20/09/2023
Itās been 2.5 weeks of having a puppy-free home, and Fiona and I are just starting to recover from the whole experience. It started on April 22 when I came to Houston for the Taylor Swift concert and decided to meet this stray husky-lookin pup who showed up at the barn 2 weeks prior. She jumped in my car before I could even get out, and that was that. There was much coordinating of multiple fosters (ie my friends) to watch her for TWO MONTHS until I finished my residency, which in itself was a huge ask. Let the record show that she was deemed āprobably not pregnantā by the vet in late Aprilābut she was very newly pregnant.
A month later in late May, she showed signs of being pretty sick, so a foster took her to the vet againāwho discovered that she was VERY pregnant and also VERY sick (like, I had to give consent to put her down given her bloodwork numbers and chances of surviving giving birth). She showed improvements that night that made the vets decide to hold off and see if we could see her to birthāwhich we were told could be any day and is always risky, even with the healthiest of dogs. She healed for a few days in the doggy ICU and then was healthy enough to be discharged. Her angel of a foster called in reinforcements, and Team Fiona was formed.
She gave birth about 10 days later on June 4, which I watched via livestream. The ultrasound counted 12 puppies total, but she actually gave birth to 15āFIFTEEN!!!āpuppies total in a kiddie pool in the fosterās kitchen. The little one who didnāt make it was taken home by a vet tech who gave him round-the-clock care, but he appeared to be underdeveloped and was given a low chance of survival from the onset. I watched from afar as Team Fiona diligently weighed each puppy daily and kept track of how much time feeding each pup had. On July 4, I finished my move back to Houston and took in Fiona + the 14 puppies into my (rental) homeāa home that I thought one dog would be kind of a lot in. Exactly 8 weeks later on Sept. 4, after countless hours of feeding/changing potty pads/cleaning, I rehomed the last of the 14 puppies.
I know most of yāall are interested in the paths of each of the puppies, and I promise Iāll get to that in my next post. It feels important to first acknowledge/celebrate/thank the MASSIVE team of people who made this entire situation such a success. Of note, they were all rehomed without help from rescues or shelters, which were ALL operating over max capacity and simply didnāt have the resources to assist. [If there is ANYTHING that convinces you to spay/neuter your pets, please have this lowkey nightmare (at the time!) experience persuade you. I donāt care if you donāt believe in altering pets, I donāt care if you think it affects the pets negatively, I donāt care if you think you donāt have time or money to get your pets fixedāif thereās a nonzero chance that your animal could get pregnant or impregnate another animal, you are not being a global citizen and are part of the problem. Iām happy to provide info and resources for those who are interested in learning more about altering pets.]
My list of acknowledgments, in mostly chronological order and probably not complete: Oksana + family for taking Fiona in and working so hard to try to find her past owner, as she was clearly too good of a pup to not have had a home. George and Krissy for taking her in on short notice despite much going on in their lives at the time. Kevin for watching her for weeks and bending over backwards to make sure she was happy and comfortable. The real MVP of this all, Sherri, who leaned on her intuition and got Fiona the help she needed; sacrificed so much of her time, money, emotional and physical energy, home, sanity, and peace for Fifi; and refused to give up on her and the situation despite not absolutely NOT signing up for any of this. All of Sherriās friends and neighbors who helped out when the pups were newborns, especially neighbor Josh, who literally slept next to the baby pool for weeks to make sure the puppies were safe and well-fed. The other MVPs of this situation, Clark and Jill, who dedicated all their time to help Sherri and Fifi through the birth, made sure the puppies were safe and thriving, shared and applied their knowledge of seeing a dog through birthing three puppies to all of us, and ultimately took the puppies and Fi into their home and nurtured them for weeks until I moved back down (and let me borrow all their ~whelping~ stuff).
Jake, who did not have to make the trek down to help, but saw the intensity of the situation and offered to helpāand his family who provided the best support, encouragement, and validation throughout the process. My landlords who happen to be my next-door neighbors, who were unbelievably understanding and kind despite me only giving them a few hours heads-up about the 14 surprise tenantsāand their children for coming over and graciously helping me clean, take pictures, cuddle, and provide levity to the situation. My new neighbor Mikayla who hustled with spreading the word, helping me out, and rooting me on the entire way. Cristy and Tracey, who made financial donations to the cause. Sara and her children for validating my range of emotions, contributing food and supplies, and providing moral and practical support (and coming up with my favorite phrase of the whole thing: a āconundrumā of puppies).
Natalie, Allie, Makaila, and everyone else at Beautique Town and Country for doing WORK getting these puppies adoptedāif you ever need to get the word out about something, tell your hair stylist!!! Alli and Nina, who helped with cleaning/pictures/distraction/moral support and worked tirelessly to get these pups rehomed. EVERYONE who shared posts, spread the word, sent me good vibes, let me vent, encouraged me, and in general who were along for the ride on this whole thing. Also those who understood when I bailed on plans, was especially grumpy and tired, and gave me the space to get through it. To the adopters, who took a chance on me and Fiona and the pups despite the many other available options. To those who took puppies on trial and retuned them, ensuring the pups would end up with the absolute best match for their needs and preferences.
Lastly and most importantly, my dad, who saw how important Fiona was to me and was the main benefactor in making sure she and the puppies were safe, and my mom, who spent days and days helping me with the puppies, perfecting their sit and pottying on the pad skills, cleaned my house, and supported me in countless other ways. I guarantee that Iām missing naming specific people, but I promise I havenāt forgotten the difference you made in helping me with this seemingly impossible task. Itās a little ironic how the hard times are the times that Iāve felt the most loved and supported, and this situation was no different at all. These puppies and their timing were both the last thing I needed and, I think, exactly what I needed right now. This summer will be unforgettable, and I hope you take pride in what we accomplished together.
