St. Paul Woman Pleads Guilty to Abusing Puppies

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A St. Paul woman has pleaded guilty to animal cruelty after leaving puppies in a dumpster.

47-year-old Anna Robole entered the plea Wednesday. Authorities say two dogs were found in a trash bin behind the Scenic Hills Animal Hospital in May. Hospital staff called police after they found the malnourished puppies, one of which was dead. A necropsy couldn't determine a cause of death.

Robole tells authorities she left the puppies in the trash hoping someone at the animal hospital would save them. Witnesses tell police she had kicked the puppies, choked them with their collars and covered their mouths with duct tape.

Robole is set to be sentenced in February.

Animal hospital workers named the surviving dog Scrappy and he was quickly adopted.