RICHMOND, Va. — Richmond Animal Care and Control (RACC) officers rescued a puppy left in a Richmond garbage can.RACC officers indicated the puppy was resued Sunday night in Richmond’s Creighton Court community.“We named him Biggie Smalls,” RACC posted about the rescued pup. “He’s already in foster care with one of our staff members and will hopefully forget that someone thought he was trash.”

Smalls weighed 5.4 pounds when he was rescued, according to RACC. He should weigh at least 10 pounds.While Biggie Smalls is not currently available for adoption, RACC does have dozens of other animals you can take home.

Luckily, a citizen found the puppy inside the trash outside Creighton Court and alerted Richmond Animal Care and Control about it. "He was malnourished and starved, and left to die in a garbage can,” said Christie Chipps-Peters with Richmond Animal Care and Control.Chipps-Peters said a woman called them fearing that a dog was inside one of these trash cans on Sunday.A RACC officer checked it out, only to find the puppy – now named “Biggie Smalls” inside.

“We don’t know how long he’d been in there, not longer than a week. We immediately gave him lots of hugs and kisses, and something to eat - he was starving,” Chipps-Peters said.The 9-week old pup, weighing a minuscule 5 pounds, was sent live with to a foster mom.

She adds that she has been feeding ‘Biggie’ every few hours, often having to slow him down so he doesn’t overeat and get sick. RACC says apart from being malnourished and a few cuts and scrapes, the young pup doesn’t look to have any other major medical problems.“The good thing is that someone saw him, called us - which is the right thing to do - and then we were able to go in and get him, and now we can take care of him,” Long said.

RACC says they are looking into who left the puppy in the trash can in the first place.They add that it may be at least two weeks before ‘Biggie Smalls’ may be put up for adoption.

Source: wtvr.com