And the mom was pregnant 😰
Recently, a farmworker near Fresno, California, was going about his typical morning when he noticed a small family of Chihuahuas huddled by the side of the road in a rural area between agricultural fields.
Upon getting out of his car to investigate, the man realized that one of the dogs was injured. He immediately contacted Fresno Humane Animal Services for assistance. Animal control officers quickly arrived to rescue the abandoned Chihuahua family and discovered two puppies, a heavily pregnant mother, and an injured father. The dogs were clearly frightened and trembling.
“The mom was the first one to take the leap of faith and come up to us,” said Priscilla Wolcott, an animal control officer with Fresno Humane Animal Services. Wolcott determined that the father’s injury was a bite wound, likely from a coyote or another dog. It appeared the dogs had been abandoned the night before and had been struggling to survive on their own.
“I’m sure Dad was protecting the family,” Wolcott said. “And he made it out alive.”
The officers carefully loaded the scared pups into their truck and took them to the shelter. Just 30 minutes after their arrival, the mother began giving birth. It was a miracle that despite all the hardships she had faced, she gave birth to four healthy puppies.
While the mother and her six babies rested, the father was rushed to a veterinary hospital. Meanwhile, Animal Compassion Team, a local animal shelter, decided to take in the mother and her puppies, where they would be cared for until they were all fixed and the babies were weaned.
Soon after, Hazel’s House Rescue took in the father, naming him Kaliska. Initially, Kaliska was struggling, and the rescuers weren’t sure if he would survive. But with intensive veterinary care and plenty of love from his foster mom, Kaliska began to improve.
“Now he is pretty much like any other dog,” said Brittany Hazel, founder of Hazel’s House Rescue. “You’d never know the trauma he endured.”
Kaliska’s foster mom grew so attached to him that she decided to adopt him, giving him a forever home. He now has new parents, a cattle dog sister, and several feline siblings.
All of the other rescued dogs are still waiting for their happy endings. If you’re interested in adopting one of the puppies, you can contact Animal Compassion Team for more information.