After facing neglect and cruelty, 27 Chihuahuas are getting a well-deserved dose of human kindness.

On Dec. 6, the Napa County Animal Shelter and Adoption Center in Napa, California, shared upsetting news about a recent mass canine abandonment.

“It’s sad but true. 27 small dogs were dumped outside of Calistoga last night. They were crammed into small crates and abandoned,” the shelter wrote on Facebook, alongside several shots of the Chihuahuas left on the roadside.

“We are upset for all the obvious reasons, just like you are. It’s truly awful that someone felt they had no choice but to leave them and hope for the best,” the Napa County Animal Shelter added.

Thankfully, the shelter stepped in to help the dumped dogs. The Napa County Animal Shelter noted on social media that it couldn’t save the animals alone since the facility is already full of pets looking for forever homes.

“Our shelter is overwhelmed, and we desperately need your help. On top of the daily stray and surrendered animals, we just took in 27 dumped Chihuahuas, pushing our already full shelter to the brink. Every kennel is bursting, and without immediate help, we are facing heartbreaking decisions,” the Napa County Animal Shelter wrote on Facebook.

The shelter added that several local rescues offered to help care for the 27 abandoned Chihuahuas. The California shelter suggested that animal lovers looking to help the facility and the newly abandoned animals should foster or adopt other pets from the shelter and encourage their friends and family to do the same so the shelter could make more space for incoming animals in need.

It appears that the Napa County Animal Shelter’s fans and followers delivered. One day after its first post about the abandoned Chihuahuas, the shelter posted an optimistic update.

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“What an amazing community!! Thank you so much for your support!!! Your willingness to consider opening your heart and home to an animal in need makes a world of difference,” the shelter shared in a Dec. 7 Facebook post.

The shelter also stated in the update post that most of the 27 Chihuahuas found dumped on the roadside are not ready for foster homes or adopters yet.

“The Chihuahuas are not ready to be placed in foster homes. We have received support from several rescue organizations that are willing to help with the abandoned chihuahuas. We will keep all foster applications on file for future consideration when the time is right,” Napa County Animal Shelter wrote.

The shelter said it would provide updates on the dumped dogs as they become available. According to KRON 4, the dogs range in age from puppies to six-year-old adults. Nine of the canines rescued by the Napa County Animal Shelter moved to the Marin Humane Society, which told KRON 4 that five of the nine dogs had been adopted.

The outlet added that there are no updates on who is responsible for abandoning the dogs. If the individual is found, they could be charged with animal abandonment, a misdemeanor in California.