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Animal shelter in San Francisco overwhelmed with stray dogs, abandoned pets

Shelters overcrowded with abandoned pets, stray dogs in San Francisco
Stray dogs, abandoned pets fill San Francisco shelter to capacity 02:22

SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) -- There's a four-legged problem running rampant on San Francisco streets -- stray dogs. And for Animal Care and Control, it's getting out of control.

In the past 30 hours, 24 stray dogs have been found on the streets of San Francisco.

"That's a lot of stray dogs. That is an unbelievable amount of stray dogs and none of them are chipped - so we can't trace them back to anyone," said Virginia Donohue of SF Animal Care and Control. 

The shelter is full of not only dogs, but guinea pigs and rabbits, too - all at capacity. 

"A couple of them have been found tied to trees or poles. Some with their possessions. We understand things happen. People go through tough times, but um, that's a terrible thing to do to a dog," said Donohue. 'We don't have room right now, but we'll have room in a few days, but hold on to them. Just don't tie them up."

Now to the fun part, making room for more furry friends at the shelter. 

Exhibit A: Theo. He's a four year old Old English Sheepdog and gives excellent kisses. 

If Theo is too big, what about Yuj? At a year old this pooch needed some surgery and ended up here. Once again perfectly healthy, Yuji is looking for a good home. 

Wanna be a hero? Adopt Legend. He's the dog who's called the Potrero Hill shelter home the longest, living here since Christmas. Legend is a total snuggle face. 

Most of the animals available for adoption are listed on the SF Animal Care and Control website. The shelter on Bryant Street opens at noon on Wednesday. They're hoping some folks will adopt animals and make room for even more animals in need. 

For more information, visit Visit sfanimalcare.org.

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