When out hiking, it’s common to see the wildlife doing its thing. If you’re lucky, you might even spot a rare animal just off the trail.
But what you wouldn’t expect to see is a mama dog, abandoned and heavily pregnant.
Unfortunately, that’s exactly what one couple did find while out hiking – and it seemed they had arrived at just the right time. The dog was giving birth.
The poor mom, a shy pit bull, was completely exhausted and malnourished. She didn’t trust anyone. But one man, Thom McCallum, was determined to give her a better life.
Thom took mama and her three babies home with him and introduced them to their “new digs”. The pups were absolutely tiny, and could barely even open their eyes. Thom had a lot of work on his hands.
It took mom, who Thom named Ruby, a while to warm up to her new owner. No one can say for sure what she might have gone through in the past, but to have been abandoned by her previous caregiver would have made her lose faith in humans entirely.
Still, mom didn’t let her outside fears get in the way of her parenting duties. She did an “incredible” job of looking after her little ones, who spent most of their first few weeks of life fast asleep.
While the puppies napped, Thom would use his one-on-one time with Ruby to bond with her and build her trust. He petted her, whispered words of reassurance, and tried to play with her – though she was still a little too timid to play fetch.
By Thom’s 20th day of being a foster parent, Ruby’s puppies were finally up on their feet and running about. Thom now had his work cut out even more – it’s clear all three pups were going to be a handful!
It was soon time for Thom to take the puppies out for their first ever walk. He strapped them to their own little puppy cart, while mom walked protectively alongside them. There’s no doubt that Thom would have been stopped by a few adoring strangers along the way. His “wagon full of puppies” was just too cute.
Thom felt that the dogs were ready now to play outside in his yard. Mama Ruby loved the outdoors, but she was more interested in following Thom around. From being hesitant to open up to him, she was now his biggest fan.
“Ruby won’t leave my side. She goes everywhere I go,” Thom admitted.
As the days passed, the pups grew larger, and Ruby was growing too – in confidence. It was amazing for Thom to see.
In his most recent update, Thom shared the fantastic news that all three pups had been adopted. One of the pups, Tito, was actually adopted by Thom’s next door neighbor, who installed a gate in his back fence, so mom could still come and see her son whenever she fancied.
As for Ruby, Thom said she’s already home. He has permanently adopted the brave mom, and plans to look after her for the rest of his life. He added:
“I don’t think she has to go anywhere. She loves it here. I love being with her and I think I’m the best home for her.”
Sharing his story to Instagram, Thom wrote:
“If you ever get the chance to foster, do it and give it your all to whoever you welcome into your home. I guarantee it will change your life. And one day you might fall hard for one of them just like I did and not be able to let them go. They’ll stay forever and the story you write with your new best friend will be beyond measure. I encourage you to fall in love and fall hard. The hope is that we can love more like them… unconditionally.”
What an incredible tale. While Thom can’t hope to change the world by saving Ruby, he knows for sure that for her, the world will have changed forever. You can check out the video of his “Foster Diary” just below.
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