At around 9 a.m., two hours before opening, the team at Great Plains SPCA (GPSPCA) received an urgent message from a concerned member of the community. A Good Samaritan had stumbled upon an abandoned crate at a busy intersection in Shawnee, Kansas, and to their shock, inside were 11 tiny, helpless puppies trapped with no way out.
The Good Samaritan had no idea how long the puppies had been confined in the crate, but they knew the situation was dire. The location was dangerous, and bad weather was quickly approaching.
“It was a fairly busy road, and they were rescued just in time before a massive downpour hit our area,” said Victoria Roland-Vaughn, GPSPCA’s social media coordinator, in an interview with The Dodo. “The poor pups had nothing to protect them — no food, no water…”
Thankfully, the Good Samaritan wasn’t about to leave the puppies to face the elements. They gathered the litter and rushed them straight to the GPSPCA shelter.
As the shelter staff welcomed the puppies, concern immediately arose for their safety. These 6-week-old babies were particularly vulnerable, and with sick animals already housed at the shelter, the staff worried about exposing them to dangerous illnesses.
“With parvo-positive puppies already onsite and ten other pups exposed to the deadly disease, we simply couldn’t risk keeping more young dogs at the shelter,” Roland-Vaughn explained.
“All of these pups were filthy and exhausted from everything they’d been through. As soon as they realized they were safe, they fell right asleep,” GPSPCA shared on Facebook.
As the puppies rested, the shelter team worked tirelessly, searching for foster homes. Then, a miracle happened — overnight, six of the eleven puppies found foster families together. But five pups still remained, eagerly watching every visitor, hoping for a chance to be taken home.
Just a few hours and several applications later, the remaining five puppies found joint foster homes. At last, the entire litter was safe, and the shelter staff could breathe a sigh of relief.
“Our community came together in an incredible way,” Roland-Vaughn said.
The puppies will spend the next three weeks in foster care, growing stronger until they’re old enough to be neutered and adopted. In the meantime, the rambunctious group will enjoy their time together, whether it’s napping or wrestling with each other.
“Now that these pups are in foster care, they’re blossoming into the happiest little pups you could imagine,” Roland-Vaughn said. “You’d never guess they’d been through such a terrifying experience — they’re so playful and full of love.”
The GPSPCA staff can’t wait to see each puppy find their perfect forever home. Although their story began in heartbreak, their future is now full of promise, thanks to the love and dedication of the GPSPCA community.
“It’s because of the incredible support from our community that we get to see these puppies play, learn, and understand what it means to be truly loved,” Roland-Vaughn said.
