Back on April 11, 2017, we took into our care nine newborn and motherless puppies who were abandoned in a box. We thought people might like to re-read the whole amazing story from when they came to us in a box, to our struggle to ensure they survived, to their adoption day, and finally, a few post-adoption Happy Tails! We hope you enjoy re-reading this, and of course all the adorable photos!
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THE WHOLE PUPPY STORY
April 11, 2017 – YIKES
At 4:00PM, we got an emergency call – like so many calls we get – an animal needed help. In this case, NINE tiny puppies were left in a box outside, no momma dog to be found. The local animal shelter (in another part of the state) did not have the resources to care for them, so they called us. An hour later the puppies arrived, only days old. Our staff, already dealing with a full shelter, jumped into overdrive (and overtime) – ready with syringes and tiny bottles to feed the little ones. It took three staff two hours to feed all nine. The pups then went home with two staff so they could be fed during the night. Despite the odds, all nine pups survived that first night.
Faced with the fact that without their mom these puppies might not survive, we worked hard to find their mom to no avail. We happened to have a mom dog at the shelter, she had just weaned her own nine puppies, so we tried to see if she would nurse the motherless pups. Understandably, this mom dog was done with nursing, she successfully reared her nine and wanted no part of possibly nursing these newborns. Now we had to decide, do we try and keep these nine alive with hand feeding, a task that will take enormous time and resources from our organization that is already stretched to the limit? The sad truth 
is that animal shelters, including CVHS, are faced with such difficult decisions every day. So many animals need help, the amount of time and resources these nine would take could easily save many more healthy, adoptable pets in Vermont and beyond. But, we believe that the animals here at the shelter take priority, it is our duty to do the right thing for any animal that comes to us. So we decided that we had to try our best to save these pups, and we hoped our community would rally with us to save them.
April 21, 2017 – A Sad Day
The puppies were growing but they were still so small, so vulnerable. This first weekend we had them, the second smallest girl was struggling. She went home with a staff member who fed her small meals every two hours, all day and night, and this tiny pup seemed to have turned the corner. Sadly, despite giving her subcutaneous fluids and other supportive care, she died. Even though everyone here knows on a rational level that all of these pups are extremely vulnerable, and it would be a true miracle if they all survived, we were all heartbroken here at CVHS. We take comfort here knowing that in her short time with us, she knew tender care and love, was warm and safe, right up until the very end. Join us in honoring and remembering the little one we affectionately called Little Madonna (she was so dramatic!). The photo shown is little Madonna sleeping after she got her bottle. we will miss her so!
April 25, 2017 – Puppy Poop! Please Poop!
The first pup has opened her eyes, and it was not the biggest pup, it was the one we affectionately call Runtie (her actual name is Allie). The smallest pup has opened her eyes first! What a great day! They are all getting individual personalities and changing every day. We are currently struggling with them all being constipated. It is vitally important that tiny puppies like these poop and pee on a regular basis. Normally their mom would make sure this happens, but without mom, guess who does it? Yup, our staff and trained volunteers. You never know what will happen in your life, how many people think that someday they will be stimulating a puppy to poop?
May 2, 2017 – Puppy eyes and other cuteness
The eight puppies are all going strong. All of them have opened their eyes and they have been crawling around like little maniacs. A few of them have started scratching their ears with their hind paws, it feels like they are “real” dogs now! They are also eating like little piggies, we have been going through a ton of puppy milk replacer. We have started introducing them to solid food, kibble soaked until very, very soft. The three biggest ones have shown a lot of interest in this food, while the smaller ones are much more interested in the bottle. We are still worried about these pups, they are still so small, if they start eating solid food it will be a huge milestone for them, and for us!
May 6, 2017 – Cuteness Overload
It has been nearly four weeks now, and these pups are getting bigger every day. Worrying about these pups has been constant for all of us, staff as well as volunteers. We are all working so hard to try to be certain they are all fed enough and ensure all pee/poop every four hours, all day and night. The fact that they are getting so big is so gratifying! Their individual personalities are just starting to come out. The smallest one (Allie) has learned to growl at her siblings and is a little feisty, and the biggest one (Cash, shown to the left) seems to be a gentle giant. Their personalities will be changing every day as they get older. The biggest girl, Jessie, has already learned how to get out of the whelping box. They are all sweeties in our book!
We have a few videos of these cuties on our YouTube Channel.
