Lake Los Angeles, CA – A staggering number of dogs were discovered at a Lake Los Angeles home after being abandoned; of those dogs, 21 did not survive. As reported by ABC 7 News, the 60 surviving dogs and puppies were malnourished, sickly, and living in squalor.

Kathy Schroeder, a registered veterinary technician, told the news agency:

“Some of them are emaciated. Some of them had recent litters of puppies, so they are very emaciated.”

The dogs were abandoned after their owner’s house caught fire. The news agency explains that the property owner moved away, leaving the dogs behind. The dogs wandered to a woman’s nearby property and she became overwhelmed because there were so many.

But now the rescued dogs face an uncertain future because the animal shelters in the area are overrun with homeless pets and there is no room to house them all. Teri Austin, president of the Amanda Foundation, said, “They are bursting at the seams.”

Adding:

“There are cages in the hall. They are out of cage space. They have temporary cages in the hallways, just to house the number of animals they have. I have never seen it like this.”

The shelter crisis means that healthy, adoptable cats and dogs are being killed – simply because there is nowhere to put them.

Austin said, “The harsh reality is that some of those animals are going to be euthanized, and they are healthy and young, but there just aren’t enough homes.”

Continue reading: ‘Crunchy, Old, Grumpy Dog’ Finds The Best Home