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While out shopping, a couple ended up leaving with more than they had planned – two puppies in desperate need of care.
Nicole shares her story of how two German Shorthair Pointers became her first dogs and members of her family:
“My girlfriend and I went to Walmart in Mesa, Arizona to gather some items, and left with two 2-week-old puppies. As we left the parking lot, we saw lady who had two big metal tins with a sign that said, ‘Free Puppies’. I didn’t have any dogs and out of curiosity, went over to see what she had. She had about six to eight approximately 5-month-old puppies and then had about four 2-week-old puppies. Two different litters.
“The woman was kind of a nut job and clearly was on drugs. The woman stated she did not want the dogs and was going to take them to the pound. My girlfriend and I lived in two separate homes and decided it would not work to bring a puppy home. As we walked away, I turned around and said, ‘Well, I will get one for my brother then,’ and picked up the female brown one. She looked at the black female puppy and said, ‘Well, I will get one for my sister and I then,’ and we walked away with two female puppies.”
“We took them home and decided we should go to PetSmart and get some basic puppy supplies, but really had no idea what we were in for. We were told the puppies’ parents were German Shorthair Pointers. The black puppy however appears to have Lab in her (we noticed this as she got older).
“We got home and noticed the brown one, Tatum, had a dewclaw that was barely hanging on and was bleeding, and noticed her dewclaw on the other foot was removed already. We rushed her to the vet who stated someone tried to cut it off and was unsuccessful. The lady we took the puppies from stated they were 6 weeks old, however, the vet stated they were no more than 2 weeks old. The vet told us not to get attached because the likelihood of them surviving was slim.”
“We did not let that get to us and we bought a mini pool and a heated blanket. We woke them up every few hours and bottle fed them. Tatum’s declaw had fallen off (either she bit it off or fell off). They developed an infection and were again, given more meds to battle it.”
“My brother soon realized he did not have time for Tatum, so she became mine. And Skylar became fully my girlfriend’s. As they got older we wanted to do the right thing and have them spayed, however, we were told they were anemic. After meds and proper care, they were able to have surgery to be spayed.
“The 2-week-old sisters that were told they wouldn’t survive, made it and are now happy 20-month-old, fully of energy girls. They have taught us so much about love, patience, and survival.”
“These definitely should not have been our first dogs, but I would not have had it any other way. They do have social skill issues with other dogs, probably because they were pulled away from their mom so soon, but we are working on those issues. Skylar has separation anxiety, but she is getting better.
“Skylar and Tatum recently got a new little brother named Parker. He is a Shih Tzu Yorkie mix. Skylar loves him, but Tatum is still having issues with sharing attention. My girlfriend and I recently moved in together, and all the dogs are finally in one house. No more transporting them back and forth between two houses. 🙂 Tatum is the brown one and Skylar is the black one. We definitely got more than what was on the Walmart list that day!”
DogHeirs members were happy to hear Nicole’s rescue story. One wrote, “Very sweet story and I’m so glad you rescued these little gals. I’m sure your reward is and will be greater than expected. Imagine someone trying to remove a dewclaw like that! How cruel. Anyway, all’s well that end’s well. Congrats to the happy family, furry and non-furry….”
Another member asked if they ever got “to the bottom” of what that woman was doing with the puppies in the first place? Nicole answered, “I am not sure why that lady had them. She said her dog had puppies and she didn’t want them. I saw on Cooper’s Rescue’s website that a lady took 2 German Shorthairs from Walmart in Mesa as well. Might be the same day I got my girls or a different litter. One of her pups got Parvo, but survived.. :-/ thank you all for the comments. I love my 3 dogs, plus the mamma pitbull and her two puppies I found and am fostering! 🙂 full house!!!!”
~ Submitted by Nicole Cockerham, April 18, 2013
Dogs who are rescued never forget the humans who saved them. We are highlighting heartwarming stories of dogs saved from dire situations and then cherished as invaluable family members. Did you rescue your dog? If you’d like to share your rescue story, share your story here on DogHeirs.com. You can also email your photos and stories directly to us under the Subject “Rescue dogs are family” to team (at) dogheirs (dot) com.
