In early September 2018, animal control officers in Monroeville, Alabama picked up two starving stray dogs who badly needed help. They took the pups to Monroe County Alabama Animal Shelter, and after observing them, the staff realized they were a mother and son.
The shelter staff named the dogs Sookie and Dino, and they placed them in the same kennel.
Sookie quickly adjusted to life in the shelter, but her son Dino had a much tougher time in his new environment. He was terrified of every sound and all the people around him.
Dino cowered next to Sookie, never letting her out of his sight. The two spent all of their time curled up together on the bed in their shared kennel.
“He leans into her, and tucks his head underneath hers. He will not let her out of his sight, and he has to be touching her. If he is not physically touching her in some way, he is very stressed,” Edi Kelley, director of Paws Crossed Dog Rescue, told The Dodo.
There was just one problem: Sookie was heavily pregnant and would soon deliver a litter of puppies. For her safety, the staff had to put Dino in his own kennel at night before they closed the shelter.
Poor Dino hated being separated from his mom. He would howl for hours on end, wanting to be with his mom. In the morning, the staff would let him back into Sookie’s shelter, and he would immediately calm down. Sookie also seemed happy to have her son by her side.
“The mother dog is very socialized, so somewhere along the line, she’s had contact with people,” Kelley said. “She wags her tail and enjoys being pet. Dino is very skittish around people. He doesn’t show aggression, and he doesn’t growl or bear his teeth, but anytime a person comes to him, he hides under her.”
The shelter staff knew Dino would do better in a foster home, a place where he could learn to socialize with people.
The shelter contacted animal rescue group Paws Crossed Dog Rescue Network. The rescue agreed to take the dogs in, and they soon found the perfect foster home for Sookie and Dino.
Soon after arriving at the foster home, Sookie gave birth to a litter of six healthy puppies. Dino was excited to meet his new little brothers and sisters!
Dino is starting to come out of his shell—he’s enjoying spending time with his new foster parents, and he’s found his favorite place to sleep in the house. This little pup is finally learning to trust humans again.
Sookie, Dino, and the puppies will stay in their foster home until the puppies are weaned. Once the puppies are weaned, Paws Crossed Dog Rescue hopes to adopt Sookie and Dino out to the same forever home.
“We always try and keep close relationships together,” Kelley said.
Sookie is a great mom who did everything she could to comfort her scared son when they were in the shelter. We hope these two find a great forever home together!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
