When Shafter City Animal Control got a call in late April about a little family abandoned at an orchard, they sent a team to check it out. When they arrived, the rescuers found several abandoned laundry hampers lying among the trees — and found a mama
dog and so many babies tucked inside.
The mama and 10 puppies had been abandoned in the hampers and left to fend for themselves. They had limited access to food and no protection from the elements, making the situation a dire one. Six of the puppies belonged to the mama dog and four were from another litter, but she’d stepped up to care for them as if they were her own.
“Despite unimaginable circumstances, this devoted mama did everything she could to protect and care for not only her own puppies, but a second litter as well,” Pawsitively Saved Rescue wrote on Facebook.
The mama dog and puppies were taken back to Shafter City Animal Control. The shelter hoped they could find a rescue better equipped to care for the family, and at the beginning of June, Pawsitively Saved Rescue took them all in.
The rescue named the mama dog Kelly, and everyone was so impressed with how well she was caring for all 10 puppies. Her own puppies are now 8 weeks old, and the other four are almost 3 months old.
“The runt, named Sam, has a grade 4 heart murmur, but other than that, all the puppies are doing well, [and] the vet thinks she will grow out of the heart murmur,” Pawsitively Saved Rescue told The Dodo.
The family is now in foster care and will all be up for adoption very soon.
No one knows how long the family was alone in the orchard, but Mama Kelly was able to keep them all safe until help arrived. Thanks to her determination, they’ll all find loving homes where they can thrive.
