'Bridge puppies' rescued from icy creek in Iowa have reunion

Twelve of the 14 puppies rescued in January after being tossed into an icy creek near the Iowa-Missouri border had a reunion after being adopted in Des Moines, KCCI reported.

The newborns, weighing 10 ounces apiece, were rescued from Honey Creek in western Iowa, the Des Moines Register reported. One of the puppies still had its umbilical cord attached, according to KCCI.

AHeinz57 Pet Rescue in De Soto took in the puppies and nursed them back to health over the next six months.

"It is just amazing how they have grown and progressed and flourished," Amy Palmer, who adopted one of the pups, told KCCI.

“It gave me goosebumps … because really the only time we’ve seen each (of) them (together) is the day we all met out there in this tiny little room (at AHeinz57),” Jennifer Eaton, another adoptee, told the television station.

In mid-January, Terry Parkhurst said he was rabbit hunting with his brother and nephew when he saw a man get out of a black Chevrolet pickup and throw something into a creek, the Register reported. Parkhurst went to investigate and found a feed sack lined with plastic. The puppies were inside, the newspaper reported.

"We were like, 'You've got to be kidding me,'" Parkhurst told the Register. "It caught us all off guard we were mad as hell," Parkhurst said. "It's cruel and inhumane treatment to an animal."

Eaton said seeing all dogs together was heartwarming.

"It's just really cool. And they all have similar mannerisms, and you can tell they are all from the same litter," Eaton told KCCI.

The puppies owners told the television station there will be another reunion when the dogs turn 1 in January.