When an animal rescuer in Ukraine heard that some puppies were on the side of the road, they immediately sprang into action.
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Abandoned and alone
No one knew who had abandoned the nine puppies or why, and their mother was nowhere in sight either. The poor puppies were helpless and desperately clinging to each other to survive. They had no food or water, just a makeshift shelter made out of a tire and old boards.
When she heard about the puppies, Olena Pyanov, who runs the YouTube channel Stray Furry Friends, decided to help. Olena is on a quest to mitigate the growing number of dogs abandoned on the streets, especially during the winter when the weather is extremely cold.
Even before the conflict in Ukraine, animal shelters were overcrowded, and Olena couldn't find anywhere with space to take the puppies. So, Olena brought a large bag of dog food and left a mountain of dry food near where the puppies were hiding.
Olena returned to visit the pups the next day with more food and fresh water. One of the puppies was not inclined to eat, nor would they move much. So Olena decided to take them to the vet for a check-up. The puppy, later called Chucky, was found to have an intestinal problem.
Olena shared the story of the pups along with photos and videos on social media. Remarkably, someone got in touch to say their family recognised the puppies and arranged to meet Olena and the pups. Olena was surprised that the puppies seemed to recognise the family.
Wonderful reunion
The family explained that they had taken in a stray female dog who gave birth to this litter of puppies. However, their neighbour stole the puppies and dumped them, leaving the mother dog distraught and crying for a week as she searched for her babies.
Olena decided that her next step was to reunite the puppies with their mother, but she soon discovered that it wouldn't be easy. The mother dog wouldn't go near the puppies at first. But once she got close to them, she realised they were hers and cried happily. Once Chucky was well enough to leave the vet, he also joined his siblings and, of course, his mum.
Watch the puppies' story and their heartwarming reunion with their mum:
We hope that the mother dog and her adorable puppies, Alma, Amrek, Bobby, Chucky, Elsie, Johnny, Jolly, Knop and Zhuzhie, don't have to wait long until they find a permanent loving home.
