Ryan Weepers and Brittni Moffatt love an adventure. For the past six years, the couple lived on a house boat, traveling the world and documenting their experiences on their Instagram page and YouTube channel.
About four years ago, the pair docked in Sicily, Italy. While traversing the region, Moffatt noticed a tiny face peeking out from the grass.
“I started exploring down the beach,” Moffatt said in a video for The Dodo. “But then, instantly, I was like, ‘Oh my God, puppies.’”
Moffatt grabbed some dog food and offered it to the puppies, who instantly began gulping it down.
“They were so starving,” Moffatt said.
With help from Weepers, Moffatt coaxed three of the puppies into carriers. The fourth puppy, who was a lot stronger and more anxious than his siblings, proved tricker to catch. The couple spent about an hour trying to grab the last puppy with no luck. They brought his siblings back to their house boat and vowed to return for him soon.
Safe inside the boat’s bathroom, the puppies nestled together on top of a hot water bottle. In a YouTube video, Moffatt details her experience caring for the puppies. She documents their first night on the boat and their first tail wags the next morning after a long, restful sleep. Guided by a local veterinarian, Moffatt fed the pups a round of antibiotics and combed the ticks from their fur.
Feeling renewed, the puppies excitedly romped around the boat, completely transformed thanks to Moffatt’s diligence.
But what about their brother?
While caring for the rescued trio, the couple returned to the scene every couple of days, hoping to secure the last puppy. So far, their efforts remained futile. But they weren’t giving up.
On one visit, the pair noticed the puppy run into a small bush. This was their moment.
“We started pulling the bush apart,” Moffatt said. “We finally caught him.”
At last, all four puppies could relax — they didn’t have to live on their own anymore.
The couple reached out to a local animal shelter and told them about the pups. Using the shelter’s connections, they found each dog a suitable family.
Four years later, Weepers and Moffatt are still traveling the world, now with a new family member — their baby, Oakley. Though so much has changed, the pair remain dedicated to helping animals in need, because you just never know who might be waiting around the next corner.
