“The rescue gods were with us,” says Stray Rescue of St. Louis, describing a recent rescue missing where they rescued seven skinny puppies and their mama from an abandoned home. The house, damaged by the May 16th tornado and years of neglect, turned out to be filled with hidden dangers.

Stray Rescue had originally been responding to a call about a dog in the abandoned house. The dog they were trying to rescue got spooked and ran away. But just as they were preparing to leave, a car pulled up and someone told them they’d seen a nursing dog run out of the same house. Suspecting there might be puppies inside, the team decided to venture in.

First, they navigated a broken electrical wire and a fallen tree outside. Then, they walked through the trash-laden home, filled with discarded lottery tickets. That’s when they spotted the puppies—huddled at the top of the stairs. But as soon as they approached, the puppies ran away and hid all over the house.

Stray Rescue wrote:

“Up the stairs we went, and sure enough, on the top floor, we counted at least six puppies – silent and scared and scattering into the rooms they have called ‘home’ up until now. No wonder the mama dog was barking so frantically.”

Several of the puppies ran into an area where the floor wouldn’t support the rescuers’ weight. Fearing the pups might fall out a window if chased too closely, the team retreated behind a bed and left food out, waiting patiently for the puppies to emerge.

It took patience and diligence to catch them all. They double-checked several times to ensure no puppy had been left behind.

Then it was the mama’s turn.

They set up trail cameras to make sure there were no more puppies hiding somewhere in the house. Stray Rescue wrote:

“This abandoned house was so full of hiding spots, junk, and trash, we were worried we may have missed a puppy. The only way to be sure was to leave mom there overnight to care for any missed puppies.”

Although their hearts broke watching the mama being confused as to where her puppies had gone, and even trying to bring the absent pups food, they knew they had to be certain. The next morning, confident no puppies were left behind, they set up a trap with food for the mama and caught her.

Now the puppies and mama are all in foster care and are thriving. Mama Mix Lotto – named after all the tickets they found inside house – has transformed into a cuddly dog.

“Thankfully, we had some amazing foster homes ready to take them immediately and start socializing them. Mom is so lucky she also left for foster immediately and the spoiling began instantly. She is not just doing great, she is thriving.”
Part I

Part II

Soruce: dogheirs