LOCKHART, Texas — Six newborn puppies were found laying on the side of a road in Lockhart, still attached to their mother's umbilical cord after she had died. It was a tragic sight, but a local shelter found them just in time.
"It was hot, you know, on the side of the road on the pavement. They wouldn't survive possibly really more than an hour or so," said Luis Sanchez, director of PR and communications for Austin Pets Alive!.
The puppies were quickly transported to Austin Pets Alive!, which had sent out messages to its foster list so the puppies would have a home to go into as soon as they arrived.
"These little puppies can't survive more than two to three hours without food," Sanchez said.
Miraculously, the puppies had no serious medical concerns and were able to be put with two different fosters within the hour. Karen Hadzi-Pavlovic is one of those fosters who was able to take three of the puppies for the weekend.
"It's such a bonding thing," Hadzi-Pavlovic said. "Knowing that they depend on you so much and, you know, that you're helping them to survive. It feels good."
Her kids and husband have been helping out with the puppies, so it's bittersweet for their family to give them to another foster.
"It's going to be sad," Hadzi-Pavlovic said. "We are all in love with them. I mean, they are the sweetest little things. I've never even held a dog this tiny."
The puppies will be in foster homes for around eight to 12 weeks, until they are ready for adoption. During this time, it's crucial they are in foster homes that can provide the individualized care they need.
"There really isn't a place for them within the shelter that is able to care for them on such a regular basis, so it really takes the commitment from a foster to be able to say, ‘Hey, I can care for them, even if it's for a night, a weekend.’ Because we don't have, necessarily, the place to put them here," Sanchez said.
Austin Pets Alive! is always looking for more fosters to help animals like these and give them a second shot at life.
"It's really beautiful to see them be able to get to that point in their life where they're ready to find a family after they've been through so much trauma," Sanchez said.
You can find more information about fostering on the organization's website.