Christmas is a terrible time to be alone and afraid, but thanks to the efforts of some of our volunteers and fosters, these four puppies won’t have to worry about suffering through this holiday season and these freezing temps alone and unprotected.

Meet Nell, Marcy, Linus, and Violet! All four were part of a litter of puppies born to a stray Mama Dog near an Irving train station sometime in October. We estimate that they’re now about 10-12 weeks old. We are still in the process of trying to rescue the remaining two puppies as well as the Mama Dog and still one more male, older Shepherd mix dog (whom we call Big Brother) from a previous litter, but in the meantime, these four are enjoying life in their new, loving foster home.

LINUS

Linus

Linus was the first to be rescued when he got separated from his pack and got tangled in some brush and vines. Covered in fleas but otherwise healthy and squirmy, he’s the most sociable of the pack and loves being the “big brother” to his sisters!

MARCY AND NELL

Marcy and Nell were rescued just five days later, the day after Thanksgiving. They

Marcy (black) and Nell.

were found living under a shipping container in an industrial yard right across the street from where Linus was rescued. They were with the rest of the family, but we could only rescue these sweet girls. According to their foster mom, Marcy “likes to snuggle and has just begun to come when called. Lots of times she wants to get away from the hubbub of her siblings and just lie in the sun for awhile. She is black with a white chest and white toes. She is the fluffiest puppy of the bunch so I call her Miss Flufflebottom.”

Nell, on the other hand,  has really come out her shell. She loves belly-rubs, is super-friendly, and is up to challenging Linus for leadership of the pack. When Nell was rescued, she let out a big scream that startled us and caught their mom’s attention, but she immediately cuddled and became quiet once I held her close and rubbed her fluffy back. She’s got a sweet personality and a big heart!

Violet rescued, thanks to the City of Irving Streets crew!

VIOLET

Violet was the last one we were able to catch, and boy, was it a lucky break! Our volunteer, Brian, happened to hear her crying as he was walking to the train station early one morning, and sure enough, there she was — stuck in a storm drain. He called me, and I quickly drove over there and called 911 (injured animals are considered an emergency call by Irving Animal Services). The dispatcher contacted the City Streets division, and within twenty minutes a crew arrived to pull little, scared Violet to safety.

Violet

Shaken but otherwise healthy and uninjured, Violet is her foster mom’s favorite (shhhh – don’t tell the others!). She’s still the last one to come into the house when they’re all called in after potty breaks, so her foster mom will sometimes sit with her until she’s comfortable. Still, she’s really blossomed in her foster home and is no longer shy with people, other dogs, or even cats!

AND MORE PUPPIES…WE HOPE!

We’re still working on catching the remaining two puppies. We would also like to catch the Mama Dog and the puppies’ uncle, a male Shepherd-looking mix that was part of a previous litter. If you would like to foster both the Mama and Big Brother (or either one), please let us know by sending us an email. The other two puppies are both black, like little Violet, and are probably about 11 weeks old by now.

In the meantime, these four adorable pups will soon be available for adoption, so make sure you get your application in now! We’ve already gotten a few applications in for them and will continue to accept them until they all find their forever homes. If you’re interested in any of them, please click here to download the application.

Here are more pics of the pups!