Three tiny Labrador puppies huddled against each other, hunger gnawing at their empty bellies. The babies were malnourished and riddled with infection. Instead of cuddling up to mom for food as a normal puppy would, these three were abandoned in an empty lot with no food or water. Their mother’s lifeless body was nearby in the street after getting hit by a car earlier in the day.
Just a few months prior, life had been different for Roxy, the mother of the puppies. She lived happily in a home a few miles away. Roxy was the beloved pet of a single mom and her son. They always meant to get Roxy spayed because they knew it was the best thing for her, but something always came up to prevent them from making the appointment. Roxy had a collar with a tag on it that was hung on a hook by the door. Roxy’s family knew the law said she always needed to wear a rabies tag on her neck, but they never put it on because Roxy was an indoor dog. Most of the time, she could be found on the young boy’s bed, cuddling with his stuffed animals.
In an instant, everything changed. A man working in the house left the door open and Roxy escaped. She was nowhere to be found when the mother came home from work. She and her son looked for Roxy at the animal shelter and posted fliers in their neighborhood and online. They finally gave up, thinking someone must have taken Roxy in. Unfortunately, that’s not what happened. Roxy spent the next few months wandering the streets and searching for food before she ended up where she did.
The puppies could have died if they weren’t rescued quickly. That’s where Allison came in. She was alerted to the situation by other concerned neighbors and she knew she needed to do something. First, she called the shelter to have Roxy’s body removed. As she peered through the lot’s gate, she spotted the frail puppies sleeping in a cardboard box left as garbage. Shocked by their condition, she knew she needed to act quickly. Her instinct was to cut the lock and sneak on the property, but she saw a no trespassing sign and thought twice. Allison’s friend recently received a citation when she entered a property that wasn’t hers and she didn’t want the same hassle. She was frantic. Once again, she called animal control for help, but the officers are also limited in their ability to walk onto private property. The officers and Allison put their head together to devise a plan. They found the property’s owner and rescued the pups.
Minnie, Mickey and Pluto, the names that Allison gave the puppies, were rushed to the shelter for intensive care. They received medicated baths, antibiotics and IV treatments to deliver nutrients directly to their bloodstream. When stable, they were sent to the foster home of John and Samantha who got them plump and trusting of humans. Three weeks later, the veterinarian declared them infection free.
During the trio’s recovery, Allison made it her mission to find them new homes and located three amazing families who were excited to adopt them. One person lived alone and needed some companionship. The second had a young child who had always wanted a pet and would now be getting one for her 8th birthday present. And, finally, two empty nesters adopted the third puppy to help them fill the new void at home. Six weeks after the story began, Minnie, Mickey and Pluto started their new lives. They left the shelter neutered and with shiny new tags to wear around their necks.
This kind of story is a familiar one. More than 100,000 animals come through the doors of shelters in Southern California each year, all with their own stories to tell. If they could speak, they would tell tales of friendship, nurturing and bones to chew. They would also tell stories of neglect, abandonment, homelessness and a breakdown of the family unit. All of us can do our part to prevent suffering and to ensure animals like Roxy, Minnie, Mickey and Pluto are protected and cared for. Visit pasadenahumane.org to learn more about how to get involved.