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More than 100 people showed up to adopt 130 Chihuahuas found abandoned in a Jacksonville home.

More than 100 people showed up to adopt 130 Chihuahuas found abandoned in a Jacksonville home.

JACKSONVILLE, FL.Animal care and protection services (ACPS) put out a call for help from the community and, as always, the community showed up.

Dozens of people lined up outside the shelter Saturday morning to sign up to adopt and adopt 130 Chihuahuas that were rescued Friday after they were found abandoned in a Lackawanna home.

“I am registered with ACPS. I just adopted two puppies and said, “Enough is enough.” I saw this call to action, so I’m adopting a few more puppies,” Tessa Bullock said.

ACPS rescued 130 Chihuahuas from a home in Lackawanna on Friday. (Copyright WJXT News4JAX 2024 – All rights reserved.)

For the past two years, a wife and husband who own a home in the Lackawanna area have been renting out their home.

RELATED | Homeowners return to their rental property to find 130 abandoned Chihuahuas.

When the owners stopped receiving their rent check, they went to the house Wednesday to find the tenant had vacated the property and left 130 Chihuahuas inside.

Homeowners who wish to remain anonymous spoke to News4JAX about the shocking experience.

“When we arrived, the tenants had long been gone, but the house was full of running dogs. I think the dogs could go a few days without food, so we decided to feed them and then called the authorities,” the homeowners said.

Authorities arrive at home where dogs were abandoned (Copyright WJXT News4JAX 2024 – All rights reserved.)

When authorities arrived at the home, they discovered the dogs were in need of medical attention. They were carried out and placed in a van or bus.

The dogs were taken to the shelter, where they were immediately treated and microchipped.

The smell was terrible, so rescuers had to wear protective masks every time they entered the house.

After rescuing 130 puppies, ACPS posted a call to action on Facebook, saying they were “desperate for adopters and foster families” as the shelter reached capacity.

As of 2:40 pm on Saturday, there was a line of people wanting to sign up for foster care and/or adopt one of the puppies outside the shelter.

“This is what happens when dogs are not spayed or neutered, and this is why our shelter is so overcrowded, not just with small dogs, but with all dogs in general. It’s really amazing to see so many people coming out and trying to help these little dogs in this situation,” Bullock told News4JAX.

ACPS thanked the community for its support.

“We’re also absolutely blown away by how many of you have reached out to us asking what we need. The BIGGEST thing we need from our community right now is foster families—bringing home dogs that have been in the shelter for a while will not only give them a much-needed break, but will also open up kennels and resources for this new team.” ACPS wrote about this on Facebook.

The shelter added that it needs donations of small collars to help manage the Chihuahuas once they pass a medical examination. These donations can also be sent or dropped off at the shelter.

Anyone interested in adopting a Chihuahua or making a donation can call 904-630-2489 or visit 2020 Forest Street.

Copyright 2024 WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.