8 puppies found under an abandoned storage she

We are sometimes asked where all our puppies come from. Here is one rescue story that illustrates our work, and it is more common than most would imagine.

These eight puppies come from a town deep in the Mississippi delta with fewer than 600 residents. The town is situated in a county with a 37.9% poverty rate. As you can guess, there are virtually no resources for residents, let alone the area’s animals. There are packs of adult dogs, usually around four - seven of them, sunning themselves at the ends of streets or travelling along the edges of the woods. Most of them are shy and skittish, and others are truly feral.

These puppies were born to a feral momma dog who dug out a shallow den under an abandoned storage shed on an unused property near the railroad tracks. This property often has dogs gathered there, and there is one woman in the town who keeps an eye on them. She is one of the hundreds of independent rescuers that Wright-Way connects with every year to save the lives of animals in these seemingly forgotten places. Lessie K. feeds the dogs that have no homes, and she works to trap them and spay/neuter them. She also works one-on-one with her neighbors to spay or neuter their dogs. If a dog is constantly tied out on a chain, she tries to persuade the owner to surrender the dog to rescue.

When she noticed puppies at the property, she began to keep track of them. This was the third litter of pups she had seen born to this particular momma dog. One day she noticed that there were only eight puppies instead of nine, and she realized either predators had become aware of them or they were starting to follow their momma when she left to go look for food.

Reaching out for help, Lessie explained that she could probably catch the puppies -- she just needed somewhere to send them. We hear the exact same thing over and over. Small town rescuers just need somewhere to send the animals they are trying to save. Somewhere that will give them medical care and find them forever homes.

That is what we do. We give these animals a way out, a way to safety. But this work is only possible with your support.

Lessie was able to catch six of the eight surviving puppies, and our volunteers helped her catch the remaining two. They had to crawl on their bellies underneath the storage shed, but they got every last one. Further efforts are being made to catch the momma dog so that she can be spayed, and a plan is in place for her continued care.

This one rescue doesn’t end the problems for the animals in this town, but it does make a difference. Every life makes a difference.

Please consider making an end-of-year gift that will save the lives of homeless animals like these eight puppies. Join our lifesaving mission now, and help us prepare for the challenges and opportunities of 2021. The animals are counting on your help.