Foster Pups:)

I was "on-call" to take in a pregnant cat with the shelter I volunteer at (Lost Our Home in Tempe, AZ) when I got an emergency call asking if I could possibly take in a momma chihuahua with her 6 pups that had just been rescued out of a yard along with 17 other dogs!!!  I had already "cleared" the cat with my husband, so I quickly texted him while he was in a Bishopric meeting.

"So, about the cat....not happening BUT...there is a momma chihuahua with 6 puppies that need to be fostered..."

He responds back with, "Is there a question in that?"

I texted back, "Thanks babe!!!  You're THE BEST and I love you!!!"

Here are some pics of the what they were rescued out of.  They were found in a yard under an old sink in the middle of August in Phoenix--the owner had been evicted and left all the feral dogs there.  The momma was badly dehydrated and malnourished but nothing was said to me until I arrived at the shelter to get them.  I was told that they did not expect this puppies to make it through the night.  "Great...did I just drive all the way into Tempe to bring home puppies that would die???  If my kids wake up to 6 dead pups tomorrow, I'm NEVER fostering again."

So I loaded up everything I needed--bedding/food/bottles/puppy formula--and drove home with a prayer in my heart.  I did NOT sleep well that first night as I kept coming down to check on the momma and encourage her to eat and drink.  She did an AMAZING job and kept doing an amazing job and these puppies are alive and well today because of the great mom she was.

There were only days old when we took them in--eyes closed and everything.  They were SOO tiny easily fitting into the palm of one hand.  My kids were instantly in love:

They easily fit into your palm.

We got to see their eyes open!!!  

They seriously just grew so fast right before our eyes!  We gave all of them names from "Harry Potter" because they're the best names:)  The 8 weeks we've kept them flew by!  It was so fun watching their little personalities come through.  Here's what we learned about them:

Albus: (male)  This little guy was my personal favorite!  I was thinking of different ways I could talk my husband into one more dog:)  He was soo kicked back and chill about everything.  And he has the BEST ears ever!!!  They stood straight up!  He had a giant head--we think there may have been a daddy pitbull:)  I honestly wanted to adopt this little guy because he was that cool--I thought Rocco needed a little "therapy dog" partner:)  But, the people who first found them have been out to visit them 3 times during their stay here and they have decided that they want to adopt Albus.  So he's going to a great home and they promised to keep sending me pictures of him growing up:)  

Albus

Hedwig:  (female)  She was the runt of the little and the lightest in color as well.  She was also a more independent, calm pup.  She was often found doing her own thing away from the others wrestling around.  She has also been spoken for and will be adopted immediately after she is spayed.

Hedwig

Dobby:  (male)  This little guy was the most vocal out of all the pups.  SUPER cute ears to as one stood up straight, and the other one not so much.  He's full of energy and loves to wrestle.  My most favorite thing about him was his "speckled" nose!  Always looked like he had dirt on his nose:)

Dobby

Cedric:  (male) We probably should have named this guy "Dudley" because he was the biggest and fattest of them all!  Super full of energy and loved to wrestle with his siblings.  Tatum took a liking to this little guy:)

Cedric

Bellatrix:  (female)  She is a super fiesty little girl!!!  She had this little growl that just melted your heart.  SUPER energetic and always up for a wrestling match.  One night she found an old mint lifesaver in our yard--from who knows when or where?!?!  Well, we had brought the puppies in for the night and Carlie noticed her acting strange.  She picked her up and noticed Bella was choking on something white in her mouth.  Carlie immediately calls me and hands me the choking pup.  I saw the round lifesaver and did a quick finger sweep to get it out!!!  Seriously almost had a heart attack over this!  I was SOOO grateful that Carlie noticed this!!!  Just like having human babies sometimes!!!

Bellatrix

Luna (aka "Killer Clown"):  (female)  Yep!  This little girl was the CRAZIEST of all of them!  FULL of energy and needing only half the sleep of everyone else!  But look at her face!!!  She's adorable right?  She was the first one to figure out how to get out of the cage, the first one to start every wrestling match, and she'll kiss your face to death!!!  SUPER cute but gonna need a LOT of work:)

Winky (aka Momma):  And here's the real hero of this story!  She did such a great job with these babies and they are all alive and well and thriving because of her!  Such a brave momma to have done this all on her own.  We kept her here for 6 weeks and then took her back to the shelter as the puppies weaned.  She is up for adoption now.  

 

She sometimes "hid" from her pups
for a break:)

So we have just LOVED our time with these little things.  I take them (along with a little piece of my heart) back next Tuesday and I am REALLY sad about it.  But I'm taking them back knowing I've got them off to a great start.  They have been WELL loved by my family and my 50+ piano students.  I will definitely be following up to make sure these pups all go to great homes:)

Puppy attack on Ethan:)