Mama dog waited as pups got homes. 4 years later, she’s adopted to familiar face
A “shy” dog spent four years at an Alabama animal shelter — until a familiar face stepped in.
After all five of her puppies got adopted, Pippin the mama dog finally has a home of her own.
“With Pippin being so scared, I knew there was a big chance that she would never get adopted,” Jenny Harris, assistant manager of 2nd Chance Shelter, told McClatchy News in a Sept. 10 email. “I’ve loved her for many years. My partner and I decided we wanted to make her a part of our family.”
Harris adopted Pippin after a journey that started in 2021. Pippin’s previous owner was ordered to surrender her, and the dog was pregnant when she landed at the shelter in Boaz, a roughly 70-mile drive northeast from Birmingham.
“She had not had human interaction and was terrified of human touch,” the shelter wrote in a Facebook post. “One of our workers, Jenny, slowly started earning her trust. Finally, Pippin would let Jenny and a couple of other workers pet her.”
While in the shelter’s care, Pippin gave birth to five puppies: Blizzard, Cameron, Dakota, Rowan and Taylor. The babies moved to Wisconsin in July 2021 and were quicky adopted. But their mom still waited for a fresh start, according to a past Facebook post.
Harris said some dogs get adopted within months, while others spend years in the shelter. Over time, she showered Pippin with toys and teamed with her partner, Dee Blessing, to sponsor the pup.
Then in August, Harris decided to adopt the dog she had fallen for years earlier. Now, Pippin has been introduced to the joys of doggy ice cream.
“She is doing a lot better than I thought she would, this soon after coming home with us,” Harris wrote. “We have a crate set up for her and that seems like her safe place. She is doing good with all of our other dogs. They are really helping her feel more comfortable.”
