Petunia, the rescue dog, had solely intended to care for her own puppies. But when six orphaned puppies needed a foster mother, she jumped at the chance.
Despite having 11 babies of her own, the 4-year-old St. Bernard-mix welcomed six orphans who’d recently been found in an abandoned home. Volunteers searched for the litter’s mother, but when she didn’t return for the pups, No Dog Left Behind stepped in.
“When they arrived, my husband rushed them home to see if Petunia would allow them to attach to her,” Petunia’s foster mom, Stephanie Easley, told The Dodo. “Thankfully, she immediately started cleaning them without skipping a beat. There was absolutely no question that these six were now her babies as well.”
Petunia, who was homeless and pregnant on the streets of rural Minnesota, relied on the goodwill of others to get to Easley’s house.
“At first, there was concern that Petunia wouldn’t be a good mother, but that rapidly faded,” Easley said. “Once she was established into her temporary’suite,’ she began fulfilling her motherly responsibilities flawlessly.”
“Petunia is doing so great with these orphans,” Easley said. “We went from the possibility of her needing assistance with her litter to taking in six more!”
Large dog litters often have one to twelve puppies, with the average number being five or six. But things are looking well for the new mom and her extra-large litter so far.
“Petunia is as delicious as it gets,” Easley said. “She is sweet, peaceful, kind, kind, and beautiful… I’m crazy in love with her. I’ve had so many wonderful foster dogs, but Petunia is already proving to be one of a kind!”
Now, the proud dog mom enjoys showing off her offspring.
Petunia and her babies will be offered for adoption after her parental duties have slowed down. But Petunia’s presence in Easley’s life has already had an impact.
Fostering Petunia has already been a life-changing experience, according to Easley. “Look at how many lives I get to save as a little part of —18 innocent lives all at once.” Amazing pets (like Petunia) provide us with life-changing experiences that we will never forget. These are the things that will help mold my children into the next generation of decent people.”
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