Every morning around 6:30am Gustav the German Shepherd Dog gets really hungry and decides it’s time for dad to get up. He’s even got a special trick for helping lift dad up and out of bed! Now that’s what I call an effective (and adorable) alarm clock!
Alone beside a wooded creek in rural Tennessee, a brave mama dog was doing everything she could to keep her 12 newborn puppies alive.
Abandoned and with no one to care for them, she carried the enormous burden herself, protecting and feeding her babies with whatever she could find. But life on her own was taking its toll.
Sarah Kodad
When local dog rescuer Sarah Kodad heard about the little family, she knew she had to help.
“[I felt] sad and angry that another dog had been dumped,” Kodad told the Dodo. “They’re such loyal companions, who give their all for their humans or families. It’s not fair for them to be tossed away or mistreated.”
Kodad tracked the mama’s movements through the area, hoping she would lead her to the puppies. When she finally found them, her heart sank. One of the puppies had already died.
Sarah Kodad
She gently gathered the grieving mama and her 11 surviving babies into her car and immediately began searching for a safe place for them to go.
Sarah Kodad
With the help of the nonprofit Rubies and Rogues, the little family was placed with a loving foster home, where the exhausted mama could finally rest while her puppies grew strong and healthy.
Rubies and Rogues
“No more worrying about your babies, momma,” Kodad wrote after the rescue. “No more pregnancies … no more struggling to survive.”
The sweet dog, originally named Fig, blossomed in foster care as her puppies continued to thrive.
Then, hundreds of miles away in Colorado, a man named Joel saw her photo and read her story.
Joel had recently lost his own beloved dog, and something about this devoted mama touched his heart. He applied to adopt her and, after being approved, patiently waited more than a month until her puppies were weaned and she had recovered from her spay surgery.
Finally, the day arrived.
Rubies and Rogues
Joel made the long drive to Tennessee to bring her home, and according to Rubies and Rogues, it was a match made in heaven. He picked her up straight from her spay appointment, and she looked more than ready to start the next chapter of her life.
Now known as Gabbie, the former stray mama is living her best life in Colorado with her new dad. She spends her days surrounded by love instead of worry, trading survival for adventure in the mountains near Keystone Resort.
Rubies and Rogues
After everything she endured to protect her puppies, it’s hard not to smile seeing her now—safe, cherished, and finally getting the happy ending she always deserved.
Gemma Stafford has shared plenty of frozen treats for her dog Waffles — from doggie ice cream to frozen snacks. This time, she’s back with a homemade dog popsicle recipe your pup will love.
The professional chef and bestselling cookbook author of Bigger Bolder Baking has created a delicious recipe that’s easy to make. You’ll need the following ingredients:
2 cups (10 oz/284 g) mixed frozen berries
1 cup (8 oz/225 g) plain fat-free plain Greek yogurt. (Low fat or fat-free will help avoid tummy troubles)
Mix together the ingredients in a food processor. Then pour into your chosen mold. Gemma uses dixie cups and Milk-Bones for “handles” but you can use any mold or shape you like. Then put in the freezer for several hours until frozen and serve!
When rescuers first arrived to help a stray dog they named Angela, she was lying motionless in a muddy field.
“We got a call reporting that a dog had been found lying in water in a field, unconscious,” Animal Aid Unlimited, India wrote. “She had a deep wound by her tail and a laceration on her face. We rushed her back to Animal Aid’s hospital where we started treating her traumatic head injury.”
Angela had suffered a severe blow to the head and had brain damage as a result. A week after her emergency surgery she took her first wobbly steps, but she couldn’t stand or walk on her own.
But rescuers refused to give up on her, despite this heartbreaking setback. And after 2 months of treatment and loving care, Angela’s recovery is incredible to see.
Lorita was only supposed to stay for one week, but her family never came back. This tiny 2-pound dog found a forever home filled with love, trust, and second chances. ❤️🐶
Blind Dog Mason may have lost his eyesight, but he never lost his purpose. Every morning, he still finds the newspaper with nothing but his nose, determination, and love for his family. This heartwarming true story is a beautiful reminder that courage isn't about what we lose—it's about never giving up.
Henry, a senior dog battling cancer, deafness, and blindness, arrived at a shelter with little hope. But one compassionate family gave him the love he deserved, proving that even the oldest rescue dogs can find happiness, healing, and a forever home.
People judged his pit bull before they even met her, so her dad built the community they both needed.
Aaron built a community for Gigi after watching people avoid her simply because she was a pittie. Today, she's helping people see these incredible dogs in a whole new light—and proving that everyone deserves a place where they're welcomed.
Mackenzie made room in her heart, too. When she found animals she couldn't leave behind, saying yes changed all of their lives. By Christmas, her newest family member was exactly where they were meant to be: home.
Now that the summer season is in full swing, walking with your dog requires a few extra precautions to keep them safe and healthy. Practically every pet parent knows the rule about not leaving your dog in the a hot vehicle, but not as many know the damage that hot asphalt, pavement or even sand, can wreak on a dog’s paws.
The air temperature doesn’t have to be excessively hot to burn a dog’s skin. The air temperature only has to be 77 F for the asphalt to be 125 F, and at 125 degrees, skin destruction can occur in just 60 seconds!
Hot pavement can cause painful blisters, welts or severe burns on a dog’s feet and lead to health complications like infections.
Every pet parent loves to see their dog run in grass. However, there are some wild grasses that dogs should stay away from. Foxtails are grasses with seed awns that are extremely dangerous to dogs. That’s because the awns on foxtails are barbed, razor-sharp needles, designed to burrow into the ground with the seed. However, they can also burrow through a dog’s skin and enter soft tissue where they can cause serious injury, infection and even death.
Foxtails torpedo-shaped awns are like bullets and can penetrate any part of a dog’s body. The awns most commonly lodge in a dog’s nose, ears, underbelly, rear end and paws. Long-haired dogs are particularly susceptible, as the barbed foxtail stays attached to the dog’s long fur and are difficult to spot.
Xray of foxtail traveling inside muscle of dog’s leg (left); foxtail awns (top right); abscess in paw from foxtail (bottom right).