Although sometimes, it can be very tiring, and it seems that we are running out of strength, it is always worth fighting for a higher goal in the end.
And, is there anything more important than fighting to lead your children, your most loved ones, on the right path and provide them with a happy life?
Even though that inevitable separation is heartbreaking, happiness and pride remain because you have trained them for a new life.
Today’s story will show you all the hardships you have to go through when raising small ones in order to reach the happiest possible ending.
A New Life Was Born
Wallis Annenberg has always done philanthropic work. She was a huge animal lover from the beginning, and dogs are her favorites. Annenberg PetSpace, located in Los Angeles, represents the latest extension of her work.
The purpose of this organization is to strengthen the bonds between people and all animals, including pets, through adaptation and education.
One day, they rescued a dog, later named Cholula, who was about to give birth. She was very much pregnant, so finding her a foster home was an urgent job.
Fortunately, they didn’t have to wait too long because Thom McCallum, a dedicated foster papa, also from Los Angeles, answered their call immediately.
“They said that the dog is super friendly and that she was about to pop very soon, so I couldn’t turn a deaf ear to it all,” Thom said for The Dodo.
Before he managed to do anything, in the middle of the night, when all the shelter staff was gone, Cholula gave birth to her babies – seven girls and a boy.
The decision was difficult, but Thom and his fiancee, Alicia, agreed to foster all of them. Although excited about the new challenge, a great responsibility lay before them.
The Most Exhausting Fostering
Cholula was panting the whole way home. She was much more shy than Thom and Alicia had expected, so they already knew that this was not going to be an easy job at all. But, they were determined to get all these pups on the right track.
They took this task so seriously that Thom turned his office into a nursery. He let Cholula and her babies get settled in.
Alicia and her fiance left nothing to chance, so they provided this mama dog with everything she needed in order to take care of her little ones. Their mama fed them 24/7.
“They would nurse and crawl around for a minute and then pass right back out,” Thom said with a big smile on his face.
They knew that all of this was very exhausting for Mom, so they kept their dog, Ruby, away from her at first.
To their surprise, a new, deep friendship was born between the two dogs, and Cholula actually enjoyed Ruby’s presence.
She felt safe with Ruby, and they noticed that she was giving her the strength to go through all of this.
In the meantime, after so many sleepless nights, the puppies finally got on their feet. The little ones started playing and exploring tirelessly. They were on the right track and the hardest work was behind Cholulu.
Finally, Some Rest
Although mom was extremely happy, she was so exhausted that Thom had to carry her from time to time because she was unable to walk.
After about 5 weeks, Cholula started spending most of her time with her foster parents. She just didn’t have that much strength anymore, so Thom and Alicia had to step in.
“I started taking one puppy a day on an errand just to get them used to the sights and sounds of the world,” Thom said.
He also made sure they were always clean, so he washed them every day. Although he did it with a lot of love, knowing that it was the best for them, he had to admit that it was a very tiring job.
In the end, when he saw how happy they were and how their beautiful fur shone in the sun, he knew it was all worth the effort.
But, the best was yet to come.
It Was All Worth It!
After so long, Cholula was done with nursing. She could finally play with and enjoy them without much effort or the need to nurse and care for them.
“This was a huge turning point for her because now she could just play with them and be a dog,” Thom proudly confirmed as he watched how far this happy little family had come.
However, this beautiful story had to come to an end eventually. After two months of hard work and emotions, these pups were ready to find their forever homes.
Thom was devastated by the fact that he had to separate from Cholula, but knowing that she was going to the perfect family still made him proud of everything they went through together to get to that point.
All her little pups also found their happy families, so nine happy stories were ultimately told in one.
In the end, it turned out again that unreserved love and effort for someone is never a bad investment and that it always finds the right way to their hearts, which is the most important thing after all.