Pregnant dog was ‘left to suffer in silence' —so shelter went to war with her owners
A dog was living a life of pain and repeated breeding when a shelter in Philadelphia stepped in and not only saved her life — but the life of her future puppies.
'Last September, Dabby was found running scared and confused through the streets of Northumberland County,' the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said in March 28 Facebook post.
'Alone and in pain, she was rushed to a local rescue, where the heartbreaking truth of her condition became clear: a traumatic eye injury had left her eye damaged, and it was obvious she was in pain.'
Unfortunately, that wasn't the extent of Dabby's suffering.
'When her owners came forward to claim her, we learned something even more gut-wrenching: Dabby had been repeatedly bred, and she was pregnant again, carrying yet another litter of puppies. There was no proof that her injured eye had ever received proper care. She had been left to suffer in silence,' the shelter said.
The shelter along with its Animal Law Enforcement team weren't about to let those responsible for Dabby's 'care' get away with the abuse.
'Our Animal Law Enforcement team immediately stepped in, executing a search warrant at the home where Dabby was being kept. We rescued her and the tiny lives she was carrying. But the battle wasn't over,' the shelter said. 'Dabby's owners refused to surrender her, she would remain in our care as we fought for justice.'
During the battle, Dabby was able to deliver her babies under the watchful eye of the shelter.
'During this time, Dabby gave birth to six puppies in one of our offices, where a whelping box was set up and she was closely monitored on a nanny cam,' the shelter said.
'Despite everything she had been through, she was an incredible mother. Her puppies would never have to know the same suffering she endured. A shelter was no place for Dabby and her babies. Thankfully, a kind-hearted foster stepped up, offering them the loving home they so desperately needed.'
As of last week, all of Dabby's puppies — who were named after pizza toppings and appear to be French bulldog and pug mix — have been adopted, the shelter told McClatchy News. Dabby is the last of the rescued pups.
'Just one week ago, after a long fight, Dabby and her puppies were officially awarded to us through a cost-of-care petition. But while the legal battle is ongoing, Dabby's journey is far from over,' the shelter said.
'Due to her eye and repeated breeding, Dabby requires specialized surgery, one that comes with significant risk, and will need around-the-clock care to ensure her safety and recovery.'
According to the shelter, this is the last hurdle Dabby has to go through before she's able to go up for adoption.
For future updates on Dabby, visit the shelter's Facebook page or website.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Road rule warning to Aussies after driver cops $1,775 fine, 22 demerit points in one go
Drivers are being reminded of their responsibility to follow the myriad rules of the road after one L-plater copped $1,775 in fines and a whopping 22 demerit points in one hit this past weekend. NSW Traffic and Highway Patrol are holding the driver of a silver Saab convertible up as an example of what not to do after the male, who held a NSW Learner's class C licence, was caught doing 129km/h on the Hume Highway on Sunday. It was the car's speed in the 110km/h zone near Penrose which initially alerted officers in Mittagong Highway Patrol to the driver's wrongdoing, but the offences didn't stop there. The learner licence holder, who was not displaying yellow L plates on the front or the rear of the car, can only do a maximum speed of 90km/h, making his speed actually 39km over the limit. After being stopped at 4.15 pm, officers then spotted a mobile phone positioned near the steering wheel playing a music video on YouTube. "When questioned about this, the male swiped the screen to a map app and replied 'no, I'm not using it, just looking at the map'," officers said of the interaction. It is illegal for learner and provisional licence holders in NSW to use a phone for "any purpose", even for directions. 😳 Alarming breach of well-known road rule as 8,500 Aussies cop $395 fine 🐉 New Aussie road markings aimed at giving drivers a 'sense of warning' 🛴 Aussies warned over $1,161 fine after parents' shocking e-scooter act on city road When police questioned the female passenger about her role as a supervisor, she replied, "I was asleep," officers said. The offences resulted in numerous fines and demerit points. They included: Exceeding speed over 30km/h, $1045 fine and five demerit points Learner using a mobile phone, $410 fine and five demerit points Not displaying L plates, $320 fine and two demerit points. Because it was a long weekend and double demerit points were in place, the male driver accumulated a whopping 22 demerit points. Because learner drivers can only accumulate a maximum of four demerit points, he was automatically suspended from driving with a pending extension from NSW Transport. The female passenger also copped a penalty infringement for failing to supervise. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ukraine updates: Russian drones target Kyiv, Odesa
