Is southern Lancaster County becoming a dog dumping ground?

Within the past week, more than two dozen dogs were found abandoned along roads in Fulton, Little Britain and Drumore townships. It's the second such incident in seven months.

In December, a woman found seven golden retriever puppies abandoned in Drumore Township.

The dogs found recently include golden retriever, German Shepherd, labradoodle and mixed-breed dogs. Some already have been adopted or placed with agencies.

Some dogs fled before they could be rescued.

Lynde Rezer, a Strasburg resident who helped to catch some of dogs, said, "It is absolutely criminal what is going on with these dogs. It is the craziest thing.

"These poor dogs are being dumped on the side of the road. They could be killed. They could be maimed."

Friends Deb McElroy and Kama Caldwell of Peach Bottom helped to round up seven dogs on Bald Eagle Road late Wednesday night after McElroy's daughter saw the dogs along the road. An eighth dog ran away before being caught.

The dogs were dirty and skinny, McElroy said. The women took them to Caldwell's Furches Road farm to be bathed and fed. They hope to find them homes.

Five more dogs were seen at the intersection of Route 272 and Peach Bottom Road early Thursday, Rezer said. The state police were called to find those dogs, she said.

No information was available from police about whether they were able to find the dogs.

Last week, Rezer and her mother, who lives in Peach Bottom, found two dogs along Tanyard Hollow Road after a friend told them about the animals.

The women called out to the puppies, who were shy at first but eventually came close enough to be caught.

Lacey Sheets is a receptionist for veterinarian Dr. Mary Kirk in Peach Bottom. Sheets fielded a rapid succession of calls Tuesday from people who each found two or three golden retriever puppies, about 4 to 5 months old, along roads in about a 10-mile radius.

In addition to Tanyard Hollow Road, the puppies were found on Old Mill Road, Brabson Road and Pilgrim's Pathway.

"All were healthy but all were very scared of people," she said.

Her boss, Kirk, also passed two adult huskies and a husky puppy while driving along Old Mill Road Saturday. But when she turned around to pick up the dogs, they scattered, Sheets said.

A woman who lives on Brabson Road in Little Britain Township said a crew clearing trees near her house found three puppies, which looked like a mixed breed of golden and Labrador retrievers.

"When we heard about all the other puppies, we assumed they were not lost but thought they had been dumped," said the woman, who asked not to be named.

No one knows who abandoned the dogs but some have theories.

"I think it's a family who is irresponsible and doesn't feel like spaying or neutering their dogs," said Brandi Risk, a Peach Bottom resident who found two of the dogs while out walking her own dog. "They don't want to get rid of them so they just put them somewhere."

Risk said she was not shocked when she encountered the dogs.

"Our area is becoming quite famous for the drop-offs," she said, "so I wasn't that surprised."

Others wonder if a kennel owner dumped the dogs. A new law went into effect July 1, regulating ventilation, lighting, humidity and flooring in kennels. Perhaps an owner is finding the new regulations too onerous, some suggest.

Many of the dogs were adopted into  private homes but a few went to the Delaware Valley Golden Retriever Rescue organization in Reinholds.

And at least two of the dogs will have a future as a service dog.

Risk donated both of the dogs she found to Amazing Tails, an Oxford organization that trains and provides dogs to assist with a variety of disabilities, including service dogs, support dogs and medical-alert dogs.

cstauffer@lnpnews.com