Meet Elsa and the winter litter
You’ve heard the story before: mom and pups at an overcrowded shelter, we can help, so we do.
When I reach out to the shelter, they immediately send me 3 videos of litters who need to get out of the shelter, with detailed descriptions of mom and pups. On the practical side, they have raised many litters in the shelter and know that they take a lot of time and cleaning. On the heart side, they just want to save as many dogs as possible. Staff knows that I am likely the best option for one of these families.
We have a very good setup to raise puppies. We can handle large breeds, large breeds with large litters, small breeds with large litters – these are the more difficult cases to get out to a rescue.
So, I always ask 3 questions:
- which litter will open up the most space for you?
- which mom is the nicest?
- who’s your favorite?
Right now, so many shelters are feeling the pain of over-population and are resorting to euthanasia to control the situation. Often, large litters outgrow their one kennel and spill into 2 adjoining kennels just to keep the family healthy, safe and happy. But everyone knows that finding 2 adjoining kennels means another dog will have to give up a kennel, and that likely means euthanasia.
And I ask for a staff favorite because mom’s temperament makes my job easier in terms of handling her, in terms of how she might treat the puppies, in terms of placement in a forever home. It does one more thing. When you work in a shelter, you fall in love every day. I can’t imagine having to euthanize one of your favorite dogs, or having to watch them detoriate in the kennels. The boost to staff morale that I can give by rescuing a favorite, helps them carry on.
So, we did it! And now Elsa is raising her 8 little winter gems, right here with us. They arrived at about 2 weeks old. During that first week, they opened their eyes, started walking around (no wobbly testing of the legs for these guys!), and outgrew the baby pool. Their development has been really fast, they’re racing through all the stages. I attribute that to their incredible ability to sleep. They are a bunch of loungers!
Meet the pups:
