There are so many stray dogs roaming around on the street, fending for themselves and relying on the kindness of strangers.
And thankfully, there are people out there willing to help.
But some kindhearted people got a lot more than they bargained for when they rescued one pregnant stray.
Last month, Stephanie Fikes discovered a stray pittie mix in the parking lot of a grocery store. It was clear the dog was a stray… and also clear that she was heavily pregnant, and nearing labor.
Not wanting to leave the poor dog alone in her time of need, she brought her into her car and brought the dog to the home of her friend, Justin Richie. The next day they took the dog to the vet, where she was treated for fleas and ticks. She was not microchipped.
“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,” Stephanie told The Dodo.
A week later (on Justin’s birthday), the stray went into labor… and the friends watched as more puppies than they expected emerged.
After a day of labor, 15 beautiful puppies were born — far surpassing the average amount.
“Neither of us expected 15!” Justin said. “We really didn’t think 15 was that rare until we started telling our friends.”
With so many puppies, their mom — now named Lil Mama — could barely feed all of them, so the two friends helped out by bottle feeding.
And that’s just the start: they’re committed to taking care of the puppies until they’re old enough to get adopted.
It’s a lot of work, but their love and care is sure to pay off: they say they’ve already gotten adoption requests for these little beauties.
Meanwhile, Lil Mama has come a long way from her time wandering around the supermarket parking lot.
“She wasn’t in good shape when she arrived but she blossomed and began trusting once we filled her with love and food,” Justin told The Dodo. “She isn’t protective or aggressive towards me or Stephanie at all.”
You can follow the adventures of these 15 dogs on their own Instagram account, fittingly named @fifteenpuppies.
Thank you to Stephanie and Justin for taking such great care of this mama and her puppies! We hope they all go to great homes soon!
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