Recently, team members at Brandywine Valley SPCA received an emergency call from officers at the Marple Township Police Department. Apparently, there were nearly 50 small dogs and puppies living in unsanitary conditions in a dilapidated home nearby.
Brandywine
Valley SPCA’s humane law enforcement officer raced over, along with members of Animal Protective Services. The scene was heartbreaking — the pups lived on top of each other in rooms piled with trash. The house didn’t have electricity, so the “sweet survivors” stumbled through the dark, looking for any scrap of food or water available.
Rescuers donned protective equipment and began the long process of securing each dog, refusing to make the pups stay in the house even one night longer. Over a few hours, they managed to locate every dog — all 47 — and move them to Brandywine Valley SPCA’s West Chester campus for medical evaluations.
Animal experts checked the dogs for illness and injury and began making plans for their future. All of the pups received vaccinations and were spayed or neutered. Once the immediate issues were resolved, the dogs were treated to a special “spaw day” on behalf of PetSmart Charities, enjoying the haircuts and baths that they desperately needed.
Nursing moms and younger pups moved to foster homes, along with older dogs who needed special socialization and recovery time. The other dogs remained at the SPCA, where they began looking for their forever families.
Team members were amazed by the pups’ determination to improve and their ability to trust humans again.
“These dogs are an inspiration, showing what resilience is,” Brandywine Valley SPCA senior director of marketing and communications Sara Smith told The Dodo.
Now, about a month after their rescue, nearly every one of these pups has found a new home.
“They are safe now,” Smith said. “They have found patient and loving families who know their story and can give them the love, care and space they need to learn to trust and be dogs again.”
