A homeless Chihuahua named Bridgette was enormously pregnant, covered with fleas was spotted wandering the streets of Los Angeles in the sweltering heat.
“It was very obvious to anyone that saw her that she was VERY pregnant,” Linzi Glass, executive director of The Forgotten Dog Foundation said. “She had a huge abdomen. She was only a few days away from giving birth when we got her.”
Before The Forgotten Dog Foundation heard about Bridgette, it appears that a concerned resident had taken her in for a few days. But the happy ending didn’t happen.
Not only did Bridgette end up homeless again after the landlord of the building found out about the dog in the apartment, Bridgette had also been given the wrong kind of flea bath and so when rescuers found her, she stank of chemicals from a soap meant to treat lice in human hair.
“Our vet office immediately bathed her multiple times and treated her for fleas with a product that is safe for pregnant moms,” Glass said. “Fortunately no harm was done to the puppies from this, nor did it harm Bridgette.”
Sadly, California has an issue with Chihuahua overpopulation, and Bridgette is not the only homeless Chihuahua trying to live on the streets. It has been estimated that Chihuahuas represent up to 50 percent of the homeless dog population in California shelters. And many stray Chihuahuas still struggle on the streets.
“Chihuahuas originated from the state of Chihuahua in Mexico, and made their way across the border,” Glass explained. “There are so many in California because many of them do not get spayed/neutered, like Bridgette.”
Thankfully, Bridgette was discovered quickly. She now has the opportunity to experience what a real household is like with her puppies, who will likely be available for adoption in at least 12 weeks.
For now, Bridgette is nursing her babies in a comfortable bed and is eating many meals herself, to gain strength. “We are feeding her four times a day, a combination of wet high-calorie puppy food, chicken and rice and puppy kibble,” Glass said.
“Bridgette was wandering the streets of LA with no place to safely have her babies,” The Forgotten Dog Foundation wrote on Facebook. “[But now] she is getting all the good food and care that she needs!”
