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The stereotype of bachelor parties is one of relative debauchery. Even the tame ones aren’t exactly focused on heartwarming activities.
But Mitchell Craddock is going to be able to tell his bachelor party story to everyone and their grandmother. That’s because the Viskcburg, Michigan resident and his seven friends did a very good deed while they were celebrating at their rented Tennessee cabin in the woods in 2016.
There was only one female present during that week at the cabin — and she was uninvited.
It was a sweet stray mother dog.
“It all started while we were cooking bacon our first morning on the trip with the door to the cabin open,” Trevor Jennings, one of the revelers, told The Dodo.
Lured by the smell, the dog showed up in their doorway, likely giving them the same look that any dog gives when it smells bacon.
“We went outside to pet her and that’s when we noticed she was in rough shape,” Jennings said. “You could see her ribs and she was eating any scrap of food we gave her.”
Not only did she gobble up food but she seemed dehydrated as well as she lapped up multiple bowls of water.
A photo taken by one of the men shows that she had likely just had puppies that she had been feeding. She had probably spent every last ounce of her own energy keeping them fed and simply had nothing else to give.
“It was obvious she had some pups at some point but she was not producing milk when she found us so we thought the puppies were bigger,” Jennings said.
But they weren’t.
As the week continued, the men would go into town whenever they needed beer and food, pooling their money to get provisions. And each time they returned from their short trips, the dog greeted them happily — they had made a friend!
Soon, those provisions grew to include dog food.
“She was such a sweet dog that once we gained her trust, she was happy to see us, wagging her tail – just a big sweetheart,” Craddock, the groom, told ABC News. “We pooled a bunch of money to buy food and beer. After the third day, our beer fund turned into puppy food fund.”
The men didn’t seem to mind their friendly party crasher, but they did notice she was acting sketchy about one particular area in the woods, especially at night.
“So one morning we decided to go over to that area and that’s when we found the den and saw a pup sticking his head out,” Jennings said.
It turns out they found the sweet dog’s litter of tiny puppies! And there were SEVEN tiny mouths to feed.
No wonder the momma dog was so hungry and thirsty!
Not content to let the newborns and their mother fend for themselves, the men decided to add some furry company to their bachelor party.
They took in ALL the dogs, making room for them in the cabin — after some cleaning.
“We washed all the dogs, as they were dirty and full of fleas,” Jennings said.
As the party trip wrapped up, the men decided that eight guys finding eight dogs was somehow a sign. So instead of dropping them at the local shelter, they each took a pup home and either adopted it or found a family member to take them in!
“We all live within about a 5-mile radius of each other and hang out most weekends,” Jennings said. “We typically bring the dogs along with us so they still see each other.”
The mother dog, Annie, was adopted by Craddock’s grandparents along with one of her puppies, now named Bear.
Now Knox, Gunner, Annie, Brimmie, Finn, Rosie, Daisy, and Bear get to hang out with each other AND live in happy homes.
While it certainly wasn’t the party week they had planned, all of the men deemed the trip a success.
Be sure to scroll down below to see more about their sweet story.
The kind rescuers also keep fans updated on the dogs on the Facebook Group Tennessee Mutt Puppies.
Article Sources:
Good Morning America via YouTube
The Dodo
ABC News
Love What Matters via Facebook
Tennessee Mutt Puppies via Facebook
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By Jessica
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Jessica is a contributor at SBLY Media.