As a dog rescuer, or simply a true dog lover, you never really know when your heart will guide you to the next animal in need.
Donna Lochmann, Chief Life Saving Officer at Stray Rescue of St.Louis, Missouri, knows this feeling all too well.
While driving with her team one day, she came across a heartbreaking scene: a mother dog curled up on the ground, doing her best to shield her puppies from the cold.
The little family was huddled together beside an abandoned house, silently waiting for someone to save them.
A Family In Dire Need
Donna and her colleague stopped right away. The bitter cold made it obvious that the mother was struggling to keep her babies warm, and her efforts were no longer enough.
Nobody knew how long they had been exposed to the elements outside that abandoned home.
The rescuers quickly set up a humane trap nearby, placing food inside to coax the mother to safety. Standing back, they watched as hunger quickly outweighed her fear.
Starving and desperate, the mama stepped inside the trap without hesitation. With her secured, the rescuers turned their focus to the puppies.
The little ones were tucked away in a crawl space, which made things tricky, but Donna and her team are experts. Carefully, one by one, she lifted the pups out and carried them to the warm car where their mother was waiting.
The trio of boys were plump, healthy-looking, and clearly relieved to finally be safe.
Introducing Chipmunk And Her Boys
The rescuers were amazed at how chubby the pups were, joking that they had never seen rounder little bellies. The family was soon given names: the mother became Chipmunk, and her boys were called Alvin, Simon, and Theodore.
The Stray Rescue team was instantly smitten with them, showering the new arrivals with cuddles and kisses.
But the good news didn’t end there.
Right after their rescue, Chipmunk and her babies were placed in a loving foster home with a devoted foster mom ready to care for them.
“We got the whole family out of the freezing cold, we had a foster hero ‘on deck’ ready to take them in – and these are the cutest, fattest puppies in the world! Meet Chipmunk and her boys, Alvin, Simon, and Theodore,” the Missouri rescue wrote in a video.
Now safe and warm, Chipmunk and her little ones are beginning their new life indoors. Once they are ready, each of them will be looking for forever homes.
For now, though, we can simply admire how irresistibly adorable this little family is. Those chunky pups and their brave mom truly melted every heart they met.