OLYMPIA, Washington. – A couple hiking on a trail near Olympia on Sunday were shocked to find a planter with nearly a dozen newborn puppies inside.
The Caring Hearts 4 Paws rescue center in Olympia has taken them in. The founder is taking care of the helpless litter that desperately needs care.
The puppies are currently being kept warm in an incubator (see picture below):
Sue Meijer, dog mom and founder of the animal rescue service, says they need to be fed every 2-3 hours.
“They eat like champions,” said Meijer.
Because there are so many mouths to feed, it takes about an hour and a half to feed all of the puppies per feeding.
The puppies were found abandoned near McLane Trail on Sunday, their umbilical cords still attached. Meijer says they must have been only a few hours old.
“It was pretty obvious someone had dumped them there,” Meijer said.
Andrea Jordan and her husband Kyle came across the dogs by chance after a hike.
“When I found 11 puppies, of course I panicked and thought, ‘Oh my God. What am I going to do with 11 puppies?'” Andrea said.
She was on her way to the bathroom when Kyle heard crying coming from the crate and went to check it out.
“They were all just stacked on top of each other to keep warm,” Andrea said.
The Jordans took the puppies home and asked for help on social media. Sue responded and jumped into action, picking them up that same evening.
“It’s heartbreaking not knowing what Mom is going through,” Meijer said.
One can only speculate why someone left the puppies in the forest. Meijer now hopes to reunite them with their mother.
“She must be going through such grief. I can’t imagine what she’s going through right now,” she said.
Meijer said she cannot leave the house at the moment because the puppies need so much care.
“You don’t get much done and you don’t get much sleep, but they’re doing really great,” she said.
If you would like to help the puppies, Sue says monetary donations or puppy food are welcome. She says volunteers are also needed to help walk the other adoptable puppies at the rescue.
A litter, including Bean, a German Shepherd mix (pictured below), will be available for adoption on Saturday, August 10, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Tractor Supply Store, 4141 Martin Way E. in Olympia.
In the meantime, Meijer hopes that the owner of the mother dog will hand her over to the animal rescue so that the puppies can return to her.
“We don’t need to know your name, you don’t need to know anything about yourself, we can meet you anywhere and just hand the dog over to us. It’s so important for these puppies to have a mom who will teach them to groom and nurse them, they deserve it,” Meijer said.
If you have any information on where the mother dog might be, contact Meijer at Caring Hearts 4 Paws in Olympia via social media or at [email protected].
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