Here's Sandy the night I went to pick her up in November 2007 from the go-between so the former owners wouldn't know where Sandy was going after they signed the surrender form. I found out for sure that night she was pregnant since that was the first time I got to see Sandy and as she laid down her belly moved a lot because the puppies were very active.
No one knew that she was pregnant and they thought the owners were feeding her more because she looked like she was gaining weight.
She was absolutely filthy & stinky and her coat felt like straw. She was very malnourished and skinny despite being pregnant. The week before I went to get her she was stuck outside in an almost hurricane-like storm with no dog shelter and was tied to a tree with a short rope, or so we were told by those who facilitated the surrender. But I definitely remember the storm because it shook the house and rattled the windows. It was very scary being indoors during that storm. I can only imagine what Sandy must have suffered being outside.
Then 8 days later, 10 puppies arrived.
I hand fed the pups mostly with a vet recommended recipe but also let them suckle mom so they could get their immunities. And mom got to eat tons of good raw food to try to fatten her back up and provide enough milk to supplement what I was feeding them. Sandy was a great mom. Never complained during the labor/delivery and never hesitated with the pups and knew exactly what to do. I was the nervous one but she sailed right through it. All puppies survived but the vet originally said I should put half the litter to sleep and I refused. Sheeba is in the video there somewhere. lol She had a black brother but Sheeba was a bit more chunky than her brother.
A couple pups were adopted locally but the good people at Rosies in Montreal helped me with the rest. And of course we kept Sheeba. But I definitely know all the pups were treated well. I don't know who fostered the pups and suspect one or two might be members of this forum but I don't know for sure.
I thank everyone involved for all their help and will never forget.
My wish though is to see a photo update of the brindle female and how her coat turned out. Does she still have the stripes? Did she turn furry like Sheeba and Max or is she short coat like Buddy?
Now Sandy's happy that she gets to live inside, eat regular meals, sleep on a couch and go for walks in the woods. But she hates storms, rain and wet grass. She loves being combed and brushed.
