Rescue Pups Reunion: From Abandoned to Adored
On a cold day, Saturday, December 30, 2023 a good citizen found nine puppies who were 7 weeks old at the time when they were abandoned in a Bernalillo County dumpster and left to die in the dead of winter.
The City’s Animal Welfare Department (AWD) took the puppies in as an emergency case to help save their lives. The nine puppies were frail, malnourished, dehydrated and weighed an average of 3 pounds. AWD nursed them back to stable health, microchipped them, gave 1st round vaccinations and either spayed or neutered them.
On January 4th, 2024, the nine puppies were brought to an adoption event at City Hall, just outside the Mayor’s Office. That day, 7 of the puppies were adopted by people who work at City Hall and their families, and were taken to new homes. The remaining 2 were sent to Lucky Paws, and adopted by loving parents shortly after.
Though unfortunately one of the adopted puppies did not live to see today’s reunion, her brothers and sisters are now thriving, healthy, growing and are enriching the lives of their new families. These puppies had not seen their siblings until the event at City Hall this morning. The reunion included a lot of tail wagging and jumping as the puppies greeted each other without missing a beat.
“It’s inspiring to see where these puppies are today considering the incredibly rough start they emerged from. No pet should ever be abandoned,” said Mayor Keller. “AWD was able to turn this story around, and you can help AWD by volunteering, fostering or adopting a pet or donating.”
As more at-risk pets enter AWD’s shelter, there is a necessity for more volunteers, fosters, donations and adopters. By supporting AWD, you will play an essential life-saving role in the journey of shelter pets in their time of need. If you are interested in adopting, fostering, volunteering or would like to donate to AWD’s shelter, go to www.cabq.gov/pets for more information.
“It’s just awesome to see how resilient animals are,” said Carolyn Ortega, Director of Animal Welfare Department. “When you love them, care for them, they will thrive. AWD encourages anyone who feels they can no longer care for their pet to seek resources in their community, such as shelters and animal societies or food banks that offer pet food.”
“I knew when I saw Rocky he was mine,” said Anitra Jex, an adoptee who works at the City’s Parking Division. “Are there challenges with a puppy? Yes, but I wouldn’t change it for the world!”