Lexi and her pups

May 11, 2014

As told by Pam, North Carolina rescue volunteer

Lexi was found at a busy intersection the first of Feb. A person picked her up and took her to the door of the home where she came from. The family had decided that they did not want her any longer since she had grown larger than they were told she would. They had put her outside a few months earlier. This same weekend, a southern snowstorm was on its way to NC. The family said they were planning on calling animal control on Monday to come and pick her up, just leave her outside.

A friend was contacted about Lexi and she contacted me to see if I could take Lexi since she was pregnant. Because of the snow, I was not able to get her as quickly as I would have liked, especially since she was not in my area. Another person was able to take Lexi and give her a warm place out of the snow storm until roads were better and I could pick her up within a few days.

When I first got Lexi, she was very scared and would cower down when approached. It was obvious that someone had been mean to her. I found out later that the family that had her was using a broom to beat her away from their front door. There was another stray in the area with her that she became best friends with and he was probably the daddy of her pups. They had not been feeding her, so the neighbors were or she was raiding garbage cans, etc. Considering where she was, it was amazing that she did not get hit.

Lexi stayed in my puppy den where it was nice and cozy, and occasionally would join my pack of 8 dogs in the house with us when we were home. She slowly learned to trust humans again and we were able to pet her, and she would take naps next to us on the couch. She learned to love getting brushed. Finally after 3 weeks she started “popping out” pups on a Saturday. After about 10 hours she had given birth to 8 beautiful pups. She was so busy for the next few weeks that she didn’t want to join us in the house in the evenings so we would sit with her and her pups to keep her company. By the time the pups were 3 weeks old, she was starting to get tired of them and wanted to be with us more. By 4 weeks, I was helping her to wean her pups and by 6-7 weeks, she was done and turned the job over to me. Lexi continued to supervise and help me as needed. Vet said she may be close to a year old but not over. So young, but was one of the very best moms I ever had.

Thanks to Ann with Animal Rescue Foundation in Beacon, NY, Lexi will now be able to find her forever home where she can cozy up to her humans and take naps on those cold, winter evenings in the north. She will have meals without searching for something to eat and will receive lots of love which she will return a hundred times over. Her puppies will never have to experience hunger and fear. ARF will make sure their wonderful life will continue in their new forever homes with their very own family. Lexi will have no more worries..

Thank you ARF for your willingness to complete the process of helping Lexi and pups find their forever homes. Thank you, Michele, John and Dean for giving them their “grand adventure” of flight.

	Finally after a long cold winter, Air Mutt Muffs is back in business. We had a great flight down the Chesapeake Bay and right into Rocky Mount, NC. Even though we were early thanks to better than forecast winds, Pam and Vicki were already waiting on us. It was quite a job to fit all the puppies with paper identification collars. But as fast as they put them on, the little pups colluded to chew them off one another. A permanent marker solved the problem on their regular collars.
	Vicki picks out the next lucky pup for ID
	Pam gives one of the little guys a kiss goodbye. Without her, they would have been born in the street in the middle of a cold, cold winter.
	Wesley isn't taking any chances. He paid for his boarding pass over and over again. Boarding passes cost one kiss
	Vicki walks Mommy Lexi to the plane. Happy Mother's Day Lexi. You're a strong, brave girl to survive where you've been. You deserve all the happiness that awaits you in NY
	Co-Pilot John loads his new best friend in the plane
	John and Vicki loading more puppies. We had taken the back seat out of the plane last year, so the family had plenty of room and lots of cozy blankets to snuggle into for the ride north.
	We're all loaded and ready to begin Leg 1 Leg 2 required two planes and pilots to accommodate everyone. Dean and Bob met us at KDMW, Westminster, MD. There we loaded everyone into the two planes, and Mom and pups took their final flight to meet Ann with Animal Rescue Foundation I doubt it will take long for all the fur balls to be adopted by great families. Happy Mother's Day to everyone!