And the mom was pregnant 😰
The other day, a farmworker near Fresno, California, was having what he thought was a typical morning at work. But as he was driving through a rural area between agricultural fields, he spotted a little family of Chihuahuas huddled on the side of the road.
As the man got out of his car and approached the dogs, he noticed one of them was injured. He quickly reached out to Fresno Humane Animal Services for help.
Priscilla Wolcott
The animal control officers rushed over to rescue the abandoned Chihuahua family. When they arrived, they found two puppies, a heavily pregnant mom and an injured dad. They were all shy and shaking with fear.
“[T]he mom was the first one to take the leap of faith and come up to us,” Priscilla Wolcott, Fresno Humane Animal Services animal control officer, told The Dodo.
Priscilla Wolcott
Wolcott determined that the dad’s injury was a bite wound, likely the result of a coyote or dog attack. The dogs had probably been abandoned the previous evening and had been fending for themselves all night.
“I’m sure Dad was protecting the family,” Wolcott said. “And he made it out alive.”
Priscilla Wolcott
The officers loaded the terrified pups into their truck and got them to the shelter. Just 30 minutes after they arrived, the mama started giving birth.
It’s a miracle that after everything the mama had been through, she had four healthy puppies. While she and her now six babies were resting, the dad was rushed to a veterinary hospital.
Hazel’s House Rescue
Animal Compassion Team, a local animal shelter, heard about the mama and her puppies and decided to take them all in. They’ll stay at the shelter until everyone is fixed and all the babies are weaned.
Soon after, Hazel’s House Rescue took in the dad, naming him Kaliska. At first, he was really struggling, and they weren’t sure if he was going to make it. But after some intensive veterinary care and lots of love from his foster mama, he started feeling better.
Hazel’s House Rescue
“[N]ow he is pretty much like any other dog,” Brittany Hazel, founder and president of Hazel’s House Rescue, told The Dodo. “You’d never know the trauma he endured.”
His foster mom ended up growing so attached to Kaliska that she decided to make him a permanent member of her family.
“He has new parents, a cattle dog sister and several feline siblings,” Hazel said.
Hazel’s House Rescue
All of the other rescued dogs deserve an equally happy ending. If you’re interested in adopting any of the other pups, you can reach out to Animal Compassion Team to learn more.
To support other animals like these dogs, you can make a donation to Fresno Humane Animal Services here, to Animal Compassion Team here and to Hazel’s House Rescue here.
