Hungry Dog Wouldn't Eat Until She Knew Her Puppies Were Safe
She was so scared, but she wouldn't let anything happen to them.
When a group of kids playing near a construction site discovered six tiny, days-old puppies huddled together all alone, they knew they had to help them. They decided to take the puppies home and start bottle-feeding them — without realizing that their mom had just been out looking for food, and desperately missed her babies.
When the kids realized the puppies probably needed more professional care than they could give them, they contacted Hope for Paws, which quickly agreed to take in the puppies. The rescuers knew the puppies’ mom was likely near where they were found, waiting for them, and so they decided to bring them back to her in order to help rescue her.
Rescuers put the puppies in a little tent, with plenty of blankets to snuggle up in, and placed the tent where the puppies were found. They hoped the mom was still lingering around the spot where she had last seen her babies …
… and they were right. Before long, the mamma dog emerged, absolutely terrified and super protective of her babies, not wanting to lose them again.
Rescuers quickly offered the mom dog some food …
… but even though she was clearly starving, she was too nervous about the safety of her puppies to eat.
The mom began growling at her rescuers, terrified that they might be there to hurt her babies. They knew they had to act quickly if they wanted to rescue her, and so, despite her protests, they quickly slipped a leash around her neck, and were miraculously able to secure her.
As she as she was caught, the mom immediately went to sit next to her babies, still so nervous about what might happen to them. She continued to lunge and growl at her rescuers, and they knew they would need to show her that they were there to help both her and the puppies.
They picked up the tent and slowly walked both the puppies and the mom over to a more spacious area …
… and then let the mom dog be with her puppies again for the first time in too long. As soon as she sniffed the first puppy and could see that he was safe, the mom began to relax immensely, and finally began to trust that the people around her were just there to help.
Rescuers placed the mom into the tent with her puppies, where she finally felt safe and relaxed enough to eat a little bit. They carried the tent over to the car and safely placed it inside, ensuring once and for all that the little family would never be in danger ever again. The property where they were found used to be a citrus grove, so rescuers decided to give the family citrus-themed names. The puppies were named Valencia, Bergamot, Ponderosa, Satsuma, Mandarin and Clementine, and the mom was named Navalina.
The entire family was quickly rushed to the vet, where the tiny puppies got their first checkup …
… and luckily, were all declared healthy and happy, thanks to their mamma who tried so hard to keep them safe and fed while they were all homeless.
Now, three weeks later, Navalina and her puppies are all safe and sound in foster care. The puppies are getting bigger, and fluffier, every single day, and before long they’ll all be up for adoption.
Navalina was so terrified of everyone at first, but now that she and her puppies are safe for good, she’s the sweetest dog in the world, and can’t wait to find her new forever home very, very soon.
Watch the full video of this family's rescue below: