Anyone who fosters children or animals not only has a big heart but also a very vulnerable one. It can be so easy to fall in love with every child or animal who comes into our lives, but having to say goodbye after the bond has been formed is surely one of the hardest things to do.
A type of fostering that gets forgotten is when a momma animal takes in newborn or young animals that are not its own kin, and yet instantly treats them as her own. That was exactly the case of beautiful little Blossom.
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Blossom is a three-year-old dog who became pregnant with her own litter of puppies when she was given up by her owners to a shelter in Texas. Westie & Scottie Rescue Houston learned that she had advanced heartworm disease, and although it was treatable, they couldn’t do anything until she was finished nursing her puppies, who were about to be born.
So Maggie Escriva, the intake coordinator at the shelter, decided to foster Blossom until she was ready to be adopted after her treatment for heartworm was finished.
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While in Maggie’s care, Blossom gave birth to a beautiful litter of three puppies – Bluebell, Begonia, and Buttercup. Unfortunately, though, within a few days, Bluebell and Begonia passed away due to an infection that had formed before they were born.
Poor mamma Blossom was heartbroken. Maggie wrote on her Facebook that Blossom became frantic and no one was able to console her broken heart.
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Shortly after losing Bluebell and Begonia, Maggie heard of another litter of puppies who were in desperate need of their own foster mamma. The newborn puppies, eight in total, had been thrown from the window of a car. Sadly, only six survived.
They were so young and vulnerable that their little eyes hadn’t even opened!
Maggie knew it might be a risk both to the health of the puppies and to Blossom and her little Buttercup to bring in the six orphaned pups, but she felt that the situation was so dire it was worth the risk.
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So she brought them home, put them in Blossom’s bed with Buttercup, and waited to see how the depressed mom would respond.
According to Maggie, Blossom looked at the tiny babies, “climbed into the bed and started cleaning and feeding them.” Success!
The puppies were all given flower names in honor of Blossom’s little garden and after the mom raised them up to be big and strong, they all found new homes!
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Better yet, Blossom was able to get heartworm treatment and she’s in the clear! The shelter is working to get her adopted and into a quiet, loving home.
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“I find it very inspiring to see a beautiful creature like Blossom suffer such a heartbreaking loss and turn her full attention to caring for needy puppies, saving their lives,” Maggie said. “Blossom is teaching us that the best way to heal is to help others.”
Share if you agree!
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