The stray dog, who would later be called Rainbow, had never sought out humans. Life on the streets had taught her to be wary and distrustful, but something happened that the clever animal could not have foreseen. Forty-eight hours after her pups were born, a storm hit California with record rains. Rainbow hid the newborn chickens in the bushes, but the chances of the family surviving were slim. We had to, with a dog’s heart, trust people.
It’s not that Rainbow was chased away from everywhere. On the contrary, locals have spotted it many times in recent months and tried to feed it or take it to a shelter. But the dog always ran away. And when a thunderstorm struck, emergency rescuers arrived on an emergency call for a long time could not figure out where she was hiding, along with her puppies. The bushes — an unreliable shelter, but find a small object in them at night, in the rain and with flashlights was not easy. And the bad weather intensified.
Found! Now it was time to win the trust of Rainbow, who might have slipped away out of habit, but would not abandon the pups. Would she defend, would she attack, would she have to put them to sleep? But all was over with affection and a few portions of food.
The rescuer carefully picked up the puppy and dragged it outside, away from the makeshift lair. Rainbow perked up, wary, and… licked the baby’s nose. As if to reassure him everything would be all right. One by one people took out the puppies, and each received a goodbye kiss from the mother. The dog stayed in the den and did not know where their pups were taken.
Rainbow didn’t resist when they pulled her out of the bushes and put her in a cage. The rain was getting heavier, and it was time to get off the street and into safe shelter. People, dogs, and equipment were soaked through, and the power was out because of the thunderstorm. So they had to use flashlights to get into the shelter and check on the rescued animals with the vet.
The result of the rescue operation: a lean, nursing, but generally healthy mother dog and eight pretty puppies. In memory of the conditions under which they came into the shelter, they were named after the elements: Thunder, Breeze, Fog, Flash, Lightning, Storm, and the two smallest — Droplet and Frost. Rainbow became Rainbow and before your eyes turned into the friendliest dog in the world, as if he wanted to make up for all the days of his life without human care.
The puppies are growing up and will soon be ready to find new homes. Rainbow is no longer shunned by humans, and she doesn’t mind her little ones getting their own families as well.
A touching video of the rescue operation:
