Rescuers Save Stranded Mama Dog and Her Puppies, Beating the Odds
While driving through an orchard near Fresno, California, a man noticed a small family of dogs huddled near the roadside. As he approached, he saw a protective mother dog standing guard over her seven tiny puppies.
Though he wanted to help, the sheer number of dogs—and the mama’s fear—made it impossible for him to take them alone. Determined to get them to safety, he contacted Helga Weiss, president of Paw Squad 559 and co-founder of California Spay and Neuter. Before leaving, he marked their location and provided food and water.
That night, Weiss couldn’t stop thinking about the vulnerable family.
“All I could think about was the puppies and the poor mom trying to defend her children,” Weiss told The Dodo.
At dawn, she arrived at the orchard, where a local ranch worker shared heartbreaking news: while feeding the dogs, he had witnessed a coyote snatch one of the puppies.
The frightened mama, later named Mother Goose, remained wary of strangers. Weiss patiently spent two and a half hours sitting with her, offering sausages until she finally let her guard down. Once she realized Weiss was there to help, her fear melted away. Overcome with relief, Weiss burst into tears—and in a touching moment, Mother Goose licked the tears from her face.
Despite the overwhelming 100+ rescue calls Weiss receives daily, she remains committed to fighting the root of the issue: advocating for spaying and neutering to prevent more animals from ending up abandoned.
Mother Goose and her surviving six puppies were placed in foster care with Christie West, organized by Save-A-Mutt Rescue. But soon, West noticed something was off. A vet confirmed her worst fears—the puppies had parvovirus, a highly contagious and often deadly disease.
Determined to save them, Save-A-Mutt invested over $11,000 in treatment. With West’s round-the-clock care and a new parvo injection, the puppies not only survived but are now thriving.
“The beautiful thing is they’re all alive,” West said. “They’re happy, they’re healthy, and just adorable.”
Mother Goose and her puppies—each named after fairy-tale characters—will soon travel to Save-A-Mutt’s Washington facility, where they’ll be available for adoption. In the meantime, West is finally getting to snuggle them without gloves or protective gear.
“I’m going to be loving on them all weekend,” she said.