Valerie Hicks was driving along a Mississippi road last month when something unusual caught her attention: an open crate sitting on the side of the pavement, with a fuzzy shape curled up inside. Instinctively, Hicks turned her car around.
As it happened, Hicks was already on her way to Community Animal Rescue & Adoption (CARA), the nonprofit shelter where she serves as board president. Expecting to find a single abandoned dog, she stepped out of her car ready to help — but what she discovered stopped her cold.
Inside the crate wasn’t just one dog, but a frightened mother surrounded by her tiny puppies.
“I was shocked,” Hicks told The Dodo. “Who does that to a brand-new little family?”
The mother dog watched Hicks closely, her eyes filled with fear and exhaustion. Hicks immediately called for help and waited for a rescue partner, Christina, to arrive, staying close and reassuring the anxious mama that she was no longer alone.
“Mom was very nervous — maybe the saddest eyes I’ve ever seen,” Hicks said. “But at the same time, she seemed very grateful.”
Once safely back at CARA, the young mother finally began to relax. For the first time, she had a warm, quiet place to care for her seven puppies. Shelter staff quickly reached out to their foster network, and it wasn’t long before a foster family stepped up, ready to help once the pups were old enough.
Watching the little family settle in has been a joy for everyone involved.
“This girl is one of the best moms ever,” CARA shared on Facebook. “The puppies are healthy, nursing constantly, and when they’re not eating, they’re in total milk comas.”
Now five weeks old, the puppies continue to grow and thrive in foster care. Soon, the entire family will head north to one of CARA’s trusted partner rescues, where each dog will be placed into a loving forever home.
Stories like theirs are why rescuers do what they do — and why every abandoned animal deserves a second chance at safety and love.
To help other animals like these dogs, make a donation to CARA.
