PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. — Pooches in Pines turned an animal abuse tragedy into three stories of hope and recovery.

Two months ago, Pembroke Pines police officers rescued a trio of puppies.

“The conditions were deplorable,” Capt. Adam Feiner said. “These animals were at or near death.”

Angela Goodwin, the president of Pooches in Pines, said the case was the worst she had ever seen.

“Just to the conditions of the dogs, just severely, severely malnourished, covered in feces and urine, just sitting in it, weak, unable to even move around, they were just so weak,” Goodwin said.

Jaylen Holmes, the animal abuse suspect, faced 12 misdemeanor charges when prosecutors decided to add two felonies after the puppies were assessed.

The nonprofit trusted Paula and Ramin Kordi with Lana as foster parents -- at first.

“We just fell in love with her, like the moment that I saw her, she was like a little thing this big, skin and bones,” Paul Kordi said. “She curled up to me and I was like, ‘OK this is it!’”

The couple renamed her Lulu, and she gets along wonderfully with her new 10-year-old sister Stella.

“It just broke my heart, it was absolutely horrible,” Paula Kordi said. “I couldn’t believe someone could do that to these beautiful animals.”

When Lana arrived, she weighed four pounds. Last checked, Lulu, a ball of puppy energy, weighed a very healthy 15 pounds.

“She walked in here, and she was like, ‘This is my house now! I live here! You’re not letting me go, lady,’” Paula Kordi said. “This is it!”

In Tamarac, Ashley Conon and Catina Moretti, also started as temporary foster parents and decided to adopt Lulu’s sibling, Sasha.

Conon and Moretti renamed her Luca. At 20 pounds, the puppy, an “only child,” loves to trade treats for tricks and has plenty of space to play.

“She looks so much bigger, so much healthier, her coat is much shinier, and she just has a lot more confidence,” Conon said.

In Fort Lauderdale, Alexa Goldman adopted Peaches and renamed her Ginger.

“It was her face, you know, it’s like she got me at ‘Hello,’” Goldman said.

The playful Frenchie has three new brothers: Riley, Tanner, and Tito. Goldman said they were “standoffish” at first, but they love her now.

“Once they have that love ... and they have their people, they are just like, ‘Yeah, I can do this ... I am ready,’” Goldman said about Ginger’s healing.

Holmes appeared in Broward County court on Monday as prosecutors move forward with the case.

For more information about how to support Pooches in Pines, visit this page.

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