Six Puppies Buried Alive; Five Rescued

PONTIAC, Mich. —  A man buried six puppies alive in his back yard, but they were dug up by a Michigan Humane Society worker who heard whimpers from the dirt, police said Tuesday.

One of the mixed-breed puppies died; the others were in good condition, authorities said.

“It’s really quite amazing they’ve survived,” said Debbie McDonald, manager of the humane society. “They apparently had been buried for less than an hour.”

Richard E. Green, 65, faced arraignment on six misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty, police said. If convicted, he could be jailed for 90 days and fined $500.