When Donna Lochmann received a call about a frightened dog hiding in the basement of an abandoned house, she rushed to the scene. She expected to find one stray in need — but instead, she discovered an entire little family waiting to be saved.
“As soon as we got out of the car, we could hear multiple babies crying,” Lochmann, chief life saving officer at Stray Rescue of St. Louis, told The Dodo.
Following the desperate sounds, she entered the basement and found three tiny, trembling puppies, only about six weeks old, yelping for attention.
Meanwhile, their worried mother barked from somewhere else in the house. Lochmann scooped up the pups and carried them to safety, then set a trap for the mother. But too scared to approach, the mama dog bolted.
“We never want to leave mom behind,” Lochmann said. “So I went back a few more times hoping she would still be in the area.”
Her persistence paid off. On her third trip back, Lochmann heard the familiar bark again — this time from upstairs. As she climbed the steps, a small yelp caught her attention. Looking down, she saw another tiny puppy right at her feet.
“I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “We searched everywhere the day we were there for the original puppies and didn’t see any more.”
At the top of the stairs, Lochmann discovered a hole in the floorboards. The puppies had likely been slipping through and ending up in the basement below. And upstairs, she found even more — four additional puppies hiding on the first floor.
“Altogether there were a total of eight puppies including the three we found the first day,” Lochmann said.
Lochmann carefully carried all eight babies to her Jeep before returning one last time for their mom. This time, she set the trap inside the house — and soon after, the mama dog walked in.
“That day, we got eight puppies total and their mama off the streets,” Lochmann said with relief.
The mother, now named Windy Day, and her pups were brought to Stray Rescue of St. Louis for safety and care.
The first three puppies went into foster care with Lochmann, and the rest soon found foster families of their own. Windy Day, sweet and gentle despite her rough past, is still waiting for a forever family.
“I’m hoping that somebody will take her soon,” Lochmann said. “She’s super sweet.”
Until then, shelter staff are showering her with affection, grateful that this devoted mama and her babies will never again face the fear and loneliness of abandonment.
To support dogs like Windy Day and her pups, you can donate to Stray Rescue of St. Louis or explore their list of adoptable animals.
