Animal advocates in Pasadena were asking the public to be vigilant of the dangers of animal dumping after what they called a rash of pregnant dogs being abandoned in the streets over the last two weeks.
The Pasadena Humane Society has rescued three different pregnant Border Collies found wandering in Pasadena and several surrounding cities, officials said.
"When dogs are left in unfamiliar surroundings, they might be very frightened, they may hide where they will have limited access to food, water and shelter," said Jamie Holeman with the Pasadena Humane Society. "It's incredibly stressful for any animal to be dumped on the street -- they're scared, they're frightened."
Good Samaritans found the dogs just days before they were about to give birth, according to Holeman.
The dogs, believed to be sisters, all gave birth within days of coming to the shelter. They gave birth to a total of 14 puppies.
One of the pregnant dogs had to be rushed to the vet clinic because she had an infected uterus and was close to going septic, Holeman said. She had to have a cesarean section to save the puppies.
The dogs were placed with foster families until their puppies are old enough for adoption.
Officials believe the dogs may have been dumped by the same person "due to their breed and pregnant status."
"It might be someone whose dog had a litter of puppies last year and they decided to keep the puppies, and then those pups grew up and are now pregnant with their own puppies, and they realized they can't keep them anymore," Holeman said.
