For years, Edineia Florgomes has been offering a lifeline to dogs who’ve been abandoned in her neighborhood in Manaus, Brazil. She provides the scared, often traumatized pups with food and water, and she gets them vaccinated if possible.
“Everyone here
knows I help defenseless animals,” Florgomes told The Dodo.
Recently, one of the abandoned dogs Florgomes has been caring for gave birth to a litter of puppies. The dog had delivered them in a narrow burrow she’d dug out beneath a brick structure belonging to Florgomes’ neighbor.
It must have seemed like a protected spot to the new mom. But after a month-long dry spell, rain finally arrived.
The dog’s low-lying hideaway began filling with water, with her puppies inside.
“I was actually at the doctor with my daughter when it started raining,” Florgomes said. “When we got back, the area had flooded.”
The puppies’ mother was frantic.
Realizing they were too far inside for her to reach, Florgomes grabbed a shovel and began bailing out water and widening the opening. That’s when the mother dog dove into action.
Florgomes’ young daughter captured the harrowing scene on video:
Again and again, the mother dog plunged into the flooded burrow, emerging each time with another puppy in her mouth. She rescued all seven.
“I jumped and clapped for her,” Florgomes said. “She got them all out. So much happiness.”
Tragedy had been averted, thanks to a mother’s love.
Florgomes bathed the puppies and helped the furry family settle into a more comfortable spot.
“They were all covered in mud, and the mother was cleaning them too,” Florgomes said.
Now the mother dog and her puppies are safe.
When the time is right, Florgomes plans to find new families for each puppy saved that day, and to get their mother spayed.
“They are all healthy and doing well. When they stop nursing, I’m going to put them up for adoption,” Florgomes said. “I’ll only consider people who will adopt them with love, care and affection.”
