CADIZ — Harrison County Humane Society is looking for donations of money and dog supplies after rescuing 20 dogs this week.

The humane society rescued 20 teacup chihuahuas that were living in the home of a person who became incapacitated and could no longer care for them, according to Humane Agent Linda Williams. These chihuahuas will be placed in foster homes after they are taken to the veterinarian to be checked. The humane society already received more than 100 applications from people wanting to foster the dogs.

Although the humane society is no longer accepting applications for fosters, people can still help in other ways by donating dog supplies and cash. The humane society is looking for small breed dog food, urine pads, blankets, towels and cleaning supplies. Williams said the dogs have never been outside and aren’t house broken.

People can donate money through PayPal under Humane Society of Harrison County. People can also donate supplies at the Tractor Supply store at 150 Commerce Drive in Cadiz. On the humane society’s Facebook page, Humane Society of Harrison County – Ohio, is a link to Amazon and Chewy wishlists, which lets people know what supplies are needed regularly.

Tractor Supply offered to help the group and serve as a dropoff location for donations, Williams said.

“They even let us bring every single one of those dogs in yesterday and bathe them,” she said. “They’re a great partner to have. They really stepped up and helped us.”

Each dog has to be vetted as well, so Williams said monetary donations will come in handy to pay for exams, shots, spaying, neutering and medications.

If people want to donate to the chihuahuas specifically, instead of the humane society in general, they can specify through PayPal or on a check they mail in.

“That is something that we strive to honor … ,” Williams said, “because if people are going to be generous enough to donate to us and they’re wanting to help a specific animal or a specific cause, we want to make sure that we utilize that money the way they wish.”

Humane society members visited Tractor Supply on Monday to bathe each of the 20 chihuahuas.

One chihuahua is pregnant while another one is possibly pregnant. The dogs were in a state of neglect when the humane society got to them, Williams said. First responders contacted the humane society after finding the dogs at a house.

Williams said because this is an ongoing case, it is unknown if the dogs will be up for adoption in the future.

The humane society has approved the fosters, but the dogs will remain with the intake coordinator until they are vetted and cleared. One senior dog will be going to a rescue that specializes in senior dogs and dogs with special needs.

Because the situation is still unfolding, it is unclear how long the dogs will be in foster care. Williams said if dogs become part of a court case, they are technically considered evidence until they are legally surrendered to the humane society.

Williams said the dogs would have ended up dying had they stayed at the house in the winter weather. The house had minimal heat, so she believes they would have probably started to perish within a couple days of extremely cold temperatures.

Williams spoke to the owner and got permission to take the chihuahuas into the society’s care. Without that permission, Williams would have had to seek a warrant, but being able to talk to the owner of the dogs gives the humane society the opportunity to rescue the dogs more quickly.

“We truly appreciate the outpouring of support that the community has shown, not just in this case, but previously and in the future,” Williams said.