A stray dog was fiercely protecting a litter of puppies in a parking lot when Leslie Hennings spotted them. What the experienced dog rescuer in Texas didn’t realize at the time was that the dog wasn’t the mama (sadly, she had disappeared) and the puppies weren’t his. But by his actions, he had adopted them as his own.
“Scruffy homeless boy has adopted 5 stray puppies. They lost their mother at some point. And he is now their gentle protector in the streets,” Hennings wrote on Facebook.
She noticed that the dog would put himself in front of “whomever he deemed a threat.” At first, that “threat” was her. But the little dog was also sacred and he hid under a car when she tried to pick him up.
Eventually, she managed to get the “papa” dog and his puppies back to her house. She didn’t have a fence, but she figured they would stick around because of the food and shelter she offered them. She put out blankets and a bed and the homeless family immediately fell asleep.
Leslie Hennings / Facebook
Hennings noticed in the morning that the dog was doing his best to keep the puppies in check. “They roam, and he corrals them,” she wrote. “But they are wandering off more and more. This morning three were missing and he left looking for them. Bringing them back.”
“But it’s only a matter of time until the day comes they can’t come back. This single father and babies desperately need a rescue and foster,” she continued. “He can’t protect them forever.”
Fortunately, fosters were quickly arranged through White Rock Dog Rescue. The dogs were transported from Rio Grande to Dallas where they were immediately bathed.
“Pups and Dad were covered in 367,654 fleas (we counted), were wormy and had crusty flea bite areas,” White Rock Dog Rescue wrote on Facebook. “They are now bathed, dewormed, de-flead and are on high calorie nutrition.”
White Rock Dog Rescue took in the litter and the “dad” who they’ve named Duff n Stuff. They say Duff is “GORGEOUS, sweet, gentle and playful. He is a 33 pound, 1-year-old, strawberry blonde-colored wired hair terrier.”
They added that, “he is silly and walks reasonably well on a leash (once comfortable) and also appears to be housebroken.”
To apply to adopt Duff n Stuff or any of the puppies he rescued, visit their adoption page.
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