Almost all of the 60 cats and dogs left at the doorsteps of animal shelters in Richmond, Kelowna and New Westminster late last month have found new homes.
Thirty-eight small dogs - including chihuahuas, Yorkies and terriers - were abandoned in plastic kennels and metal cages outside the Richmond Animal Protection Society (RAPS) Aug. 30.
On the same day, 12 dogs were found outside New Westminster's animal shelter and 10 flea-infested cats were left in a cardboard box at Kelowna SPCA's doorstep.
Only nine now still remain in Richmond's animal shelter after 29 of the abandoned dogs were adopted by new families.
City of Richmond spokesman Ted Townsend said phone calls flooded in from prospective owners and more than 150 applications were received.
"It's been the best of a bad situation because of the strong public response," Townsend said.
He added that some residents have even made donations to the animal shelter in order to help.
"It was a really stressful situation for us having them all come at once, but we've had good response from adoptive families," said New Westminster animal services officer James Short.
Only two dogs remain from the dozen that were left at New Westminster.
Kelowna SPCA also received a positive response from hopeful owners. Four of the adult domestic shorthair cats have been sent to new families, while the eight kittens are temporarily living in foster homes, said assistant manager Cam Buksa.
The rest of the once-abandoned cats and dogs are being trained in their respective shelters to prepare them for their new homes.
When the dogs were found last August, some animal services officials speculated that they might have come from puppy mills. Richmond RCMP and New Westminster's animal services are investigating the dogs' origins.
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