Their mama was hesitant, but …
When animal rescuer Laurette Nicoll received an urgent call about a mother dog raising seven newborn pups in a rundown tent, she wasted no time getting there. The property owner led her to the spot, and the sight nearly brought her to tears — tiny puppies squirming in a heap of dirty blankets, with their frightened mom keeping watch.
Nicoll knew the little family needed help right away. But there was one challenge: Darcy, the devoted mom, didn’t trust her.
“She was doing everything she could to protect her babies,” Nicoll explained in a video for The Dodo.
With someone gently holding Darcy back, Nicoll carefully lifted the puppies one by one into her van, speaking softly the entire time. As Darcy watched how tenderly her pups were being handled, her guard slowly began to drop.
“When she finally let me touch her head, I thought, ‘This is my chance,’” Nicoll recalled. She placed Darcy in a crate, finally able to breathe a sigh of relief knowing the whole family was safe.
Darcy and her puppies were soon placed in foster care through Hope Ranch Animal Sanctuary. Although she had allowed the rescue, arriving in a new home left Darcy anxious all over again. But her foster family was patient.
“They gave her space and never pushed her,” Nicoll said. “Because of that, she learned to trust them very quickly.”
Within a week, Darcy had transformed — instead of cowering, she began seeking affection, even rolling onto her back for belly rubs. The once-fearful mama blossomed into a loving, confident dog.
“Darcy has done a complete 180,” Nicoll said. “Her progress is incredible.”
Today, Darcy and all seven of her puppies have been adopted into forever homes. What began as a desperate struggle for survival in a torn-up tent has turned into a story of love, safety, and second chances.