A group of friends filming a video in the middle of the desert were in for an unexpected surprise when they discovered a dog in the remote location. “There were no houses, it was miles from anywhere,” Emily Everett-Nelson, founder of Atlas Animal Rescue, said in a video for The Dodo. The group had no idea where the dog, later named Pretzel, had come from, but she seemed to just want affection. She wandered around the set, completely at ease, until a few days later when tiny cries filled the air.
Despite the freezing conditions, the group knew Pretzel needed help. They reached out to Everett-Nelson, who rushed to the scene. “I went to this abandoned old ramp, and she had given birth underneath it,” she recalled. “She was there with almost a dozen puppies.” Pretzel allowed Everett-Nelson to carefully gather each puppy and place them safely in a kennel in her car.
Pretzel, so sweet and trusting with her rescuers, seemed to know her puppies were safe. Though she was trying to be a good mom, she was malnourished and couldn’t produce enough milk for her 10 pups. Everett-Nelson had an idea — her friend Louise had recently given birth to 10 puppies, too. She brought Pretzel and her pups to join Louise and her litter, and soon, the two families became one happy, blended group.
“Once Louise came into the picture, the puppies got so big and fat,” Everett-Nelson said. Thanks to Louise’s milk, the puppies thrived.
After eight weeks of growing and bonding in their foster home, the puppies were ready for adoption. They found their forever homes quickly, but none more sought after than Mama Pretzel. “Everyone wanted Pretzel because she is just the best dog,” Everett-Nelson shared. “Some dogs you meet just have such old souls.”
Now, Pretzel is living her best life in her forever home, surrounded by love, after putting her trust in the right people.