New Pet Zone

You get all kinds of phone calls when you’re in animal rescue.  When I first started out, I naively thought that most calls would be from people looking for a pet to adopt.  Unfortunately, that’s not the case.

The most calls start something like “There’s this stray dog…” and end with a plea for help.  Sometimes I can help, sometimes my kennels and cages are full and I can’t take in any more.

Sometimes there are calls asking if I’ve seen someone’s lost pet.  Unfortunately, I rarely have. Now, if I could somehow get those callers together…

This past week, I received a call from another rescue group.  They had just taken in a litter of puppies just days old.  The mother had apparently been killed and her puppies orphaned. They were having trouble bottle feeding them.

It’s tough to get puppies that young to nurse from a bottle. I’ve done it, but sometimes I’ve failed miserably.

I was asked for advice. In this case, my advice was simple: “bring them to me.”  You see, one of my rescues had a single puppy several weeks ago, and had milk to spare. In fact, Spot is now six weeks old, eating solid food, and would soon be weaned.

The question was, would Emma accept a litter of puppies that weren’t her own?

She sniffed and nosed at them. Susie the beagle came up to do the same, and Emma growled at her. That was a good sign.

Then Garfield the cat came up curious about the new arrivals. Emma not only growled but nipped at him and chased him away.  She was definitely being protective.

Soon I was able to convince her to lay down on the floor and allow the little orphans to nurse.  Success!!

Spot is a little unsure what to think of these new interlopers who have taken his spot at the dinner table. But, it looks like these guys will get a much needed second chance. In about 7 weeks, they’ll be up for adoption.

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