“They were so starving.”
Ryan Weepers and Brittni Moffatt have always had a taste for adventure. For the past six years, the couple has lived aboard a houseboat, exploring the world and sharing their journeys with followers on Instagram and YouTube.
About four years ago, their travels brought them to the shores of Sicily, Italy. While wandering along a quiet beach, Moffatt noticed something unusual in the grass.
“I started exploring down the beach,” she recalled in a video for The Dodo. “And then, instantly, I was like, ‘Oh my God, puppies.’”
Hidden in the overgrowth were four starving puppies. Moffatt rushed back with some dog food, which the pups devoured without hesitation.
“They were so starving,” she said.
With help from Weepers, Moffatt managed to coax three of the puppies into carriers. But the fourth pup—stronger and more anxious than the others—proved elusive. After an hour of trying to catch him, they had no luck. Still, they brought his siblings back to their houseboat, vowing to return for him soon.
Safe inside the boat’s bathroom, the three puppies snuggled together on a warm hot water bottle. Moffatt documented their first night aboard—their cautious tail wags the next morning a sign of new beginnings. With guidance from a local veterinarian, she administered antibiotics and carefully combed ticks from their fur.
Thanks to her care, the transformation was almost immediate. The pups, once frail and frightened, began playing joyfully around the boat. Yet, one piece of the puzzle remained: the fourth puppy was still out there.
Determined, the couple returned every few days to find him. Their efforts came up empty—until one day, they spotted the pup darting into a bush.
“We started pulling the bush apart,” Moffatt said. “We finally caught him.”
With all four puppies safe at last, the couple reached out to a local animal shelter. With the shelter’s help and connections, they found each dog a loving forever home.
Now, four years later, Weepers and Moffatt are still exploring the world—this time with a new little crewmate, their baby, Oakley. Life has changed, but their mission remains the same: to help animals in need, no matter where the journey takes them.
Because sometimes, a life waiting to be rescued is just around the next corner.