Abandoned Puppies Ready for Adoption

Eleven puppies found abandoned in Laguna Niguel a month ago will be up for adoption Saturday, officials at the Mission Viejo Animal Services Center said Monday.

The animal shelter, which serves Laguna Niguel, has received nearly 300 calls from people wanting to adopt the puppies since early November, when the news media reported that a passerby had discovered the litter in a milk crate a week earlier.

The Labrador-mix puppies, only a few days old, were found with their eyes still closed next to a trash bin at an apartment complex.

Since then, the healthy puppies have stayed with shelter volunteers because they were too young to be adopted.

Saturday, from noon to 2 p.m., shelter officials will accept application forms for the puppies, which will not be available for viewing. Shelter officials do not want to overexpose them, said John Gonzales, the shelter’s animal services supervisor. Instead, their pictures will be posted on a board.

“Everyone would be holding them,” Gonzales said. “That wouldn’t be so good for the pups.”

Callers have been told that adoption forms for the puppies would be available shortly after Thanksgiving, Gonzales said. Shelter officials set aside a couple of hours Saturday so they could process all the applications at once, he said.

There is no specific criteria to adopt the puppies, which are “doing really, really well,” Gonzales said.

“We’re just going to be looking for the application that stands out and looks the best,” he said.

For instance, shelter officials prefer homes with good-sized backyards, he said. They also prefer homes that can provide both indoor and outdoor living for the dogs.

Shelter officials will review the applicants and select the new owners next week. The dogs will be released from the shelter on Dec. 12.

Six male and five female puppies are available for an adoption fee of $60 each. People can apply for more than one puppy. There is no application fee.

The shelter is at 28095 Hillcrest, Mission Viejo. Information: (714) 470-3045.