Puppies covered in paint are rescued, and shaved, at KC Pet Project

Four puppies that had been covered in latex paint during a domestic violence incident in Kansas City are being cared for at the KC Pet Project animal shelter.

The puppies, which are thought to be about 9 weeks old, had been covered "head to toe" in paint when an animal control officer brought them to the shelter Saturday night, said Tori Fugate, director of marketing and communications for the shelter.

A shelter supervisor was told that a man had dumped a milk jug of paint on the puppies and was arrested. A city official told Fugate animal control would send the case to prosecutors for possible animal abuse charges.

Getting the paint off of the dogs was no easy task. The paint was thought to be latex-based, and most chemicals used to remove it would be harmful to the puppies, Fugate said.

In the end, they decided to medically shave them to remove as much of the paint as possible.

The four puppies, which shelter officials think are pit bull mixes, are "doing great now," Fugate said. But plans to spay and neuter them in preparation for adoption have been postponed because the puppies were found to have worms and had eaten some plastic at some point.

For now, they are being monitored and shelter staff hope the puppies will be ready for a new home soon.

Fugate said members of the public can help by donating to the shelter, which takes in about 30 new animals a day, four or five of which may be sick or injured.

"It takes a lot of resources and a lot of donations to save lives in this community," she said. "Any donations go straight to care."

Donations can be made online at donate.kcpetproject.org or by regular mail to 4400 Raytown Road in Kansas City.

Ian Cummings: 816-234-4633, @Ian__Cummings

This story was originally published February 26, 2018 at 1:47 PM with the headline "Puppies covered in paint are rescued, and shaved, at KC Pet Project."