When somebody has a rescue dog in their home, they have more than a family member, they have a story. In most cases, people will readily admit that they may have been the one that rescued the dog but in reality, it was the dog that rescued them. The situation may differ from one family to another but the outcome is often the same. Rescue dogs have a way of working themselves into our hearts and our home and once they do so, we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Stephanie Fikes is somebody who understands the reality behind rescue dogs all too much. She was visiting a friend but on her way, she stopped at the grocery store and she had no idea her life would change at that moment. She saw a brindle pit mix sitting out in the sun and it seemed as if the dog was in labor. She was worried about the dog so she talked her into getting into the car and continued on her journey. After arriving at her friend, Justin Ritchie’s home, they tried to make the dog comfortable. She was provided with a place to rest along with some food and water. It was exactly what she needed on a difficult day.
“We took her to the vet the day after she arrived where they found she had no chip. Then they pulled over 20 ticks from her ears and gave her a much-needed flea bath,” Richie told The Dodo. “The vet said she was a healthy pregnant mama, but that it could be anywhere from five minutes to five days before she gave birth.”
They knew that it would only be a matter of time before the new arrivals were here, so they made ‘Lil’ Mama’ as comfortable as possible. A week later, they were watching TV and got quite a surprise.
“Stephanie was comforting Lil’ Mama when she said, ‘I don’t want to be dramatic but I think that’s a puppy,’” Richie said. “The whole time we were placing bets on how many puppies she would have. I said eight, Steph said 10 … neither of us expected 15!”
“We really didn’t think 15 was that rare until we started telling our friends,” he added.
It took almost an entire day for the litter to be born and all of them were born safely.
“We are exhausted but feeling so blessed,” Richie said. “They love to eat and since Lil’ Mama only has so many working nipples, we’re constantly rotating or giving formula to someone.”
Lil’ Mama is happy to have someone help out, considering she has so many puppies to feed.
“She wasn’t in good shape when she arrived but she blossomed and began trusting once we filled her with love and food,” Richie said. “She isn’t protective or aggressive towards me or Stephanie at all.”
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The puppies were just over a week old and it seemed as if all they wanted to do was eat and nap. I think that’s the job of a puppy, anyway!
“Our plan is to give them a loving and comfortable home as we work hard to find them loving and comfortable forever homes,” Richie said. “This includes getting their first round of shots, teaching them basic training and potty training them.”
There are already people interested in adopting these puppies after the story hit social media. You just never know what is going to happen when you are on your way to the grocery store.