Rescuers received a call saying that two homeless female dogs were living in the back of an abandoned van in a field near Cultus lake. Both dogs had litters of puppies in the van. We went out there to look and found the two females and six puppies. A person nearby told us that the first litter had been eaten by coyotes. The mother of the remaining litter had stuffed the approximately four week old puppies under the seats at the front of the van. The puppies were covered in excrement and screamed when we picked them up as they have never been touched by humans before. The smell in the van was overwhelming and we couldn't believe that these poor dogs had been living in there.

The other mother who lost her litter, was in the back of the van shivering in fear. We think that both dogs are related, possibly mother and daughter.

We drove the dogs to a volunteer's barn. It looks like these dogs have never been inside a house before so we thought we would put them in a barn first where they will be safe and warm. We couldn't get the younger dog to walk to the barn and we tried to entice her by showing her the puppies.

When we wheeled her into the barn, she was delighted to see the other dog and the pups and quickly snuggled up beside them. Three of the puppies went to feed from her, and three from the other dog. It seems that since loosing her litter, the other dog shares her pups with her. All the puppies are fat and healthy with two mothers looking after them.

The pups will be up for adoption in two weeks after receiving vet care and being given a clean bill of health. We are accepting applications for them now. There are three females and three males. The two adult dogs are going to need special foster homes that will be willing to work with them to introduce them to a home and help them to build up trust in people. If you have experience with dogs like this and would like to foster, please email and let us know.

For now, six puppies and two sweet girls are all fast asleep with full bellies in a warm and dry barn. Goodnight sweet dogs, your lives have just changed for the better.

UPDATE : The older of the two dogs, who we think is the mother, is doing very well. She has allowed us to put a collar on her and has gone for several walks. She loves to be petted and have someone sit beside her. Her pups no longer scream when we pick them up and are gobbling up the food we are weaning them on. The younger adult dog is coming along leaps and bounds, she loves to go for walks but especially likes running beside you off leash in a fenced area. She loves to play hide and seek and her whole body wiggles with delight when she finds you. She has some such a long way in such a short amount of time.