To the woman's utter amazement, she spotted 11 tiny faces peering out from the hollow tree.
The puppies, huddled together inside the trunk, were eagerly awaiting their mother’s return.
Call for help
The concerned woman alerted Tanya Meeks, founder of Ozarks Pet Rescue, who had been tracking the stray mother for weeks. When rescuers arrived, they carefully extracted two puppies, but the rest crawled deeper into the narrow crevices.
Thinking quickly, a rescue board member’s young son squeezed into the tree and gently retrieved each pup. However, as the last puppy was saved, the mother, named Aida, panicked and bolted.
Happy reunion
The puppies were rushed to the vet, but sadly, the weakest didn’t survive. Determined to reunite the family, rescuers repeatedly tried to lure Aida into a humane trap using her puppies.
Days later, a breakthrough came when Meeks played recordings of the puppies’ cries. As she set the speaker down, Aida unexpectedly licked her neck before dashing off, straight into the trap.
Tears flowed as Aida was finally reunited with her pups. Now safe in foster care, she has blossomed, embracing love and security at last.
Soon, she and her puppies will be ready for their forever homes.
