SANTA MARIA, CA (KEYT/CNN) – Deputies found a puppy while conducting a drug bust.
He was in bad shape, but he quickly bounced back, and now one of the deputies who discovered him wants him forever.
Three-month-old puppy Bud got his name from a drug bust by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.
"As they were doing marijuana eradication around our county, they came across him on one of their raids," said Stacy Silva with Santa Barbara County Animal Services.
Earlier this week, investigators confiscated $3 million worth of cannabis in New Cuyama, CA.
But what they didn’t expect to find was Bud.
Now he’s running around and playing, but deputies said that’s not what he was like Wednesday.
"Looked like he was sick, and also it was huddled around several chemicals that they use in the cultivation of marijuana," said Sheriff Brian Olmstead of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies took Bud over to Animal Services right away.
“Lethargic, he was hyper-salivating, had vomited, and they were really concerned about his safety,” Silva said.
Shelter vets, who said Bud could’ve ingested cannabis, looked after him.
"Depending on the status of the dog, we could seek charges related to the animal for neglect and cruelty," Olmstead said.
Then the good news came.
"The next day they called us, and they said, 'He's eating, he's drinking, he's ready to go home,’" Silva said.
But Bud is already spoken for.
"So, it only takes 28 seconds to fall in love with an animal, and this particular deputy fell very hard for the puppy when he rescued him," Silva said.
The shelter will hold Bud for the next few days, in case his last owner claims him.
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