We live in Marietta, Georgia with our beautiful Rott-mix, Heidi. In January, we had to put our older dog, Jessie down – she was in so much pain, and after trying acupuncture, laser therapy, water therapy, and pain meds, the time came and we let her pass. We decided that we would not get another dog for a while.

Plans change. Our friend in Dadeville, Alabama called and told us about a dog that “adopted” her shortly after she moved into a rental home.  “Momma Dog” had clearly delivered puppies, was emaciated, and friendly. Our friend fed her daily, and wondered where in the world she belonged, and more importantly, where her pups were. Soon thereafter, while going to her car, she heard the cries of puppies across the road and went to investigate. Several puppies were crawling out from under an abandoned shed. Momma Dog went to nurse them, and our friend called us to ask for help.

On March 9^th, we went to Dadeville with gloves and tools to cut our way past the vines and small underbrush to get to the abandoned building. We took a box to put the puppies in, anticipating a small litter. The first few pups were very curious, and easy to pick up and put in the box.  Others were not. I took one back out of the box and held her, using her and her cries as a decoy to get some of the others to come out from under the building. We had six in the box, but could see more eyes of scared pups who wanted to stay where they were. We took the six to a small dog pen next to our friend’s house and got them settled – with old towels, rugs, etc. Then we went back, with a small bowl of meat drippings. Momma Dog came with us, and we let her go part way under the building. The remaining four pups came out to nurse, and we were able to get them safely into the box and over to the pen with the rest of the litter. Momma Dog had somehow managed to keep all 10 of her babies alive for at least a month.

Then we set about trying to find homes for the little ones. Of course, one came to live with us (Abby). We made flyers and shared photos on Facebook, and eventually found homes for all of them. Unfortunately, one has been turned back in (Gypsy). A father got the puppy for his son, and said that since the son was not taking care of the puppy, he had to give her back. So – we are now looking for a new home for Gypsy, now approximately 7 months old.

Momma Dog has been spayed, as has Abby. Hopefully the others will also be neutered soon. They are all so sweet and deserve sweet and loving families. We hope to have a Puppy Reunion in January  at a local dog park to celebrate their birthday!

Thank you for sharing the rescue story of  Momma Dog and her puppies and Abby’s adoption story with us, Nan! We’re so glad there was a happy ending for Momma Dog and her family.

Want to see your own rescue dog or cat featured here? Just email PetMeds at rescuepet@petmeds.com and share your pet’s adoption story and a photo or two of your own rescue dog or cat.