Emotional, Weary and Exhausted — How Seven Pups Survived
At just three weeks old, the survival of seven helpless pups was literally in our hands — this is their journey (and ours)
“STOP, she’s not feeling well,” said my Dad as I ran to Mandy, our family dog, momentarily pausing a few feet from where she slept. I turned to eat breakfast, leaving Mandy to recuperate, or so I thought.
I was eight or nine years old.
Later that day I discovered the truth. Mandy had passed away — She was gone. I was distraught and cried for days. I loved her. She was my first pet.
That was my first experience with grief.
Years later, I learned that Mandy, our 14-year-old poodle, struggled up the stairs to my parents bedroom that night. She was breathless. Panting. She stayed for a few minutes before heading back downstairs to rest — She was saying goodbye.
Fast forward 30 years
May 2019: I was was dozing on the couch. Nearby our family dog, Daphne, lay with her litter —seven hungry pups, who fed relentlessly. She was exhausted.
5am
I awoke to Daphne walking near my head as I slept on the couch, panting uncontrollably. At first I…
