Mack
His adopters tell us what it’s like to live with a big dog
Dogs, Rehome
A community of care at BCDH meant survival for a huge litter
Tied to a railing, starving, and heavily pregnant - Valerie was barely surviving. But everything changed when she was rescued and brought to safety at Bath Cats and Dogs Home. 9 days later she gave birth to 11 puppies.
So many puppies would be demanding for any mother, but as underweight as she was, Valerie’s body couldn’t produce enough milk to feed 11 growing babies. Luckily, Valerie didn’t have to manage on her own anymore.
Staff and trained fosterers stepped up to help Valerie in her hour of need. They say it takes a village to raise a child; well, it takes a community to care for 11 puppies. With 7 puppies needing to be hand-reared to give them all the best chance at survival.
Puppies need a lot of care, so this involved bottle feeding and cleaning the puppies every 2 hours, including throughout the night. Sleep-deprived, we anxiously waited to see how many puppies would make it.
After 6 weeks in the team and Valerie's combined care, all 11 puppies are developing healthily, a massive achievement for such a large litter.
It was a busy couple of months for everyone, and then happily we found them all homes. 11 adoption days!
Valerie
Throughout this, we have also cared for Valerie, building up her strength and recovery. She's a sweetheart and is already reserved to be adopted.
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