The Bosnian puppy-thrower is being protected by an elderly woman who claims she saved the dogs from being swept to their death, villagers say.
Ruza Pavlovic, who lives in the village of Curcic Lug near the town of Bugojno, told the Jutarnji List newspaper she found the puppies two weeks ago and put them in her garage.
The puppies are apparently the same ones that appeared in a sickening 47-second video posted online, showing a hooded teenage girl throwing them into a river.
Photographs published on Monday show Pavlovic holding a litter of puppies in her arms — but the animals are brown and black while the ones in the video are black and white.
Freelance reporter Ljubica Vujadinovic, who has contacts within the Curcic Lug village, told ninemsn Ms Pavlovic was a neighbour of the teenage girl.
"The old lady is next door neighbour of the girl's family ... [my source said] they made a deal to make up that rescue story to 'save' the girl," Vujadinovic said.
Vujadinovic said she found her source by calling bars and other villagers in the area until she found someone who would talk to her.
"[The girl] can hardly bear to live with the reactions and everyone believes Pavlovic made this up only to try to help the girl and her family," the source was quoted as saying.
The man would only speak on the condition his identity was not revealed.
Vujadinovic said locals were protective of the girl and did not understand the media attention because they live in a region where stray cats and dogs are regularly killed.
"On many internet pages you find lot of comments like, 'what is all that fuss about a few dogs?'," Vujadinovic said.
Bosnian police have tracked down the girl in the video but it is not yet clear if she has been charged.
Under Bosnian law a person who kills or tortures animals is punishable with fines ranging from $6900 to $16,000.
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