- This dog’s gamble saved the lives of both her puppies.
There’s nothing like a mother’s love. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a human or an animal.
However, we’re ready to hand the Mother (Dog) of the Year award to this Turkish stray pooch.
Earlier this year, an animal lover in Turkey rescued a sick puppy off the streets. The good Samaritan brought the half-dead dog to a veterinary clinic, telling them it was the only surviving puppy of its litter.
That, however, wasn’t quite correct. Soon afterward, the clinic’s staff noticed something incredible in the clinic’s surveillance cameras.
At the front door of the clinic stood a ragged-looking stray dog. In its mouth, it was holding another half-dead puppy.
It turned out that the dog was the mother of both puppies. It must’ve seen one of her still-living sick babies being taken to the vet and decided to bring her other puppy in as well.
That’s not a small feat for a stray dog. They don’t typically trust people, but this mother’s concern for her offspring must’ve overridden any fears she may have had.
This story fortunately has a very happy ending. The vets were able to nurse both puppies back to health and are now looking for a forever home for the little family.
One Poor Puppy
On January 13, passersby made a heartbreaking discovery on the streets of Beylikduzu, a Turkish town some 25 miles east of Istanbul. Hidden in a street corner, they found a litter of dead puppies.
On a closer inspection, they found one of the puppies was still hanging on to life—but just barely. It was very weak and with no mother in sight, it was clear the little thing wouldn’t last long.
An animal-loving person grabbed the poor puppy and rushed it to a nearby veterinary clinic. There, the vets confirmed the dog was indeed in grave condition.
It was malnourished and had a very low heart rate. With no time to lose, the clinic staff took the puppy to intensive care right away.
However, just as they began to treat the puppy, one staff member noticed a bizarre sight in the clinic’s security monitors. At the building’s door, there was a rough-looking dog.
In its mouth, it was carrying another puppy.
Help My Baby
Turns out that the mother of the unfortunate litter hadn’t been as far away as the rescuers had thought. She had simply hidden herself, watching as one of her puppies was carried off.
However, unlike the people thought, there was another puppy that was still alive. Now, its mother had a decision to make.
Would she keep hiding due to her distrust and possible fear of people? Or would she try to save her second still-living baby?
Well, it wasn’t a hard decision for her. It appears the mother dog scooped her dying puppy in her mouth and followed the trail of her other baby down to the vet clinic.
And that’s how the clinic staff found the mother standing at their door, hoping the nice people would help both of her puppies.
A Happy Ending
Of course, that’s just what the vets did. They took the second puppy in as well, and not a moment too soon.
This one was, if possible, in even worse condition than the first one, so it’s no wonder everybody mistook it for dead. It had barely a heartbeat left and was pretty much ice-cold.
As the vet staff took the puppy, the mother dog followed them into the clinic. She kept a watchful eye on the staff as they tended to her babies.
While the puppies’ treatment was ongoing, other staff members checked the mother’s condition. She wasn’t sick, but she was so underfed that she couldn’t produce enough milk for her litter, which sadly spelled doom for most of them.
Fortunately, the two puppies taken to the vet clinic pushed through. After receiving medical care and being fed formula, the two — and their mother — are now fine.
“Everything is going well so far. The treatment for both the puppy and its sibling will continue for a little longer … The mother dog is recovering well,” Dr. Baturalp Oghan told Daily Mail.
After the story went viral on Turkish social media, the vet clinic has received an outpouring of calls from dog lovers across the country. With the publicity the story has gotten, the staff is now hoping they can help find a loving home for the mother dog and her pups.