Petunia is a 4-year-old stray St. Bernard, and she was lucky enough to find a stranger who was willing to care for her and let her stay with them.
Maybe that’s why she had no problem taking in a litter of orphaned puppies.
Petunia must have known the importance that a little love can offer and wanted to return the favor for the love she was shown.
After Petunia was found as a stray, Leech Lake Legacy, an animal welfare organization, tried to get Petunia adopted while she stayed in her foster home.
But those attempts weren’t successful and when it was time for her to give birth to her puppies, her current caretaker wasn’t able to properly care for the entire lot.
So, they were all surrendered to Leech Lake Legacy. Their volunteers noticed that Petunia wasn’t nursing her puppies at first and had a bloody discharge. So, she was taken for a check-up before being brought to a new foster family.
Because her foster family made her feel so comfortable and at home, Petunia started taking great care of her 11 puppies.
When No Dog Left Behind – Minnesota Canine Rescue found six pups whose mom was nowhere in sight, they brought the babies to Petunia to see if Petunia could also nurse these newborns.
“When they arrived, my husband rushed them home to see if Petunia would allow them to attach to her,” Petunia’s foster mom, Stephanie Easley, told The Dodo. “Thankfully, she immediately started cleaning them without skipping a beat. There was absolutely no question that these six were now her babies as well.”
Easley was overjoyed to see Petunia go from a mom who might need help bottle feeding her babies to one that was not only nursing her own but six more.
Petunia was nursing a total of 17 puppies.
A litter typically has anywhere from one to 12 puppies, with an average of five or six. But Petunia was handling her large litter like a champ!
“Momma Petunia is an all-star!” Easley said. “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.”
Easley said that she was monitoring Petunia closely to make sure that she was safe and healthy while nursing the litter of 17.
She also made sure to have a backup plan for the adopted babies if Petunia couldn’t handle them.
Easley says Petunia is just a very sweet dog that is affectionate, calm, and loving. Easley is pretty much “obsessed with her.
She sees Petunia as a true blessing and one of the most amazing foster dogs she has ever had.
She’s grateful for Petunia and for giving her the opportunity to help save 18 innocent little lives.
She says the experience is something she’ll remember forever and is also helping to teach her children a valuable lesson in love and charity.
“Petunia’s story is a perfect example of what we can all do for animals by working together,” Leech Lake Legacy wrote on Facebook.
See Petunia care for her 17 babies in the video below.
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