Rescue folks are wonderful. A heartwarming story...

[Richard Crowe]

We have a new rescue dog that we almost lost.  She was very pregnant when we got her from a South Los Angeles shelter (one of the worst) who had given this very pregnant mother to be a rabies shot.

We don't know if the was the rabies shot (our vet was angry that she had been given the shot) but, the girl suffered from anemia and severe respiratory distress. We rushed her to our emergency vet at around midnight. Our vet determined that one puppy was dead in the birth canal and decided to do an emergency C-section.  Through Hurculean efforts the vet and staff saved one of the puppies and also saved the mother's life...

However the mother was too sick to nurse the puppy.

The staff tube fed the baby while Judy networked among local rescue groups to find a mother with a new litter of puppies. Within 45 minutes, there was an offer from Chihuahua Rescue for a surrogate mom to nurse the pup.  The mother had lost two of her four puppies at birth and we hoped that she would accept our puppy as one of hers.  She quickly accepted the puppy and began to lick and clean it.  The pup reacted immediately to the motherly attention.  She had been crying on the way to her surrogate mom but, immediately stopped crying when she felt the mom licking her and felt the reassuring warmth of her foster siblings...

The response of the local rescue community has been heart warming.  We have received multiple offers of surrogate mothers and many offers from rescue folks who volunteered to feed the baby 24/7 if we could not find a mother who would accept her.

We were lucky to find a mom and luckier still to find one less than 15-miles from our home...

We are also very fortunate to have a wonderful 24-hour vet....  Diane Jones, DVM, ER4PETS, World Trade Center Drive, San Diego, CA.

And thank you to that little Chihuahua who accepted the puppy as her own!

[AndySharon BoomerShaynaMariner]

Thanks for sharing.  Great work!!

[Doris]

This story needs a Kleenex alert!  Wonderful people and new mommy to help that puppy!!

[Gail and Bailey]

Wonderful story!  Thanks to everyone involved!  Hope to see an update on the mom and the pup.

[Camilla and Darwin]

This was a heartwarming story - how wonderful that it worked out. I hope you share an update on the mom and puppy!

[Pat and Traveler]

Wonderful story--thanks to all of you!

[Robin and Libby Louise]

I hope mom and baby are doing well.  This story made me cry.  As always, thank you for being there for these dogs in need!

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

Richard...you and Judy are such amazing people.  I sure wish there were more people like you out there.  You have done such amazing things for all these rescues and their pups.  You always put a smile on my face when I read about your success stories.  I hope to see you soon at one of our Meet-Ups! 

[F, Calla & Luca]

A heartwarming story indeed. What a wonderful vet and you are all wonderful.

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

So nice to hear wonderful stories like this.  Thank you for all you and your colleagues do for these rescues!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

This is indeed a heartwarming story, Richard. Thank you for sharing it, and for all you do for the rescue dogs.