For over two decades, Stray Rescue of St. Louis has been one of Missouri’s leading rescue organizations, stepping in when no one else will.
Their mission? Saving the dogs everyone else has forgotten—those who are abandoned, injured, scared, or broken by betrayal. Time and again, they offer these pups a second chance at life.
Among the rescue team is Donna Lochmann, who has spent more than 20 years changing lives, one dog at a time. She’s seen it all—but some rescues still strike a deeper chord, just like this one.
A Furry Family Hidden In The Brush
Veteran rescuers know that even on seemingly quiet streets, everything can change in a heartbeat.
While driving through St. Louis, Donna noticed a dirty female dog whose swollen belly made it clear she had recently given birth. She was roaming around, clearly starving and in desperate search of food.
Donna decided to set some food out, hoping the mother would eat and eventually return to her litter.
“I was hoping that once she ate and had a full belly, she would head back to her puppies. There were so many places she could have them hidden. The streets in this area are lined with abandoned houses and thick brush. After she ate, I watched her cut through yards, across streets, and into a brushy area,” Donna said.
As she followed the mother dog through thick bushes, Donna suddenly heard a sharp cry—it was one of the puppies.
One of them had fallen into a 20-inch-deep pipe and was crying in fear.
“There, at the bottom of the pipe, was a single black puppy, about six weeks old, whimpering and crying. She was terrified and screamed as I went to pick her up. But once safely in the jeep, her tail wouldn’t stop wagging,” Donna recalled.
While the mother barked from a distance, Donna pressed on through the woods—and soon found a few more puppies nearby.
These energetic little furballs made catching them tricky, but Donna wouldn’t give up.
“I had to get one, take it to the jeep and return for the next one as they squirmed in my arms. Once all four puppies were safely in the jeep, I went to get mom,” Donna said.
A Surprise Companion
As Donna returned for the mother, she noticed another adult dog hiding beside her.
“This one had two black ears. I couldn’t tell if they were siblings, or maybe one was an adult pup from a previous litter. They stayed close to each other but made their way through weeds and abandoned yards,” she explained.
Catching them wasn’t easy. The traps weren’t working, and as daylight faded, Donna had no choice but to leave them and return the next day.
Thankfully, her persistence paid off—by the next visit, she managed to lure one of the adults using food.
“She was nervous, scared. We wanted to get her in the jeep before she made any distressed noises that could upset the mom. We loaded her up and as we pulled away we saw her friend sitting by herself in the field across the street. It was an absolutely heartbreaking moment,” she said.
They returned for the mother dog, but she remained wary and refused to enter the trap.
A Rescue That Brings Tears
Food wasn’t enough—so Donna got creative. She gathered a blanket and pee pads from the foster home, covered in the puppies’ scent, and even played the video of the puppy crying in the pipe.
And it worked.
Early the next morning, Donna found the mother dog resting inside the trap. Though scared, she stayed quiet as they gently transported her to safety.
After days of emotional effort, the mission was finally complete. The entire furry family was safe—and their rescuers were overcome with relief.
“They will all be given all the love in the world and will then become a part of a family,” Donna said.