Missy's Puppies
After a long hard summer with low adoption rates, fall came and T.A.R.A. finally had room to go and save 3 dogs from a high kill shelter. As I walked through and looked with another volunteer, we went slowly up and down each aisle. Looking at all the sad faces, so deserving of a chance at life in a home with a loving family. The first time through, even we didn't see Missy. She was particularly quiet and with her dark coloring, didn't show well in a shelter environment. As I passed by her cage near the end of our visit, she quietly got up and came to see what was going on. I knew she isn't a dog that anyone would immediately notice and pick to take home, which made me all the more eager to see if we could save her. We got her out of her cage to test her with the other dogs we had already chosen. She was a gem, not bothered by anyone or anything. As we made the decision that she would be one of the lucky ones to get a second chance at life, we noticed that she was pregnant. Little did we know she was just two days away from delivering 5 beautiful puppies. She gave birth to Matilda and Macademia (two girls who looked just like their momma), Macbeth (a little black girl with a fat, wrinkly nose and a white patch on her back), Melinda (who looked like a Rottie mix with black and tan markings) and Maddox (the lone boy, the biggest in the litter, with brindle coloring). She was the perfect mommy, never leaving her babies. She was so attentive that she wouldn't even eat or drink and I had to sit and hold her bowls right in front of her so she could eat while she nursed and cleaned her babies. All 5 were fat, happy, and adorable! The day she delivered her puppies, she started showing symptoms of upper respiratory infection, a common disease in the shelter. 10 days later, her puppies started getting sick. They were so young and fragile and completely lacking immunity, the illness hit them hard and most didn't survive more than 12 hours after the onset of symptoms. Two were rushed to the vet and kept on oxygen and a heating pad, injectable antibiotics were started, and the rest were moved to a foster home where they could be cared for around the clock. Despite our best efforts the last two passed away the day of their 2 week birthday. It seems ironic to me that just as their eyes were opening and they were catching their first glimpses of the world around them, the world was just too much for them and they crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Though these five little ones were only with us a short time, they will be forever missed and never forgotten!