Puppy Rescue

Today, Gateway Pet Guardians' volunteers ventured to East St. Louis to rescue a mama (Show Me) and puppies. We weren't sure exactly how many puppies there were. Show Me is the mom of the puppies that were rescued on last spring's Show Me St. Louis show. About 6 months ago, she started hanging out with Malcom across the street from AT&T. Shortly thereafter, Lloyd began hanging out with them as well. Sure enough, our little Show Me was pregnant AGAIN!

This morning, we loaded the trap and crate in the car and headed over with 2 other volunteers. We thought the rain may be an issue, but it cleared up just as we were ready to dive into the brush. After making our way through thick brush, around mounds of dumped tires and over barbed wire, we finally found what looked like beaver den, piles of strategically placed sticks and tree limbs. Show Me's bark showed us exactly where they were.

PJ finally found an opening in the limbs to investigate. After seaching on her hands and knees, she spotted a small white fluff ball.

I ran to the other side and was able to pull her out from under the sticks and limbs. One by one, we pulled the 6 puppies out from their wooden home. We were not 100% sure about how many puppies there were so we decided it would be best to leave Show Me behind today. PJ will track her for the next few days to be sure there are no more pups. If all clear, we will work on getting this little girl off the streets.

Now, on those puppies. There are 3 females and 3 males, and boy are they adorable. The more I look at the photos the more I see Mr. Lloyd in their little faces. (He has been checking on Show Me every day).

We are still working on naming each of them and still need fosters for all of them. They are approximately 4 weeks old.

Why do we rescue litters of puppies? Well, its simple really. Everyone wants a puppy! They are easier to foster and adopt out than adult dogs. We also want to rescue them while they are still (relatively) easy to catch. If they get too big, we have trouble catching them and then again, more females on the streets having more litters of puppies.

Please consider becoming a foster parent! Puppies get adopted quickly and are tons of fun to have around.