A couple was recently driving in Fresno, California, when they spotted an abandoned dog in a ditch next to the road. They got out of the car to investigate and were shocked to find that the dog was guarding a secret: her tiny puppy.
As the couple was from out of town, they couldn’t take the dogs with them. They left them some blankets and food and called a local rescue, who reached out to Fresno Humane Animal Services for help.
Priscilla Wolcott, a Fresno Humane Animal Services animal control officer, quickly arrived at the scene. At first, she had a bit of trouble finding the pups and was worried she wouldn’t be able to save them.
Then, she saw the mama dog’s head pop out from the ditch. She had her days-old puppy right next to her.
“The puppy was really cold because it had been raining all night the night before,” Wolcott told The Dodo.
Wolcott was worried that the mama had other babies hidden out of sight. But after thoroughly searching around the area, it became clear that it was just the two of them.
As an animal control officer, Wolcott is never sure whether a dog she’s rescuing will be wary of humans. But to her surprise, the mama was sweet, docile and completely trusting.
“She was kind of just accepting of the help,” Wolcott said. “She was probably just waiting for someone to stop by and pick her and her baby up.”
@acowolcottTo start off by clarifying, yes I do work for an animal shelter. I am an animal control officer and I respond to calls for animals in need, amongst many other things. Working in an animal shelter has lots of moving parts. One of them being that we rely heavily on our 501c3 rescue partners to help pull animals from our shelter to make space. Our shelter is constantly overflowing and at capacity and our rescue partners are always coming to help us and respond to our calls for help too. My videos help network the animals I pick up to rescue as well possible adopters and/or fosters. We may never know a stray animals full story but a chance to see where they came from and what they’ve endured to what they can overcome when just given the chance and opportunity too can be really magical and rewarding. It takes a village to get them there sometimes, but it is always worth it. Like this beautiful mama dog and her baby, for example. I received a call for a stray dog living in a ditch on the side of the road with just her 1 puppy. Yes, I made sure to walk the ditch and canvas the surrounding area for more but did not find any. I got her and her pup loaded up and while on my way back to the shelter, my video was networked to our rescue partners and by the end of day, a 501c3 rescue had pulled her and sent a foster to come pick her and her puppy up. She did not have to spend 1 night in the shelter. Like I said, there are a lot of moving parts when working in animal welfare and in an animal shelter. My videos can also show you the daily battle we deal with with the quality of animal welfare we are faced with within our community. I choose to go above and beyond even then what I’m paid to do for many reasons but most importantly, because these animals lives truly matter. They all deserve a happy ending. And the videos I create have saved countless lives and have given SO many that happy ending they all deserve to have. I’m just so grateful mama and her baby got hers. 🩷🐾
Fresno Humane Animal Services reached out to some of their rescue partners to see if anyone would be able to take the two dogs. Within just a few hours, Friends of the Tracy Animal Shelter sent a foster to pick up the mama and her baby.
“I’m grateful that she made it out,” Wolcott said. “She had endured so much living off the side of the road, trying to protect her baby … Her baby was so chunky and well-fed. So even with everything [they dealt with], she was such a good mama.”
The rescue named them Momma Maisie and Oreo. Both were struggling when they first arrived at their foster home. Momma Maisie was emaciated and dealing with multiple parasites. Oreo was so young that she had to be tube-fed around the clock by their foster.
But in the weeks since their rescue, both have transformed into strong, happy, thriving dogs. Oreo weighs over 7 pounds, and according to the shelter, she’s very “strong-willed.” Momma Maisie is now at a healthy weight, thanks to her special high-protein diet.
In a few weeks, Oreo will be old enough to be spayed. Soon after, she and Momma Maisie will be available for adoption through Friends of the Tracy Animal Shelter. From dumped in a ditch to cozy in a loving home — it’s the happy ending they deserve.
