Anyone who has a heart for animals or follows any pages will see faces like Rose's. Defeated, confused, and completely frightened. We see them too and unfortunately, so many times we just aren't able to help. We don't have the foster homes or resources, as much as we wish that we did.
This was a little bit more difficult to scroll past this time...two pregnant moms, young girls themselves. Came in together as owner surrenders to a rural kill shelter that we have a contact within. There was something about the faces of these two souls that just pulled at our hearts entirely.
We agreed to take Rose first, having just one place for a pregnant mom to go. Rose was the more fearful, black dog, and more heavily pregnant in appearance than her housemate. We were hoping that with an advocator's push, Krystal would find her place.
After finding out both girls were (surprisingly) heartworm negative on Monday, the rush was on to get Rose out of the shelter. Both were put on the euthanasia list for just two days later as they need to make kennel space for the constant incoming of dogs. We rushed to arrange transport and how to get Rose out of the shelter, managed to snag a transport situation for this weekend to get her out of there...just a few days.
But we got the news on Tuesday afternoon that Rose was in labor! We were desperately hoping that we could get her out of the shelter prior to her giving birth. She was so filled with fear in the loud shelter environment that she was too scared to leave the safety of her kennel. It's no place for a mom to give birth. But there was no turning back, the volunteers at the shelter would do their best to keep her as comfortable as possible while she worked to be the best mom.
Our fantastic volunteer, Nina, worked through her contacts to arrange things for Rose as she was giving birth. We could no longer transport her this weekend now that she has newborn puppies. After contacting the veterinary hospital it was decided that it would be safest for her to stay in their care for 2 weeks in order to have a safer transport into our program. In the meantime...no one had stepped up for her housemate Krystal despite over 1000 shares on social media pleaing for help. She needed a plan and she needed one quickly. Our hearts were breaking at the thought of her being euthanized, stuck at the shelter with her litter of puppies.
So we put out a plea, for help...anything, to help us get Krystal to safety. A few of our wonderful volunteers and/or fosters offered to make things work in their homes, not set up for a mom & babies, just to save her life. Without a true plan as to where she will ultimately go...we agreed to take her as well.
As Rose was actively in labor, Krystal was checked by a veterinarian who confirmed her pregnancy. They estimate her to have 5 puppies but also discovered that she had been shot by a BB gun! You can see the small, solid round pellets near her hind end in the xray. Given their location it was likely she was running away when she was shot. As awful as it looks, it's not uncommon. Even in our upstate rural areas some farmers can shoot dogs on their property with BB guns to get them off their property. In Krystal's case, all we can do is speculate. But they are (thankfully) not painful for her at this point.
But the silver lining...is that neither dog will ever have to live that life again.
Rose ended up delivering a total of 9 puppies! All of which look healthy at the time of their 4 hour transport to the veterinary hospital. But it's a long ride, in a crate with mom, and a lot of puppies. So we say a prayer that everyone makes it safe and sound to the vet clinic, where they will be safe for 2 weeks.
But these girls still need HELP! They both will get exams, health certificates, vaccinations prior to travel (as recommended by the veterinarians), and it will cost us $50 per day, per mom...so $100 per day for them both to board at the vet clinic. And having to be there for at least 2 weeks, it adds up incredibly quickly. We are completely committed to these two ladies and their families. So, we will do everything that we need to, to keep them safe and in the best care!
We also need a plan for Krystal, she needs a foster home who can care for her and her babies until they are ready to leave her side. And we have two weeks to figure it out! We need puppy food for both moms, whelping setups, foster homes for puppies, so much. But we have faith in our supporters and community that we will make this work for both families. So that all of these precious lives will have bright futures.
Please help us give these babies the best!
We can't do it without you.
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