LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The holiday season has ended and a new wave of animals has begun to arrive at rescues groups and animal shelters: Christmas present pets that weren’t such a good idea after all.

And dogs breed all year round, unlike cats, so rescuers and shelters continuously get puppies. The abundance of rejected pets is a huge dilemma for rescuers – who gets saved?

Lake County Animal Services (LCAS), a private nonprofit rescue group that helps families find the right dog at the right time, currently has more than 20 puppies in foster homes.

One litter of five Chihuahua mix puppies came from a backyard breeder, and the puppies contracted the potentially fatal canine disease, parvovirus.

The breeder was in a huge hurry to dump the very sick dogs on anyone. LCAS took them into their care, providing round the clock treatment, and three of the puppies survived.

The second litter, five dachshund/Chihuahua puppies, was rescued from a notorious puppy mill operator.

When rescued, they were listless, overstressed and reluctant to eat, and they lapped up
water as if they'd never seen it before.

A week later, these puppies are balls of energy with shiny coats, tearing around their foster home, overjoyed to be safe and loved.

This Saturday, Jan. 5, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m., those puppies will be in Petaluma at the Pet Food Express store in the Washington Square shopping center.

Also in attendance will be two dark chocolate-colored, dachshund mix puppies; two white and fawn American bulldog mix puppies; three blue heeler mix puppies, some beautiful adult dogs from LCAS foster homes; and some doggy residents of the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter will be released from their concrete and wire kennels for the day, looking for love.

If you can't make it to the event, check out the listing of available animals at http://LakeCountyAnimalServices.org .