SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Seven dogs are now able to start a new chapter in foster care after being rescued from a La Mesa apartment.
On Dec. 29, 2025, La Mesa police discovered 40 dogs and puppies inside the apartment while police were conducting a welfare check for the tenant who was facing eviction.
The dogs and puppies were found living in feces and unsanitary conditions.
The San Diego Humane Society says the dogs were all taken to the San Diego Campus, and each was given a medical exam, vaccinations, dewormer and microchip.
And in the past two weeks of care, the shelter says two dogs are on the road to recovery after being treated for severe eye ulcers.
And three newborn puppies who initially required around-the-clock foster care have been reunited with their mother, and are now all safe in a foster home since Jan. 2, 2026.
As for the rest of the dogs rescued, the shelter is preparing them for adoption and has begun spaying and neutering the dogs.
But according to the shelter, many of the dogs are shy and fearful, and will require time and specialized support from our Behavior & Training experts, before they can be cleared for adoption.
While in the care of the San Diego Humane Society, the staff have named the dogs after poets and authors such as Twain, Tolstoy, Bronte, Kafka, Atwood, Sappho, Woolf and Camus.
