Family reunions are always a cause for celebration, but this particular party was a little different. All 12 puppies are reunited with their mother in one grand event. The odds of this entire brood living to see the day was, in itself, cause to celebrate. In fact, it was truly miraculous.
The mother of this pack, Bess, hadn’t always had such a good life. She was found one day on the streets in Tennessee. She was a pregnant stray, and not much was known about her life before the pregnancy.
After being taken in by author Tracey Stewart and her husband, Bess gave birth to a whopping twelve puppies! This number was much larger than the typical 6-8 puppies.
One of the caregivers of the puppies, Vyolet Jean Savage, recalls the eventful birth.
“The doctors came out and told us that there was a chance that, because there were so many puppies, they probably weren’t all going to make it.”
They were especially worried about the runt of the litter, a teeny tiny puppy they named Burrdie. Her life hung in the balance as she became stuck in the birth canal for several hours. They tied a pink ribbon around her neck to signify that she needed extra care.
Tracey Stewart and comedian husband Jon Stewart just couldn’t fathom the puppies not making it. They run a 45-acre sanctuary and sustainable farm in Colts Neck, New Jersey.
“We decided to bring all the puppies back to my house. I had to tell my husband that we were going to have to take out the living room furniture, the dining room furniture…”
She took care of the puppies and Bess. Stewart called together a group of volunteers to help take care of the puppies and slowly, they began to see improvement in the health of them all, especially little Burrdie.
Although the Stewarts thought about keeping the entire brood, it was Bess who was actually adopted first. Susan Zaleski took Bess home and introduced her to Susan’s own family. It was only natural that Bess would quickly become the children’s “nanny.” She raised the kids as if they were her own puppies.
One-by-one, every puppy was adopted to a good home. After ten months apart, Zaleski and the other owners met together at the park for one giant birthday celebration. Attending the party were Bess, Burrdie, Ginny, Gracie, Osa, Louis, Drake, Rupert, Ranger, Seven, Sandy, and two dogs named Ruby. They all wore birthday hats and ruffs. Burrdie’s ruff was pink to remind all attending that she beat the odds.
Stewart was touched when she saw the pink and remembered all that they had been through.
“It’s nice to feel like this birth is actually creating a community around it,” she said. “My hope is that we get to have this every year and this goes on for years and years and years … to come.”
One litter of puppies and one brave mama dog brought this community together. Bonds were formed that will never be broken, and beautiful friendships began. And it all started with one brave mama dog whose love will go on forever.
Watch the video below to see the moment when the puppies were reunited with their mother. Bess is so excited that she leaps toward her babies and they, in turn, run toward her, as well.
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