Kyiv came under a large-scale Russian drone assault for the second consecutive day overnight on Tuesday Fires and damage were reported in multiple districts of the capital Kyiv In Odesa, the strikes targeted a maternity hospital and an emergency medical facility. All patients and staff were evacuated before the strikes. This blog covers the main developments in Russia's war in Ukraine on Tuesday, June 10, 2025: One person was killed and at least four wounded after a "massive" Russian drone attack struck Ukraine's southern port city of Odesa overnight on Tuesday, Ukrainian authorities said. The strikes hit a maternity hospital and an emergency medical facility, as well as residential buildings, regional governor Oleh Kiper said. "A 59-year-old man was killed," Kiper posted on Telegram, adding that medics were treating four people wounded in the attacks. The governor also said that residential buildings in the center of Odesa were destroyed and damaged. The hospital patients and staff were evacuated before the Russian strikes. Photos shared by Kiper showed shattered windows and damaged building facades. Kyiv came under a large-scale drone assault for the second consecutive day overnight on Tuesday, with explosions and gunfire echoing across the city as air defenses engaged incoming drones, Ukrainian authorities said. "Stay in shelters! The massive attack on the capital continues," Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko posted on Telegram. Timur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv's military administration said on the Telegram that Russian "drones are simultaneously attacking several districts of the city." Emergency services responded to at least four districts after midnight. Witnesses, including journalists from the French AFP and Reuters news agencies, reported hearing dozens of blasts and gunfire. Several residential buildings and cars were damaged, and debris fell near a school. No casualties were immediately reported. The strikes come just a day after Russia launched its largest drone barrage of the war, in what Moscow claims is in retaliation for recent Ukrainian attacks inside Russia. The Ukrainian military urged people to seek bomb shelters, saying that the strikes were still ongoing. Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, and the port city of Odesa came under "massive" drone attacks from Russia early Tuesday, Ukrainian officials said. This follows a day after Russia launched what Ukrainian officials described as the largest drone assault since the start of the war, firing a record 479 drones overnight. Poland scrambled warplanes to secure its airspace amid the Russian drone strike. Stay with DW for real-time news, analysis, and insights from our correspondents on the ground as we continue to cover Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Video shows Huthi fighters' drill, not ambush on Pakistan army
"Chanting Allahu Akbar, BLA (Baloch Liberation Army) blew up the Pakistani army convoy," reads in parts the Hindi-language Facebook post shared on May 27, 2025. The video shows a column of vehicles moving through a desert region when one of them suddenly explodes. The footage spread with similar claims on Facebook and X after gunmen killed 26 people in an attack on tourists in Pahalgam in India-administered Kashmir on April 22, which New Delhi blames on its neighbour. Islamabad denies the charge (archived link). Four days of tense fighting broke out between the nuclear-armed foes in May -- claiming over 70 lives on both sides -- before they agreed to a US-brokered ceasefire (archived link). The BLA is one of several separatist groups that accuse outsiders of plundering the Balochistan province's natural resources, and has been blamed for attacks in Pakistan. Fighters from the group attacked a train with 450 passengers on board in March, sparking a two-day siege during which dozens of people were killed (archived link). In another attack, BLA rebels targeted a security vehicle with an improvised explosive device, killing seven Pakistani soldiers on May 6 (archived link). Some users have linked the false video to "Operation Sindoor" -- India's name for its strikes on Pakistan. "Balochistan too is probably running Operation Sindoor in Pakistan," one user commented. Another wrote, "Indian people don't worry, we will continue operation Sindoor until we get our freedom." But the original video actually shows an exercise by Huthi rebels in March 2024 in Yemen. A Google reverse image search on keyframes from the false video led to a longer version that Saudi-owned TV station Al Arabiya uploaded on its YouTube channel on March 10, 2024 (archived link). The video is captioned: "Watch: Huthi group conducts military manoeuvres simulating the storming of Israeli sites and targeting American and British forces". An Arabic logo appearing at the bottom right corner of the YouTube video led to longer footage posted on Yemeni Military Media's X account on the same day (archived link). Visuals at the 32:11 mark of the X post correspond with the clip shared in the false posts. The X post also contains a link to a report that Yemeni Military Media -- an outlet affiliated with the Huthi movement -- uploaded on its website, which shares the same video (archived link). AFP has debunked other misinformation stemming from the India-Pakistan conflict here.
