They were so small and dirty.
The cardboard Lay’s chips box was clearly not a donation. For starters, it was already open.
As a staff member for the SPCA of Petersburg & Colonial Heights peered inside, their heart sank.
Facebook/Colonial Heights Animal Control
Huddled together on an unplugged heating pad were seven little puppies. The pups were so young some of their eyes hadn’t even opened yet.
Temperatures had been in the low 40s that morning, and if the box hadn’t been discovered in time, the pups’ fates would have been very different. Luckily, the staff member rushed the box inside and began cleaning and warming the pups.
Facebook/Colonial Heights Animal Control
Without a mom, the SPCA knew that caring for the babies would be demanding, so they got in touch with Richmond Ruff House for help.
“We are a foster-based, all-volunteer rescue, meaning we could take them into our home to assure they received feedings every four hours,” Cindy Larkin, director and cofounder of Richmond Ruff House, told The Dodo. “They are doing GREAT! They are receiving regular feedings and all are putting on weight. Within 48 hours, all have also opened their eyes. They are going through an entire can of milk replacement formula per day.”
Facebook/Richmond Ruff House
But the rescue knew nothing could beat the nurturing support of a mom, so they decided to introduce the pups to foster dog Libby.
Facebook/Richmond Ruff House
“Since [Libby] was still nursing her pups, we thought we would see if she would be willing to nurse the new babies,” Larkin said. “She jumped right in and started to clean them up. She even laid down for them, but they would not attempt to nurse. About 3 [o’clock] that afternoon, they finally latched on to her.”
Facebook/Richmond Ruff House
While the meeting was a success, Libby quickly realized that adding an extra seven puppies to her litter of eight would be too much for her small, Whippet-mix frame. Nursing the large puppies, believed to be bully mixes, would drain her, but she still wanted to give the orphans what love she could.
Facebook/Richmond Ruff House
“She kept checking on them and continued to clean them up,” Larkin said. “She was definitely acting as a surrogate mother … minus the actual feeding.”
As the puppies grow, the rescuers will continue to bottle-feed them until they can start the weaning process. The pups will receive their vaccinations and eventually will search for loving homes, where chips are for snacking and nothing else.
