Rescuers Find 8 Puppies Frozen to Death Outside, Only Mom and 1 Pup Still Surviving
Some winters are more brutal than others. The winter of 2017-2018 will likely go down as excruciatingly frosty and frigid.
On certain days, every single state in the nation has actually been below freezing. We’ve grown exceedingly familiar with troubling terms like “polar vortex” and “bomb cyclone,” the latter of which sounds more like a violent roller derby move than a legitimate weather phenomenon.
Suffice it to say that if you stroll outside and all your extremities turn numb at once, it’s probably far too nasty for your furry friend.
The American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMA) emphasizes that family pets are indeed susceptible to frostbite, hypothermia, paw abrasion, and similar maladies during these chilly winter months.
Unfortunately, there are still pet owners who believe a canine’s fur provides absolutely adequate protection from glacial temperature readings. One such “outdoor dog” recently lost nearly all of her puppies — and as a result, much of social media is in an uproar.
On the day after Christmas, the Galesburg, Illinois-based Knox County Humane Society received a call from an unnamed pet owner.
This individual informed the shelter that his black Labrador mix had just given birth to an entire litter.
The gentleman went on to explain that this blessed event was a total surprise. The family hadn’t even been aware their pooch was pregnant.
Alarmed staff members also learned from this man that he did, in fact, consider his pet one of those proverbial “outdoor dogs.” Said another way, she’d been kept outside the house during one of the most vicious Midwestern cold snaps in recent memory.
Unsurprisingly, rescuers rushed to the scene almost immediately. Unfortunately, it was already far too late for eight of the newborn puppies.
The concerned visitors came upon a decidedly gruesome scene. In addition to eight tiny frozen corpses, they found the mother and one remaining baby rapidly approaching hypothermia — and on the brink of dying of exposure.
Feebly clinging to life, these two ailing survivors were surrendered to the Knox County Humane Society.
Both were quickly whisked indoors, where they received intensive intervention and a warm, safe space in which to recuperate.
Shelter spokesperson Curt Kramer told media outlets that mother and pup are now on the mend. He indicated that once they fully recover, they’ll likely be put up for adoption to find a caring, conscientious forever family.
According to Michigan State University, all 50 states have individual anti-cruelty laws — and some consider it unlawful neglect to deny pets adequate shelter in cold climates.
Thanks to the quick intercession of Knox County Humane Society personnel, one canine mother and her last precious pup have a second chance to be treated with nurturing, loving compassion.
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