Petunia is a rescue dog and she had only planned to nurse her own litter of pups. However, there came an occasion where 6 other orphan puppies needed a foster mom, and Petunia rose to the challenge and eagerly took on the task.
Although she had her own litter of 11 pups, this 4-year-old St. Bernard-mix happily welcomed the 6 other pups who were found in an abandoned home. Although volunteers had searched for the mother of the 6 pups, as she hadn’t returned, No Dog Left Behind had to step in and do something. In an interview, Stephanie Easley, Petunia’s foster mom had this to say: “When they arrived, my husband rushed them home to see if Petunia would allow them to attach to her. Thankfully, she immediately started cleaning them without skipping a beat. There was absolutely no question that these six were now her babies as well.”
When Petunia was pregnant, she was living on the streets of rural Minnesota as a stray, relying on the kindness of strangers, ultimately finding her way to Easley’s loving home. Easley had this to say: “At first there was worry that Petunia wasn’t going to be an attentive mom, but that dissipated quickly. Once in my home and settled into her temporary ‘suite,’ she started performing her mom duties perfectly. “Petunia is taking to these orphans so well. We went from a chance of her maybe needing help with her litter to taking in six more!”
The number of litter for these types of large dogs range from 1-12 babies, and averages at 5 or 6, but for now, life is looking up for this new mom and her extra-large litter. Easley also had this to say: “Petunia is just as sweet as can be. She is affectionate, calm, kind, loving, lovable … honestly, I’m obsessed with her. I have been blessed with so many truly amazing foster dogs, but Petunia is already proving to be an incredibly special one!”
The proud dog mom loves showing off her brood of dogs saying: “Momma Petunia is an all-star! She is showing zero signs of struggle. She truly is a saint. I know that people often say that humans could learn from dogs, but Petunia is able to love and accept with zero hesitation. She helped others in need even though it’ll be a burden on her. Imagine what the world would be like if humans could all do that.”
When the litter grows up and Petunia’s parenting slows down, the entire litter and Petunia will be up for adoption, however, Petunia has had an impacting presence in Easley’s life. Finally she says; “Fostering Petunia has already been a life-changing experience. Look at how many lives I get a small part of saving —18 innocent lives all at the same time. Experiences that amazing dogs (like Petunia) bring into our lives are those that will be remembered forever. Those are what will help shape my children to be the next generation of good humans.”
