“They are just a week old …”
By Ashley Ortiz
While most St. Louis, Missouri, residents hunkered down during last week’s inclement weather, one pair of rescuers was scouring the city on foot, searching for someone who’d been missing for days.
“Neighbors said they’ve been feeding a pregnant dog for a while, but she disappeared last week,” Stray Rescue of St. Louis (SRSL) wrote on Facebook.
Knowing that a pregnant stray dog had gone missing was already concerning for SRSL’s rescuers. But the wintry weather rolling through the city made them even more worried.
“In the last few days, St. Louis has been hit with inches of snow, sleet, ice and dangerous temperatures,” SRSL wrote. “We assumed she had her babies in one of the nearby abandoned houses and began our search.”
With a row of abandoned houses to check, the rescue team, led by Donna Lochmann, crossed their fingers as they entered the first home. Their hope of finding her on the first try soon turned to relief when they spotted a pair of eyes staring at them from across the living room, hiding under a piece of furniture.
“She was in the first one we searched!” SRSL wrote.
As the rescuers approached the dog, her warning growls confirmed their suspicions: She’d had her five babies, and she was doing everything she could to protect them.
“Mama was sooo good protecting her little ones,” SRSL wrote. “She loves people but was unsure of our intentions.”
Lochmann understood the mama dog’s apprehension and spoke to her softly as she crept closer. Though the dog, later named Jackie Frost, was apprehensive, she allowed the rescuers to place a slip lead around her neck and followed them out of the house.
Once Jackie Frost was safe in the car, Lochmann began collecting the newborn puppies until she had all five little ones in her arms. She was astonished by how small and vulnerable they were.
“They are just a week old, so she must have had them a day or two before Thanksgiving,” SRSL wrote.
You can see more footage from the rescue here:
Lochmann loaded the puppies into the car with Jackie Frost, then drove them to SRSL’s headquarters. There, they received a quiet kennel just for themselves, filled with all the cozy items they’d been missing in the abandoned house.
“They are safe now and soaking up all the warm blankets,” SRSL wrote. “Mama just wants to show off her babies and give us hugs.”
Jackie Frost and her babies settled in that evening and enjoyed their first night sleeping in a warm room together. But there was still one thing missing: a foster family.
Thankfully, a kind SRSL supporter named Randy Morgan offered to take Jackie Frost and her puppies in — and the resilient mama dog couldn’t have been happier.
“Look how grateful Jackie Frost is to be in a safe foster home with her babies!!” SRSL wrote in an update on Facebook.
You can see that moment here:
Shortly after rescuing Jackie Frost, Lochmann returned to the same neighborhood and found the puppies’ father, who soon went off to his own foster home.
Having initially gone out to save one life, Lochmann and her team were thrilled to have rescued seven dogs that day. They’re relieved to know that the little family is safe now and look forward to the day when Jackie Frost and her puppies are officially adopted.
Until then, the rescuers will keep soaking up all the updates and pictures they receive of the growing puppies and their doting, resilient mom.
“[S]he is an angel!” SRSL wrote.