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Labrador Who Lost Her Babies Steps in as Mom to Orphan Bulldog Puppies

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If there was a Hallmark movie about dogs, this may be the perfect holiday miracle story.

Indy, a 3-year-old English bulldog, had just delivered seven healthy puppies at a veterinarian office, when tragedy struck at her home in Ohio.

Indy

Indy. Image Credit: Red, White and Bulldogs.

“I laid her on her bed to begin feeding the new puppies,” owner Dan Weese wrote on Facebook. “She snored as I lay her down. Concentrating on the puppies I didn’t notice Indy had stopped breathing.”

Related: A Dog Helps ‘Mother’ Two Abandoned Tiger Cubs

Weese tried to resuscitate her, spending 20 minutes giving her CPR, hoping she would come back to life. Indy didn’t make it. While he, along with his wife and children, mourned deeply for Indy, their “sweet girl,” they knew they had puppies relying on them to survive.

“No matter the stress and sadness inflicted on us by this tragedy, my wife Katie and I had seven newborn bulldog puppies to care for, and they weren’t going to wait for us to cycle through the grieving process,” he later wrote on a blog post.

This was not going to be an easy task. The puppies required round-the-clock care with the Weeses needing to feed them every two hours, keep them warm and ensure they were being touched.

“After a full 24 hours the puppies were excelling at their only job – eating and growing,” Weese writes. “Suckling, they were consuming 5ml of milk per feeding and slowly mending our hurting hearts.”

Related: Stray Pup and Her Babies Crash Bachelor Party and All Get Adopted

Fulfilling, yet exhausting, Weeses knew the next four weeks were going to a lot of work on their end. It was then someone offered a helping hand — a dog named Pixie.

“Hey guys I am terribly sorry to hear of your loss. I want to throw an idea your way, it may or may not help.

I have a lab that gave birth yesterday and she lost her pups. She is grieving and producing milk like crazy. If you’re interested it might be worth a try. If we can help let us know.” – Macy Grubbs

Weese thought it could possibly be a scam. He had heard too many times of people outright stealing bulldog puppies and selling them. After a bit of nudging from his wife, he decided to give the man a call.

Pixie and Indy 5

Pixie with Macy Grubbs and Amanda Phelps (co-owners of Pixie). Image Credit: Red, White and Bulldogs.

‘“I believe in fate,” Grubbs told Weese. “He knew that sometimes terrible things happen to families, and we just can’t control that. Macy wanted to help – nothing more,” Weese writes.

The next day Grubbs  drove up from his home in Kentucky with Pixie in tow. When he arrived, everyone was unsure what was going to happen. Pixie hadn’t been the same since she lost her dogs, ceaselessly panting as she grieved.

Related: Dog Steps Up as Surrogate Parent to Orphaned Cheetahs

“We weren’t sure how to proceed with introducing the puppies to Pixie, but just as we’d hoped, she took to them in no time,” Weese writes. “It couldn’t have been five minutes before Pixie was laying on our living room floor feeding and cleaning her new babies!”

Here is Pixie showing off her excellent mom skills. She will remain with the Weeses until all the puppies have been weened off of her.

https://www.facebook.com/RedWhiteandBulldogs/videos/1180212638737350/

By Andrea Huspeni

Andrea Huspeni is the founder and CEO of This Dog's Life. Her mission it to help dogs live a happier, healthier and longer life. When she isn't working, she spends time with her two dogs, Lola and Milo. She resides in Brooklyn, NY.

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