May 11, 2017 A Looooong Road
It is hard to believe that almost five weeks ago, these motherless puppies showed up at our door, needing our help. It has been a looooong road. One puppy, Londonberry, is currently in “intensive care” for pneumonia. A coughing puppy is so sad to hear, and with medication this little one is coughing less and eating better- please keep her in your thoughts. The other seven are on their way to being weaned, a huge milestone. Despite growing everyday, these pups are still at risk and so are still in isolation. It will be some weeks yet before they are ready for adoption! They know what dinner time is, as this video shows. It has taken a village to raise these pups so far- thank you to staff, our skilled volunteers and everyone who donated, you all are making it possible for us to save these precious pups!
May 18, 2017 Finally in Foster!
After weeks of 24/7 bottle feeding, our motherless puppies no longer need the bottle and now are in a loving foster home, where they will get age-appropriate socialization and other enrichment activities to help them continue to grow happy and healthy. We are grateful for all the support we have received and again we must thank our dedicated staff and skilled volunteers who made it possible to save eight of nine puppies. Some estimates say that 20%-40% of motherless pups do not survive. It is such a testament to the care these pups received that we were able to beat the odds!
May 24, 2017- Puppy Jessie is doing well
Puppy Jessie had emergency surgery on May 21 for a prolapsed rectum. Through the expert treatment and loving care at BEVS in Burlington, she came out of surgery and so far is doing well. She is staying in a medically skilled foster home along with little Londonberry, who is recovering from pneumonia. How cute are these two (shown to the right, Londonberry has brown markings), taking a nap together?
Jessie isn’t out of the woods, please send healing thoughts to this little fighter! Thank you everyone for your support, the cost of the surgery was almost covered by your generous donations. The community has been so caring, thank you all so much!
June 10, 2017 – Adoption day
Today is a wonderful day, if a bit bittersweet for staff and volunteers here at CVHS. Today our motherless puppies went up for adoption. We know they went to loving homes and we are so happy for both the pups and their new families! We will miss these pups! We are all so grateful that we were given the chance to save these little ones, and we are so grateful to our community who helped make it possible with donations and support. It took a village to raise these pups, and our community is amazing! Thank you everyone!
Before and after photos!
July 22, 2017- Growing so fast!
A few adoption updates for the motherless pups- makes our day when we get updates!
From Allie’s people (otherwise known as Runty):
“We have Allie! Allie went to the vet yesterday and is now 17 pounds! She had her rabies vaccine and I was told is doing great! She is sitting on command and is ready to start puppy kindergarten. She is an amazing puppy and we can only thank you at Central Vermont Humane Society for taking such good care of her from the start. We are so thankful that she is a member of our family.”
From Jessie’s people (Jessie is the pup who had to have surgery):
“Lexi (Izzy) is a gem. She’s an old soul and a champion napper who loves to play with the cat and make puppy class a wild ride for everyone. Thank you, Central Vermont Humane Society, for doing all the legwork (look at those legs) on this strong, kind, independent, and intelligent pup. Matt and I walked in that day without the intention of adopting and you all immediately convinced us otherwise.
From Cash’s people: 
Archer (Cash) is doing GREAT! He’s been on his first hike and had a great time sniffing everything and chasing squirrels. He adores his big brother Tyson, and just can’t believe how fun it is to jump on him and chew his ears. 🙂 he is learning his tricks so well, especially given how food driven he is. He has wasted no time making himself comfortable, and is not afraid of a good couch or pillow.
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November 16, 2017
Cash, now named Archer, is getting so big! Here is a reminder photo of how tiny he was when he first came in, another on his adoption day, and now look at him at almost 7 months old. Archer is one lucky pup- starting out life abandoned in box and now happy, healthy and loved. We are so grateful to have had the chance to save these pups!
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IMPORTANT NOTE
When these pups came to us, we knew we were faced with weeks of these pups being at risk, 
needing round the clock feeding and care. It would have been so wonderful if whoever abandoned these pups had called their local animal shelter instead of abandoning them alone. It might have been possible to work together to keep these pups with their mom until they are weaned, or at the very least provide vital information like how old the pups are, when they last ate, and get the pups safe and warm ASAP. That is what would have been best for these pups. We believe pet problems are people problems. Whoever abandoned these pups did so because they felt they had no choice; we know life can be so difficult, and people are struggling with so much. We implore people to call their local animal shelter before abandoning an animal, your local animal shelter is there for you, as well as your pets! It is illegal to abandon an animal. Call your local animal shelter for help!