Many people decide to foster dogs in order to help them get a second chance at life. But some people go above and beyond with their foster duties.
These people decide to foster dogs that other people might pass up on.
Dogs that are elderly, have special needs, or need extra care. In Joshua Feeney’s case, he decided to adopt a pregnant dog. A VERY pregnant dog named Kaia.
“For some reason, I thought it would be neat to take in a pregnant mama dog. She was found living in an alley and my friend caught her,” Josh told The Dodo. “I was in the right place at the right time.”
Kaia immediately became comfortable in her new home with her foster dad.
“She was so happy! I don’t think she had ever been inside of a house. You spend your whole life sleeping in a cage, I think that she just automatically knew she was safe,” Josh explained.
By this point, Kaia looked like she was going to give birth any minute. Her belly was large and swollen and swung to-and-fro when she walked.
So, Josh had to prepare a place where Kaia could have her babies.
He grabbed a plastic kiddie pool to use as a whelping box, which is a contained area for dogs and their puppies to be safe in during and after birth. Kaia immediately took to her new birthing spot. But Josh helped with that. He would make sure to visit the box several times a day so she could get acclimated.
“She’s actually a pretty small dog because she had all these puppies inside her she was just miserable. Every day she just kind of acted like more and more like she was going to give birth,” she said.
Her stomach was also making some “seriously funny noises.” Sure enough, Kaia gave birth exactly seven days after she entered her new foster home. After labor started, she gave birth to about one puppy every hour.
“That was a long night, it was fun. She was amazing This girl’s a pro. This is not her first go-round,” Josh explained.
Kaia gave birth to seven babies but one got caught in the birth canal and didn’t make it.
So, Josh now had six puppies and their mama in his house.
“She stayed with those puppies, by their side, for weeks,” he explained. “She would never leave the pool. I had to bring her food and water.”
Eventually, the pups started to grow and were able to open their mouths and eyes.
That’s when mom decided she could move around about more and leave the pool from time to time.
“I think she really learned how to play with toys by just watching her pups play with toys,” Josh said. “As the puppies grew they would literally chase her around the house. They wanted more food and they would just not leave her alone She was the best mama. They were her world.”
At around nine or 10 weeks, Kaia’s behavior started to change a bit. She went from ultra-protective nurturer to seeing her puppies as equals.
They would get to play together since they were grown. Some of her pups could even run faster than mom.
While Josh enjoyed having all these doggos at his home, it was time for them to find their forever homes.
“The first puppies didn’t start getting adopted until 16 weeks, so I had them for a long time,” Josh said. “I really think she was happy but you could also tell that she was tired. So, now that the pups are gone she is so settled in and so happy to just be a dog.”
Unfortunately, Josh now has to find a forever home for Kaia.
After her puppies were gone, Josh found that Kaia had a lot of trouble getting along with other dogs. If he keeps Kaia, he won’t be able to continue fostering other dogs. So, he’s looking for someone to give her the forever home she deserves.
“Kaia is just kind of the best all-around. I literally cannot think of anything about her that isn’t fantastic other than the fact that she is leash-reactive when she sees other dogs outside,” he said.
Josh is hoping a household with lots of humans to play with Kaia will take her in.
“This girl loves to be around people she loves to go for long walks,” he said. “She follows me around like a puppy she’s just a very very happy girl. She’s just awesome.”
You can reach Josh here. Learn more about Kaia in the video below.
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