Forty dogs that were abandoned in a Gustine orchard will in a matter of weeks be ready to move into new homes thanks to the efforts of a Turlock-based rescue group and several volunteer groomers called into action.

The dogs, a mix of poodles, cocker spaniels, Doodles, Schmoodles and one Afghan, were abandoned last week out on Eastin Road.

“I was contacted by someone who said it was a mother and some puppies, so I went out to get them,” said Crickett Brinkman, who runs Kate’s Furreka Rescue in Turlock. “What I saw out there was unbelievable.”

It was not just one mother and puppies, but rather a whole pack of dogs.

“Some were scared and were hiding and others came right up and it was like they were saying ‘please help me,’ Brinkman said.

Brinkman caught 21 dogs herself. Others were taken in by other rescue groups and volunteers. One was hit by a vehicle and died and there are a handful at least still running around in the area.

The local shelters are full, so carrying for the dogs has fallen on Kate’s Furreka Rescue. They have gotten one dog a needed eye surgery and given them all booster shots for parvo. They are all getting micro-chipped and will be fixed before being adopted out.

“Their condition was pretty awful when we found them,” Brinkman said. “They were all so matted and had stickers in their fur.”

An army of dog groomers from the area, organized by Mona Bella out of Santa Nella, came to offer their help on Friday and got all the dogs looking and feeling better, Brinkman said.

Already the rescue group has more applications turned in to adopt the dogs than there are actual dogs. They are required by Stanislaus County to hold the dogs for 14 days before they can be adopted.

“They are all very sweet tempered,” Brinkman said. “Some are a little timid but no aggressive behavior.”

Most of the dogs are female and all appear to be older than six months.

Why the dogs ended up in the orchard remains unknown. Brinkman said it could have been a breeder or it could have been a dog owner that got overwhelmed.

“There are lots of possibilities,” she said.

Kate’s Furreka Rescue is accepting monetary donations, food ad other wish list items to help care for the dogs. To donate and for more information visit https://kfrescue.com/.