A dog named Valentine had gone through a lot in her life.
When she ended up at foster mom Brie Willis’ house, she was pregnant and very scared of humans.
You can feel Valentine’s fear as she cowered away from Brie.
It would’ve been a very frustrating and heartbreaking moment because even if you have no ill intentions, animals wouldn’t understand it outright.
Brie shared with The Dodo:
“When she first came here, she was very skittish. You could just tell how traumatized she was, and it was so heartbreaking.”
Valentine’s head was bowed low. She can’t even look at Brie, maybe in fear that if she did, Brie might hurt her.
But Brie was persistent.
She wanted to make Valentine feel that in her home, she and her puppies will be loved and given the utmost care. Whatever trauma she had to go through during her pregnancy, Valentine will not have those in Brie’s home.
The back and forth between the two started out with a dog cookie.
Eventually, Brie would feel Valentine getting closer and closer with each passing day.
When she didn’t look at Brie at first, this time, she would look up to the human with a smile on her face. She would approach her slowly, but her tail was wagging enthusiastically.
As the days went by, Valentine was becoming much more comfortable and trusting.
Brie was so happy when they made it outside the house for the first time.
The whole process of gaining Valentine’s trust took around three weeks but it was a necessary step in her pregnancy. Valentine needed a safe space for her children and Brie was more than willing to provide one.
It didn’t take long, though. One morning, Valentine was feeling a bit under the weather.
She was just lying down on her bed as the puppies inside her belly were wriggling and kicking.
Brie thought that the moment has come, but it turns out, it was a false alarm. The next morning, her hips were wagging with her tail and she was just a big ball of energy.
But when Valentine started nesting, or “digging” on her bedding, Brie knew that it’s the real thing.
On the morning after giving birth, Brie shared what happened:
“Momma did have the babies last night. We have six. We’re just taking the day to sleep and get our energy back.”
From a terrified pregnant dog to a mother of six adorable puppies, Brie and Valentine have gone a long way.
And in the journey, they both learned a lot about love and trust.
The puppies eventually had to go to their forever homes and Brie admitted it was hard to let them go.
But she takes comfort in the thought that these puppies won’t be here in the first place and now they’re going to amazing families who will love them.
Valentine, who was also a foster, was officially adopted by Brie. And in her honor, she also opened up her own rescue shelter.
It’s so wonderful to see Valentine open up and find a great new home. What a happy ending.
Check out Valentine’s full story in the video below!
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