Rescuer Donna Lochmann pulled up to an abandoned home in St. Louis, Missouri, expecting to find an adult dog living alone on the property. They got a call at Stray Rescue of St. Louis (SRSL) from a Good Samaritan saying that the dog’s family had moved away and left her behind.
The house was empty and the dog was standing out front by herself. But she was far from alone! After a few seconds, Lochmann realized that more eyes were watching her. That was two little puppies that looked to be 6 to 8 weeks old.
Lochmann easily tricked the mama dog to get into her car but, capturing the puppies proved to be a little more difficult than she expected.
They were near a fence and a concrete patio on the other side of the fence which had been dug out underneath. The puppies kept going in there.
Lochmann stuck her arm underneath the patio and was able to grab the smaller puppy after a few tries. But the bigger puppy objected. “She kept biting me with her razor-sharp teeth, but I wasn’t giving up,” Lochmann said.
Then she protected her hands with a thick glove and stuck her hand into the opening one more time. This time she was able to secure the puppy. Lochmann took the mama dog whom she named Pumpkin Patch, and her two puppies Eckert, and Stuckmeyer to the vet immediately. Luckily the tests showed that all three dogs were healthy so they were placed into foster care.
The little ones are currently being fostered together in the same home and they are still terrified and in need of socialization. But their foster family consists of friendly adult dogs, so they should come around quick. The adult dogs are playing with the puppies and show them the ropes of how to be a dog.
Pumpkin Patch has also gone to a foster home, where she gets constant cuddles, lots of food and a warm bed to sleep in at night. Finally, the family is living the happy lives they deserve.
