Stormy, the German Shepherd dog mom hiding under a construction site in Phoenix, Arizona, beats all the odds!
This brave doggo was given less than 25% of a chance of survival after eating nothing but rocks and food wrappers to survive, but her love for her puppies was strong enough to get her through!
This is her inspiring story!
Stormy Was Found Weak, Emaciated, And With Debris Embedded In Her Fur
It was a muggy day following a well-known monsoon in Arizona, when a team of workers came to their construction site to check on the damage.
When they arrived at the spot, they found a German Shepherd dog with her newborn babies under a construction pallet.
They got in contact with Saving Paws Rescue, from Glendale, Arizona, who immediately came to the rescue!
Trisha Houlihan, the founder of the rescue, and her colleague, Charis, loaded the van with all the necessary supplies, not knowing that the rescue itself would be extremely difficult.
Getting Stormy Out Was Not A Walk In The Park
At the time of the rescue, there was no certified forklift operator on the site, which is why it was impossible to lift the pallet up. The only choice Trisha and Charis had was to try to dig her out with their bare hands.
About twenty minutes later, they somehow managed to pull her out, as Stormy was too afraid to be coaxed out with food. Even though she didn’t growl or try to bite them, she was evidently terrified, and on top of all that – she was in really bad condition.
Emaciated, weak, and with pieces of debris and wire in her fur, Stormy needed immediate vet intervention.
After they pulled her out, Trisha and Charis managed to rescue three puppies alongside her. Unfortunately, the hole was too dark and deep, so they didn’t know if there were any more puppies left in there.
The day after, they found out that one of the workers saved one of the puppies himself, and that two more were found alive in the hole!
A total of six puppies were saved and safely transported to the facility where they were further directed to their foster home, together with their mom.
A Long Road To Recovery
This brave girl got the nicest foster family in the world! Susan Pratt and her husband took her in and provided her with endless love and all the care she needed.
However, her recovery process wasn’t smooth, as this GSD girl had a series of health issues that needed to be dealt with. Her stool was full of debris, she was still too weak, and she was constantly bleeding.
After a thorough examination at Desert Hills Animal Clinic, in Phoenix, Arizona, Stormy was diagnosed with a subinvoluted uterus, meaning that it was not contracting back to normal size, and this beautiful doggo mom was in danger of bleeding to death.
On top of all that, she was diagnosed with heartworm disease, which is why the vets couldn’t spay her, as it would’ve been extremely dangerous.
She was subjected to surgery and sent back home for recovery, but her condition worsened shortly after that. She was readmitted to the hospital with a 107-degree body temperature and pneumonia.
This was a complication-from surgery, which is why she was immediately put on antibiotics.
At the same time, she was getting her ivermectin treatment for heartworms, which is why she wasn’t allowed to feed her puppies. She was wearing a T-shirt so she could stay close to her puppies without feeding them.
Stormy – A Hero Award Winner
After months of constant fighting with heartworms, Stormy finally did it! She was tested negative after her last treatment, which was a huge relief to everyone! She was finally ready to go to a furever home, and her puppies were big and strong enough to find their own homes, too.
Her inspiring story made headlines, after which, she was awarded with the Animal Survivor Hero award by Friends of Animal Care & Control.
Enjoying Her Furever Home
This hero girl was adopted by a beautiful family who owns a 2-acre horse farm. She’s finally strong enough to be frolicking around and exercising her entire potential with a new doggo brother called Dallas.
An eternity afterward, Stormy was finally in the position to start a new chapter in her life and experience all the love from her new family!
With her puppies fully grown and transferred to their furever homes, Stormy could finally relax and soak up all the beauty of life in her new home.