in North Tampa late Wednesday night. A third puppy, called Paolo, was also dumped and died after being run over by another vehicle. Luke and Leia suffered minor injuries and broken bones.

Luke and Leia ‘stayed faithfully by their lifeless brother's side all night, the Humane Society reported. 

A Good Samaritan who lived on the road found the puppies and called the Humane Society for help.

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The neighbor who found the puppies says it was a heartbreaking scene.

The dogs have been named Luke and Leia. 

"If we didn't hear it, we probably would not have known that it happened," Kyla Faison said.

Faison says she and her family were inside watching T.V., when they heard a commotion outside.

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"And all of a sudden, we hear this screeching sound, like the tires of a car just screeching," she said. "And then we hear yelping."

Faison says they ran outside with flashlights on to figure out what was going on.

"And we're seeing red lights just scurry away down the street, and we're like, ‘Okay, what's going on?’" Faison said.

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She says they quickly discovered one of the three puppies lying in the road. She says they later found the other two in the brush.

"As we get closer, we noticed that on its abdomen, it has a tire mark on it," Faison said.

Two puppies are recovering at the Humane Society after being thrown from a car. 

She says she had never seen anything like it.

"To hear them truly in pain, it was so, it was so heartbreaking," Faison said. "So as soon as we heard that there was a sound, we came out. And once we saw the puppies, I fought tears."

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Faison says they contacted the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, and its rescue team came out to help take the puppies in.

"Across the state and the country, shelters are full," Regan Blessinger, of the Humane Society of Tampa Bay said. "Resources are down. Shelters are full. People are unfortunately having a hard time caring for their animals."

Blessinger says the Humane Society, like many shelters, offers free food and low-cost medical care. But despite the resources out there, she says it is seeing more cases of dumping, especially with adult dogs.

"A lot of times, people either aren’t caught, or when they are, it is a minimal fine or something like that," she said. "They absolutely need to be held a lot more accountable."

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The Humane Society says Luke and Leia will need more medical attention and care before they can be eligible for adoption.

Famous actor and retired wrestler, Dave Bautista, announced on Instagram that he's donating $5,000 of his own money on top of the $2,500 reward to give justice to the dogs.

"This makes me sick to my stomach," Bautista wrote in a pinned comment. "And when it happens in my own community, I can't help but take it personally. I'd love to contribute another $5,000 to this reward."

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