Up to $5,000 Reward for Tips on Who Dumped Dogs in Taped Up Boxes Outside Local Store

For Immediate Release:
January 2, 2025

Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382

PETA is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for leaving two young adult female miniature pinschers in taped-up cardboard boxes outside the Giant Eagle supermarket in White Oak on Friday, December 27. Thankfully, a good Samaritan noticed the boxes moving and brought the animals to White Oak Animal Safe Haven after discovering the dogs inside them. They have been named Flora and Fable and are currently recovering from their trauma before being put up for adoption.

No leads or suspects have been identified, so PETA is asking for the public’s help. Anyone with information should contact White Oak Animal Safe Haven at (412) 672-8901.

Credit: White Oak Animal Safe Haven

“These vulnerable dogs were boxed up and discarded like unwanted Christmas gifts, and it’s only luck that a caring person spotted them,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “There may be other animals in the perpetrator’s possession, so PETA asks anyone with information to come forward immediately—other lives may depend on it.”

As the dogs were abandoned two days after Christmas, PETA stresses that animals should never be given as gifts, as doing so can lead to them being passed from home to home like cookies with no thought for their need for security, returned to shelters or even abandoned once families realize they aren’t prepared for that  “Christmas puppy” to become an adult dog who needs costly veterinary care, nutrition, exercise, patience, housetraining, and year-round affection. Adding an animal to the family is a lifelong commitment and should never come as a surprise.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.