Rye came to Black Dog Animal Rescue, heavily pregnant, and in search of a comfy place to rest. We knew there were a lot of puppies in mama’s belly but we weren't fully prepared for just how many puppies. On October 18th, pregnant mama Rye gave birth to 11 puppies. That’s right, 11! Almost a full dozen squirming, squeaking, multi-colored pit bull puppies came into our world. Mama Rye got right to work, making sure her puppies were well fed and loved.
Rye is a three year old pitbull mix. She’s got a shiny dark coat, and large belly from giving birth to so many puppies. Despite all she’s been through, she loves and fully trusts people. On our visit with Rye to make sure her puppies were doing well, she met us at the gate to her foster home. She took our hands into her mouth (which was a little scary at first!!) and then led us to her babies. She was so proud of the puppies that she has worked so hard to care for, and she wanted to share them with us. Rye had no reservations about leading two strangers to her prized babies. Despite being shuttled around, pregnant and without a home, Rye knew we were there to help her.
Rye left an overcrowded shelter behind, something we are all too familiar with. We hope that by bringing Rye and others like her into our care we can alleviate some of the stress of overcrowding. Getting one dog out of a situation like Rye’s is only a drop in the bucket. But we never doubt that that one drop makes a difference. Because that one drop has a ripple effect; after Rye has weaned her puppies, she will be spayed and once they are old enough, her babies will be spayed and neutered as well. They will all be microchipped, vaccinated and placed in loving homes just in time for the holiday.
Because of our meaningful foster program, 12 lives have been changed. Rye will never be forced to be a mom again. Her babies will live healthy lives, never contribute to the overpopulation of an overcrowded shelter and their chances of ever seeing the inside of a shelter themselves, are significantly reduced.
Animal shelters and rescues are struggling nationwide. We are dealing with low adoption rates, high surrender rates, and low spay/neuter rates. The combination of all of these factors leads to overcrowding in shelters. At Black Dog Animal Rescue, we wish that we could say yes to more of the hundreds of animals we see every week who need us. Whether they’re from the email lists we receive from our shelter partners, the ones that concerned animal lovers tag us in on social media that are facing euthanasia or the surrenders that people ask to drop off at our center every single day.
