Mother Dog, Puppies Rescued In San Diego

SAN DIEGO, CA — A mother dog and her newborn puppies were rescued from underneath a van Thursday in San Diego.

San Diego Humane Society's Humane Law Enforcement responded around 4 p.m. to a report of a stray dog who just delivered a litter of puppies under a van in the 5200 block of La Paz Drive, spokeswoman Nina Thompson said.

"Our humane officers carefully pulled them out, one by one," Thompson said. "Sadly, one puppy was not alive, but the other nine appeared healthy."

The dog and puppies were taken to the humane society's Pilar & Chuck Bahde Center for Shelter Medicine, where they were examined by veterinarians.

"They will be closely monitored by the medical team for the coming days to make sure they are OK," Thompson said.

The mother is believed to be a roughly 3-year-old Rhodesian Ridgeback/Hound mix. She did not have a microchip. The dog was placed on a stray hold in an attempt to locate a possible owner, Thompson said.