They needed help.
Late last month, Fresno Humane Animal Services officer Priscilla Wolcott received a call about a family of golden retrievers in desperate need. The report said two adult dogs and an entire litter of puppies had been left behind in an empty home after their owners moved away.
When Wolcott arrived, the two adult goldens ran up to greet her with wagging tails. One was clearly the mother, and the other a younger female. Their cheerful demeanors shocked Wolcott, considering they’d been fending for themselves for nearly two weeks.
“There wasn’t a drop of water on the property,” Wolcott told The Dodo. “No food anywhere.”
The puppies, however, were nowhere in sight. Unsure where to look, Wolcott simply followed the mother dog — and the devoted mama wasted no time showing her the way.
“She instantly led me right to her babies,” Wolcott said.
Inside the corner of an old chicken coop lay eight chubby little puppies. Despite having nothing, their mother had somehow managed to keep them safe, full, and thriving.
While it might surprise some, Wolcott says abandoned golden retrievers are not unheard of in her line of work. But even she was stunned to discover an entire family — ten goldens in total — left behind. She suspected the owners had been breeding them in the backyard.
“This was the first time I’d ever found a full family of goldens abandoned like this,” Wolcott said.
What moved her even more was how quickly the dogs trusted her. All ten seemed to understand she was there to help. They walked into their crates without hesitation and didn’t resist being loaded into her vehicle.
“They were jumping all over me like, ‘Please take us with you,’” Wolcott recalled.
Soon after the rescue, the whole family was transferred to Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue & Sanctuary. There, staff confirmed that the younger adult — now named Kayla — is actually the 9-month-old daughter of the mama dog, Tabatha.
“The puppies are five weeks old now and really showing who they are,” Audrey Farrington, Homeward Bound’s board chair, said. “Tabatha is such a loving mom; she only takes quick breaks to nap in the sun.”
Every puppy, along with Tabatha and Kayla, already has an adopter waiting. Before long, each one will be settling into a loving forever home — leaving their difficult beginning far behind.