Watch: Video appears to show El Pasoans dumping puppies in dumpster

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — A video reportedly captured this week appears to show two people dumping two puppies in an El Paso dumpster.

The puppies were rescued in time, but the people have not yet been identified.

Also captured this week: a separate incident in which a man tried to rescue a dog seen running along Transmountain at Fussleman Canyon on Monday.

Karen Washington with Pawsitive Rescuers of El Paso rescued the dog from Transmountain and believes he was dumped there, too.

Washington says there is a rise in animal abandonment locally.

"Maybe it'll start to slow down and possibly we can get an end to this, for right now we are in crisis mode and it's bad," said Washington. "It's a daily occurrence and it's all over the city. It's not just one location in El Paso. It's citywide. It's in the county. It's everywhere."

Washington believes that Animal Services needs to allow animal surrenders to alleviate the problem.

"I'm getting phone calls, emails, private messages, texts every single day to help these dogs. And I just can't do it. We need we need more resources," said Washington.

According to Animal Services, they do allow animal surrendering, but it is handled on a case-by-case basis. Their ultimate goal is to provide counseling and resources for pet owners in need so that surrendering pets does not need to be their only option.

Animal Abandonment is a crime. According to the Texas Humane Network for cruelty convictions involving abandoning an animal, the defendant will be punished with a class A misdemeanor which may include a fine up to $4,000 and jail time up to a year, or both.

Washington says there are still some good samaritans in El Paso. A man was photographed trying to rescue the dog seen running along Transmountain. Washington hopes to find the man who attempted to rescue the dog to see if he'd like to adopt.