Eleven puppies. And the mother. When SCCAS Animal Control Officer Todd Stosuy worked with a young homeless man in July to help him with a large litter of two-week-old puppies, the concern was for the welfare of those pups and the mother. The mother was very thin and needed extra care and nutrition for all of those hungry pups. The canine family was surrendered to the shelter, which then resulted in Animal Care staff scrambling to figure out how to best care for this large intake of animals to an already full shelter.
With fingers crossed, a call went out for an angel to foster these pups and the mother. The SCCAS has a large and wonderful community of volunteers but who would want to take on this challenge? Amazing volunteer Kathy DiBenedetto stepped up and agreed to raise them in her home. In the following weeks that she has had them, the puppies have thrived, the mother dog has been a great mama, and Kathy has experienced the joy and sheer exhaustion of raising this rambunctious group of large-breed pups.
When Kathy called for help with gathering newspapers and supplies, and helping with daily care and socialization, other volunteers jumped in to support her and lend a hand when needed. It’s been a team effort on everyone’s part—from volunteers to Animal Care staff, to veterinary staff to keep them healthy. All 11 puppies and the mother have been spayed and neutered through the shelter’s Planned Pethood program, which means this litter of 11 puppies won’t result in hundreds more.
Once the puppies were old enough, Client Services jumped in to screen potential adopters and work with Kathy for adoption showings. At this point, all 11 puppies have been adopted. Kathy has been the true hero of this story. She has been amazing in caring for this young mother and her litter, in making sure the pups got a good head start in their lives, and giving them the love they needed when they needed it the most.
Thank you, Kathy. And thank you volunteers and staff.
Erin Conway is the Volunteer Program Coordinator at the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter. She has a long time passion for dogs and currently shares a home with Flynn, a Golden Retriever, and Rafi, a Flat Coat Retriever mix.
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