When Lexi Johnson, a foster volunteer Ruff Start Rescue, was given the opportunity to approach the pregnant Poppy capsule, she was delighted. As a dog lover and animal behaviorist, she always wanted to foster a pregnant mother dog.
Her heart broke, and she was excited to share the news with friends and family.
Then, about a week after she moved in with Lexi, beautiful Lab Mix gave birth to 10 healthy puppies. Lexi even describes herself as her “slut” and helps Poppy’s mother through it all. Poppy was a wonderful mother and was very strong throughout her long labor.
But unfortunately, shortly after she had her precious puppies, Poppy unexpectedly passed away. This leaves all ten newborn puppies without a mother. Lexi’s heart was broken.
“We started frantically figuring out our next move with the babies. Another volunteer worked until 11:30 that night to help bottle-feed babies. And throughout the evening, my husband and I stayed up every three hours to get food in our stomachs… and it took more than 1.5 hours each time,” Lexi wrote.
When newborn puppies are left without a milk supply, they need to be fed a special formula every few hours. Because Poppy has such a large litter, this task requires constant careful care. So, in order for them to take the best care of Poppy’s ten puppies, some of them had to be spread out among many volunteers. An entire foster group had to assemble to care for a large litter of orphaned baby mice.
Not long after Poppy died, another mama dog was inside Ruff Start Rescue going through her own pain. Pepper, also a Lab Mix, has given birth to a precious litter of puppies of her own. But sadly, they did not make it. Rescue volunteers shared that after losing her litter, Pepper was “devastated” and she began “developing very depressed.” They hope that Pepper can be the miracle Poppy’s pups need.
“When she came to our house, we put her in the puppy room and she immediately sat next to the litter. I started putting the puppies around her and she lay down and the puppies would instinctively hobble towards her and start suckling,” Lexi shared.
Under Lexi’s watchful eye, they introduced Pepper to the litter of puppies. And after just five minutes, she started taking care of them as if they were her own! Pepper didn’t hesitate to immediately start cleaning and loving them. They even instinctively start breastfeeding. It was a match made in heaven.
While all puppies thrive with their owners, the best place for them is with a mother who can feed them milk and teach them behaviors and “things for puppy” that we as humans simply cannot. Pepper is exactly what these lucky pups need, and with them, she’ll be the mom she’s always wanted to be. It’s hard not to cry thinking about how Poppy appreciates Pepper taking on the role of her mother.
“I wouldn’t have done it without a village full of people – and everyone was simply so grateful for the happy outcome,” Lexi wrote.
The puppies will stay in their foster home with Lexi until they are adopted when they are eight to ten weeks old. They will then be listed on Ruff Start Rescue website.
H/T: kare11.com
Featured pictures: Lexi Ruhland / Facebook
