It’s unfathomable that someone can hurt an innocent animal, let alone try to murder five helpless puppies. But that’s what happened one sunny day in Uxbridge, Mass.
Two men kayaking down the Blackstone River spied a bag floating downstream, batting the waves while they were navigating the water. The men glided up alongside the bag, plucked it from the water and then were horrified with what they heard: soft yet frantic whimpers.
When they untied it and peered inside, they were aghast with what they found!
A mere second or two later and the bright sunny day would’ve turned dark and heartbreaking for the babies. The puppies would’ve sank to the bottom of the river, caught up in the undertow and frighteningly drowned, or been smashed to death after crashing into the looming boulders.
Instead, the two men swooped in and saved the puppies from a tragic ending, giving them new life and a fresh start.
The puppies appeared to be only a week or so old with their eyes and ears still tightly shut. They were innocent and beautiful. The kayakers called the police for help and Uxbridge Police Chief Jeff Lourie was disgusted by what had transpired.
“It’s unconscionable. You can’t imagine what’s going through my head as a police officer for 29 years, someone would do that, someone would take six fairly newborn puppies and discard them in a body of water. Obviously, it’s a heinous act. We’re talking very violent – in my opinion – act towards these defenseless puppies. The good news in this, the puppies had a guardian angel looking over them.”
Regional Animal Control Officer Kevin Sullivan said that the runt “had quite a bit of water in his lungs. Up until this morning, he was still pushing mud out of his nose.” Apparently, he was at the bottom of the pile of pups in the bag.
Thanks to the kindhearted kayakers who then passed the puppies on to authorities with Uxbridge Animal Control, the puppies not only survived, but thrived.
They were rejuvenated with goat milk fed by bottle along with a special puppy formula. The runt was given a dose of antibiotics for a helpful boost while its siblings were administered probiotics.
Veterinarians pegged the puppies as Labrador retrievers or golden retriever mixes. It didn’t take long before the babies were on the mend, Sullivan indicated.
“It’s nice to see that we’re going to have a good outcome and these puppies have a chance. They have a fighting chance.”
To make sure the puppies received the round-the-clock care they needed, Sullivan took them home and he and his family cared for them on their own. It was at least two more months before they were completely ready for adoption.
His wife Alisha and their six- and seven-year-old daughters were thrilled to help them heal, she said.
“I’m just so excited they all pulled through. The odds were not that great.”
Considering their tumultuous beginning, the Sullivans gave them water-related names: River, Rio, Creek, Kai, Hasani and Como. Check out these precious puppies in the video below. Their story is so sad but with a wonderful ending.
