Girl, 16, Rescues Small Chihuahua Puppy From Trash Can

SAN CLEMENTE (CBSLA.com) — Sarah Romero wants to know what kind of person would put a puppy in a trash can and leave it to die.

Fortunately, the 16-year-old heard the little 3-pound dog whimpering as she walked by that trash can in San Clemente and she was able to rescue the pooch last Sunday evening.

Says Sarah, "I heard these little yelps. And I looked in the trash can and there was this puppy right there. All just snuggled up in the trash. It made me kind of sad. It was really cold and it was shivering."

Sadly, where Sarah lives doesn't allow pets and her mother, Carmerina, tells CBS2 and KCAL9 reporter Andrea Fujii her daughter is heartbroken.

Sarah's mom is going to ask the landlord if they will make an exception to the no-pets rule. But in the meantime, the dog -- a 5-week-old Chihuahua -- is now at the San Clemente/Dana Point Animal Shelter.

The shelter named her Eve -- because she was found so close to Christmas Eve.

Kim Cholodenko, general manager at the shelter told the Orange County Register that Eve appears to be healthy and active. "No signs of lethargy, anything like that."

After Sarah took the dog home for a little TLC, food and a warm bath she bonded with her little bundle of canine energy. "I couldn't believe anybody would throw her away," Romero said. "I'm just surprised someone could just leave her."

The next day, she said she and her mother found that the dog had worms. They took Eve to Dr. Robert Berschauer, a veterinarian they know at Animal Urgent Care in Mission Viejo. He examined Eve and she's been given the all clear.

She's too young to be adopted -- she needs to be spayed first. That will come in a few weeks.

Sarah knows she will likely not end up with Eve and she's okay with that as long as the shelter finds a great home for her. She says, "I would want the family that takes her to really treat her right because I really love her and wouldn't want to see something like that ever happen again."