Annie was first spotted as a stray dog in Greenville, South Carolina, pregnant and dodging traffic on a busy highway. For months, Maddie Trelinski and other rescuers tried to get her, but the mama dog kept evading them. Finally, Trelinski and Labor of
Love Transport Rescue were able to grab her after she showed up at an IHOP looking for food — but by then, her puppies were nowhere to be found.
“We did search for her puppies in the surrounding area, but at the time we found her, she was no longer producing milk, and her puppies would have been old enough to wander,” Trelinski told The Dodo.
Trelinski and her family were only planning on fostering Annie until they could find her a loving home, but they felt such a strong connection to the sweet pup that they decided to adopt her.
“She has the most loving, resilient personality and is genuinely always happy,” Trelinski said.
Over the years, Trelinski and her family have continued to foster, and Annie stepped into the role of big foster sister with ease and excitement. She treats every puppy she meets like her own and takes her job very seriously.
Recently, a litter of 5-week-old puppies arrived at the veterinary clinic where Trelinski works after their mom was hit by a car and didn’t make it. Trelinski immediately agreed to foster them through Labor of Love Transport Rescue and couldn’t wait for them to meet Annie.
When the puppies first arrived in their foster home, they cried a lot, confused about what was going on. Annie’s maternal instincts kicked in immediately, and she paced around constantly, worried about her new puppies.
Whenever the family brings the puppies out of their dedicated area to spend time with the other dogs, Annie is right there waiting. She cuddles them and lets them climb all over her, and it’s clear that they’re helping each other heal.
One of the puppies, Bernard, draped himself across Annie’s neck one day, settling in for a mother-and-son nap.
“We’ll never know what Annie remembers or what Bernard understands,” Labor of Love Transport Rescue wrote on Facebook. “But somehow, these two found each other, and for a little while, they each have something the other lost.”
Even though she lost her babies, Annie has helped so many puppies heal from their own struggles. She found her purpose, and her family can’t imagine life without her.
