Castaway Critters Pet Rescue

Emma/Ellie and Family

Emma/Ellie	One day last spring Castaway's president received an e-mail seeking a rescue group to take a mama dog and her nine newborn puppies; otherwise, they were going to be euthanized. That afternoon we received word another rescue group was going to save them. Two days later we received the message that the dog and her pups had been transported to a rescue group in New Jersey; however, that group rejected them because of the condition of the mama (very malnourished and with mange), and they were immediately put on another transport and sent to Greensboro, NC. Two Castaway volunteers traveled to Greensboro to bring mama and her brood to our shelter, and it was very apparent they were going to need lots of help. After the stress of giving birth to so many pups and the long journeys to New Jersey and then to North Carolina, the mama dog, whom we named Emma, was exhausted and really struggling to care for her young ones. Two wonderful Castaway volunteers, a husband and wife team who had previously help raise a large litter of pups, set up a feeding schedule to help supplement Emma's milk. Three shifts of volunteers came every day, (morning, afternoon, and the husband and wife in the evenings) to bottle feed the puppies with goat's milk, later adding baby cereal. Emma was also given extra food, including home-cooked meals of meat and vegetables, and she gradually began to thrive. She had been through so much but managed to be a wonderful mother and took excellent care of her babies. With the extra nutrition and all the TLC, the little ones grew like beautiful weeds and developed their own special personalities. They didn't stay little for long, and when it was time for them to be weaned, the husband and wife team took them into their home and continued their care. The took pictures of each puppy and made flyers, which they posted in various places to let people know when the pups would be ready for adoption. Emma and one of her babes were adopted together, and the others also found their forever loving homes. Animal rescue can at times be very stressful and disheartening, but thanks to the kindness and committment of wonderful volunteers, stories like Emma's are what make it so rewarding. *If you know of an animal being neglected, abused or abandoned, call Castaway!
Abbygail Blu
Amos
Rocky