It’s been three weeks since 50 chihuahuas were around the Branson area and more stray chihuahuas are being found in Harrison.

“We had no idea there had been a dump in the Harrison area until late last week,” said Sherrie Housholder.

Housholder is with 4 the Love of K-9’s Rescue in Springfield and has been helping find chihuahuas for nearly a month.

“The female that just got rescued just had five puppies yesterday,” said Housholder.

After helping to find over 50 abandoned Chihuahuas in Missouri, Householder is now working with Harrison Mayor Jerry Jackson to capture 15 strays.

“Instead of caring for them, they’re bringing them here and dumping them in Boone County,” said Jackson. “We also have people that are setting traps, trying to catch these, and then they’re going to take them back to that group to care for.”

One of the trappers helping is Noah Simoneaux.

“Sighted right here by that telephone pole, where I have the trap out right now,” said Simoneaux.

Simoneaux has been finding animals for the local Humane Society for years.

“When I leave the shelter, I will be getting on the road and there’s a dog standing on the road looking lost and confused and you know what happened. Somebody dumped him,” said Simoneaux.

Simoneaux has a little trick up his sleeve when to comes to catching stray animals.

“I go to Walmart when they mark down the chickens after a couple of days and I buy a chicken,” said Simoneaux. “Almost every dog there will take the chicken out of your hands.”

However, some feral cats in the area are ruining his strategy.

The cats kept getting in my traps and eating my chicken, the rotisserie chicken,” said Simoneaux. “I had a whole chicken in there you know that I pulled off the bones and the cats got in. There were six or seven of them in there I guess and they ate all the chicken. I had to go to Wal Mart and get another chicken.”

“The people in Boone County have a great love for animals, so they’ll do what’s necessary to rescue these chihuahuas,” said Jackson.

Adding both of these dumps together accounts for nearly 70 Chihuahuas. There are still no reported leads as to who has been dumping the dogs.

If you have any information you can call the Branson or Harrison Police Department.

(Story by: Jacob Blount and Christina Randall, Ozarks First)