When Donna Lochmann received a report about a family of pit bulls in need of assistance, she was aware that the rescue effort would be challenging. There were at least three puppies hidden in an overgrown backyard, and their fearful mother was determined to protect them, according to the Good Samaritan who discovered them.
Lochmann, the chief lifesaving officer at Stray Rescue of St. Louis, has plenty of expertise and knew how to approach the rescue carefully. When she arrived, she noticed some puppies sheltering in plain sight, but she was aware that she couldn’t save them initially.
“I thought, ‘Well, I’m just gonna try to get mom first because if she’s barking at me, I don’t know what her reaction is gonna be when I start picking up her puppies,’” Lochmann told The Dodo.
In order to entice the protective pup to her car, Lochmann opened a can of Vienna sausages after spotting that the mother dog was starving. The dog, whom Lochmann had given the moniker Donutfest, was secured inside the car in no time.
“Once Donutfest was safe, I started working on finding the puppies,” Lochmann stated.
The first puppy Lochmann observed was hunched by herself next to a fence. Not only did she not flee when Lochmann approached her, but she also managed to articulate her displeasure at being taken up.
“She absolutely started screaming,” Lochmann added. “I can’t believe nobody in the neighborhood came out to see what was going on.”
In the automobile, Lochmann brought the puppy and her mother back together before going in search of the others. Lochmann quickly scanned the yard and saw three puppies—two hidden in the weeds, one curled up on a broken couch.
Since the puppies were already accustomed to their surroundings, they initially made every effort to keep Lochmann at bay. Two of them sprinted farther into the high weeds, evading Lochmann’s grasp.
But like she did with their mother, Lochmann chose to attract them to her rather than pursue them. The scent of a freshly opened can of dog food lured the puppies right into the rescuer’s arms.
Only one puppy remained for Lochmann to save after Donutfest and three of her four puppies were safely stowed away in the car. The last canine leaped from the couch where he was cuddled up and started to flee his rescuer.
Lochmann was able to gently take up the dog because he wasn’t moving too quickly thanks to this.
“It took me a while to get the last three puppies,” Lochmann said. “But once I got them all in the car, I was so happy.”
The puppies were taken into foster care almost right after being saved, and they passed their veterinarian exams with flying colors. All four puppies received a deluge of adoption requests as soon as Stray Rescue of St. Louis shared a photo of the group on Facebook.
“I think most of them are already spoken for as far as finding their forever homes,” Lochmann said. “But Mama is still with us.”
Donutfest is still looking for a forever home despite the fact that her babies have all received a lot of love and attention online. The formerly depressed canine has transformed into a cheerful pup with a perpetual grin.
“She’s completely just a happy, smiley, bouncy girl now who loves her caregivers and going on walks,” Lochmann added. “We would love for her to be in a home and finally get adopted.”
The staff at Stray Rescue of St. Louis is optimistic that Donutfest will soon be adopted by a devoted family. In the interim, they are making the most of their time with the vivacious young puppy and spoiling her with all the attention and love she has been missing.
Source: The Dodo
