It’s not every day that someone finds a surprising living creature hiding inside a tree trunk—especially right outside their home! But that’s exactly what happened to this Missouri resident.
At first glance, the sight was hard to believe. Were those tiny faces peeking out? How many were in there? And how had no one spotted them before?
There were so many questions… but luckily, a rescue team soon arrived to explain it all.
A Startling Furry Find That Left Everyone Speechless
The homeowner was stunned after realizing what the furry figures were—puppies. And not just one or two… but several! It was so dark inside the tree that counting them became a real challenge, especially as they wriggled farther out of reach.
They contacted Tanya Meeks, the founder of Ozarks Pet Rescue in Missouri to report the unusual discovery. Just moments later, Meeks and her team were on-site.
According to the rescue group, the puppies belonged to a mother dog they had been attempting to catch for days. She had disappeared, and the team had nearly lost hope of ever finding her—until now.
When they approached the tree, Meeks and her team carefully began retrieving the pups. They managed to secure two, but the rest backed deeper into the hollow space, out of reach.
To make things even harder, the mother dog was frightened and ran away.
Thinking quickly, the rescuers tried a different plan. One of the board members’ young sons volunteered to squeeze into the small space and retrieve the rest of the litter.
Amazingly, he pulled out nine more puppies, bringing the total to ten safely rescued.
“First we only could grab 2 with catch pole until remaining hid in holes under a tree, luckily one of our board members son offered to crawl into small hole to save remaining 10 puppies,” the Missouri rescue wrote on Facebook.
Once all the puppies were safe, they were brought to the rescue’s facility, where they were given warm shelter, meals, and care while the team worked on reuniting them with their mom.
Sadly, one of the puppies, who was anemic and the runt of the group, didn’t survive.
In the following days, Meeks placed a humane trap near the area and kept a watchful eye. After several failed attempts, the mama dog was finally caught and brought back to her puppies.
She was clearly overjoyed to be back with her litter. She quickly settled into her new surroundings, and the team named her Aida.
“Everyone meet Aida and her 10 puppies! Unfortunately the 11tg didn’t survive due to being severely anemic and also the run,” the rescue added.
Starting Fresh With Her Puppies By Her Side
Aida has embraced motherhood in the sweetest way. She stays close to her puppies at all times and is thriving in her loving foster home.
“Aida being a proud mama! All her babies are doing amazing and Aida is the sweetest girl,” the rescue posted.
Now, Aida and her puppies are learning what it means to be loved and cared for. In time, they’ll each be ready for their forever homes—hopefully with people who will give them the lives they truly deserve.