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Levy Animal Clinic
Tucker, a 7-day-old puppy found buried alive, recuperates at Levy Animal Clinic.
By
TODAY contributor
updated 9/28/2012 4:40:06 PM ET 2012-09-28T20:40:06

Police in Williston, Florida rescued a newborn puppy from a premature grave yesterday afternoon. Members of the department were destroying evidence in a wooden area under a court order, when officers found the black-and-white dog buried 6-inches underground.

“They heard a whimpering sound, like a crying animal behind them,” Williston Police Chief Dennis Strow told TODAY.com. “They went to explore it and figured out it was coming from below.”

Williston Police Department
The buried puppy, who's so young he can't open his eyes yet, was rushed to Levy Animal Center to recover.

The male puppy, who is so young he still can't open his eyes, was found buried head first. Whoever buried the pup didn’t pack the dirt down, as he managed to create an air pocket below the surface, Strow said.

Story: Owner gives up dog left stranded in mountains

“It did not appear to me that the dog was very long in the hole,” Strow said. “Less than an hour would be my guess.”

The newborn was quickly rushed to Levy Animal Clinic, where he was given the name Tucker and has been receiving care ever since.

“He is only around 7-days-old based on the fact that his eyes are not open yet,” the clinic told TODAY.com.

Animal caretakers are bottle-feeding the puppy, and they say he “has a great appetite and suckle reflex.”

Williston Police Department
The hole where officers found the 7-day-old puppy.

The little guy is also getting a new home —  a veterinarian technician at Levy adopted Tucker soon after his arrival.

“I went by and looked at him this morning and he’s doing very well,” Strow told TODAY.com. “He’ll get a second chance at a real life in a loving home.”

Meanwhile, the Williston police department is still looking for the person who buried the puppy.

“What’s disturbing,” he added, “Is that when you look at this fellow you ask, how can he be threatening to anyone?”

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Video: Deer rescued from manhole in Utah

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