A local animal rescue group has spent days rounding up a group of Chihuahuas abandoned in a rural stretch of west Mobile County, with several of the dogs appearing pregnant and in poor health after being left outdoors as temperatures dropped.
Volunteers with Krewe de Rescue have recovered nine of an estimated 11 dogs believed to have been abandoned by a backyard breeder near the Alabama-Mississippi state line. As of early this week, volunteers were still searching for the remaining two, or possibly more, animals from the group.
Sharon Thompson, vice president of Krewe de Rescue, said a volunteer first learned about the dogs after a friend living near the state line spotted several Chihuahuas running loose on her property. Volunteers searched the area until dark before locating the dogs in a field with only a small amount of food and water, according to the rescue group’s social media posts.
“Two of them had to be taken to the vet immediately,” Thompson said. “They’re not in good condition – they’re emaciated, their skin and coats don’t look great, and they have parasites.” Among the group, Thompson said, is an older male dog along with several pregnant females and a few puppies.
“They’re terrified of humans at this point,” she added.
The rescue effort played out as overnight temperatures in parts of Mobile County dropped into the mid-30s, according to the National Weather Service, adding urgency to the search for the remaining animals.
The Chihuahua case comes just months after Krewe de Rescue helped recover 29 dogs from a hoarding situation in July, an effort Thompson said cost the nonprofit roughly $10,000 in veterinary and care expenses. Six of those 29 dogs could not be saved.
Thompson said Krewe de Rescue relies entirely on donations to fund its work, noting the group has no physical facility of its own and often has to pay for boarding space for the animals it rescues. The Animal Rescue Foundation, known as ARF, is assisting Krewe de Rescue in caring for and eventually placing the rescued Chihuahuas.
Anyone interested in helping with veterinary costs, supplies or eventual adoptions is encouraged to reach out to Krewe de Rescue directly as the group continues its search for the remaining dogs in west Mobile County.