3 days ago
Mama dog helps orphaned pups after her own ‘heartbreak.' Now she'll need a home
A mama dog helped orphaned puppies 'without hesitation' — and soon, she will go up for adoption in North Carolina.
'Grace is one of the best mama dogs and cared for her puppies very well long after weaning them which is not typical of most mama dogs,' Carly Perin, who helped care for the mom, told McClatchy News in a June 4 email. 'Grace deserves the best possible family.'
Grace raised the 'fragile' litter after she experienced her own tragedy. She was pregnant when she arrived at a Raleigh-area rescue and gave birth to nine puppies in March, animal organizations wrote in social media posts.
'But something was wrong,' Blazin' Trails Bottle Babies wrote on Facebook in April. 'One by one, her babies began to struggle. They were fading fast, battling severe pneumonia.'
None of the puppies survived. But 'even in her grief, Mama Grace's gentle and nurturing spirit remained,' Peak Lab Rescue wrote.
As Grace experienced 'heartbreak' at the rescue, a litter of abandoned puppies was found 'at a bus stop in a filthy, moldy cardboard box.' The newborns were hours old and were in desperate need of a mother dog to nurse them. Blazin' Trails Bottle Babies said it partnered with the rescue to see if it could help.
'In a beautiful twist of fate, Mama Grace stepped in as their surrogate,' Peak Lab Rescue wrote. 'She took them in without hesitation, showering them with the love and care they had lost.'
Seven of the eight little ones survived and received names inspired by the Masters golf tournament: Augusta, Bryson, Ludwig, Rory, Scottie, Victor and Xander. As of June 4, Augusta was the only pup still available for adoption, Leslie Haller, an administrator for Peak Lab Rescue, told McClatchy News via email.
Meanwhile, Grace is expected to be ready for a home in early June.
'Those once-fragile puppies are now thriving...,' Peak Lab Rescue wrote. 'Mama Grace gave them a second chance at life, and now we want to give her one, too.'
The rescue is based in Apex, a Raleigh suburb.
