Adventurous couple Ryan Weepers and Brittni Moffatt have spent the past six years living aboard a houseboat, exploring the world and sharing their travels on social media. But one of their most unforgettable discoveries didn’t happen at sea — it happened in the grass.
Four years ago, while docked in Sicily, Italy, Moffatt was walking along a beach when something unexpected caught her eye: a tiny, frightened face peeking out from the tall grass.
“I started exploring down the beach,” Moffatt recalled in a video for The Dodo. “And then, instantly, I was like, ‘Oh my God, puppies.’”
She rushed back for dog food and returned to find four extremely skinny pups, desperate for help. The moment she laid down food, the puppies inhaled it.
“They were so starving,” she said.
With Weepers’ help, Moffatt managed to get three of the pups into carriers. The fourth, more energetic and wary than the others, was too quick to catch. Though disappointed, the couple took the trio back to their boat, determined to return for their sibling.
Inside the houseboat’s bathroom, the puppies snuggled together on a warm water bottle. That night, they finally rested.
In a YouTube video, Moffatt captured their transformation — from weak and frightened to tail-wagging bundles of energy after some food, sleep, and medical care.
A local vet guided her through deworming and tick removal, and soon the pups were playing as if they'd always known love.
But one was still missing.
Every few days, the couple returned to the beach in search of the fourth puppy. Time after time, he remained just out of reach. Still, they refused to give up. Finally, during one visit, they spotted him darting into a bush. This time, they were ready.
“We started pulling the bush apart,” Moffatt said. “We finally caught him.”
With the full litter safe, the couple contacted a local animal shelter to help place the puppies in loving homes. Through the shelter's network, each pup was adopted into a forever family.
Today, four years later, Ryan and Brittni are still sailing and sharing their adventures — now with a new little explorer in tow: their baby, Oakley. And though their travels take them far and wide, one thing hasn’t changed: their commitment to helping animals in need.
Because sometimes, life’s greatest surprises are hiding in the grass, just waiting to be found.
