 |
|
It was there they found a discarded styrofoam cooler: the lid firmly shut. Sweating in the hot summer sun, the girls pried off the lid to discover six newborn puppies, their eyes not yet opened, struggling for life. Severely dehydrated and terrified, the puppies weakly raised their heads to the summer’s warm, life-giving breeze. Within a matter of hours, these throw away puppies were in the loving care of Jennifer Shull and her mother-in-law. I’m Not The Story Jennifer did not want to be portrayed as the heroine of this story. As a veteran animal rescuer, she has aided many of Nature’s four-legged friends. She wanted, instead, the bigger story told. And we’ll do just that. But with apologies to Jennifer, we have to start with her first. It was, after all, her compassion that allows us to tell a bigger story. It was Jennifer’s mother, Nancy, who contacted The Mosby Foundation to ask for assistance. And, of course, we said yes! We will be lending our support with spay and neutering when the puppies come of age. The Cooler Babies, as they came to be known, might have been marked for death, but Jennifer had other plans. Her mother-in-law’s Shih-Tzu had just weaned her pups. That meant at least three of the Cooler Babies could nurse from her. The puppies were, however, most likely a mixed breed, possibly Boxer and Lab. That meant they were larger pups than the Shih Tzu mom could adequately feed. So they still had to be bottle fed part of the time. Since both women had handled dogs for years, they were comfortable with the formidable task ahead. With feedings every three hours initially, caring for the pups was a round-the-clock job. “It was like having babies,” Jennifer said. “We had to burp the puppies after we bottle fed them.” Feedings graduated to longer spans of time. By their fifth week of life, they were fed every six to seven hours. “We had to feed them in the bathtub,” Jennifer laughed. It seems the pups would get in the formula, even poop and pee, and just have a grand old time. “It was just more convenient to feed and clean them all in one place!” When the Cooler Babies reached nine weeks of age, Jennifer was ready to adopt them out. “Because we had no history on their parents, we wanted them to have two vaccination shots to raise their immunity.” Fortune smiled on the Cooler Babies. Miraculously, all of them survived. And, now they all have loving homes. Each family was thrilled to receive their puppy. The Bigger Story “I want people to know they don’t have to do things like this,” Jennifer said, her voice now angry. “There are other ways to handle unwanted puppies. Leaving them to die a horrible death is not the way.” And it begs the obvious question: Who would do such a cruel and heartless thing? And why? Deliberately attempting to suffocate six newborn lives is a horror that knows no words. How do we stop the breeding of such morally repugnant behavior? Is it even possible? It stirs turbulence within our own hearts; a physical anger so strong, it scares us. And if we feel this kind of brutality within us for such reprehensible behavior, what does a monster feel? Alternatives To Indifference The Mosby Foundation offers a low cost spay and neuter program. And the trend is growing. More non-profit groups are offering spay & neuter programs. There is no excuse For non-heroines like Jennifer, the care and raising of those puppies was “a lot of work, but completely a labor of love.” And that’s it, a tipping scale of love versus evil. Can we create more love, and more love, and more love? Yes. Because the hatred we feel in our hearts towards such acts is also a measure of the love we feel for God’s creatures. |
|
|
© 2004 -
- Po Box 218, Deerfield, VA 24432 |
|
The Cooler Babies 
for unwanted puppies.