8
The staff at Great Plains SPCA never expected to start their day with an emergency, but that’s exactly what happened one morning in Shawnee, Kansas. Around 9 a.m., a local reached out with shocking news: someone had dumped a crate at an intersection, and inside were 11 tiny puppies. The person who found them didn’t know how long they’d been there, but the situation was dangerous. The crate had been left right along a busy road, and dark storm clouds were gathering fast.
Victoria Roland-Vaughn, GPSPCA’s social media coordinator, spoke with The Dodo: “It is a fairly busy road, and they were rescued right before we got a massive downpour of rain in our area. “They had nothing to protect them from the elements. No food or water …” The Good Samaritan didn’t wait for anyone else to step in. They carefully loaded the crate into their vehicle and brought the puppies straight to the shelter.
While the staff was relieved to see the dogs out of harm’s way, there were other concerns. These pups were only about six weeks old, and the shelter was already housing animals battling diseases like parvo—something that could be deadly to such young, vulnerable dogs.
“With parvo-positive puppies already onsite and ten other puppies exposed to that deadly disease, we simply could not keep more young dogs at our shelter for their safety,” Roland-Vaughn added.
The shelter posted a call for help online and gave the litter a temporary place to rest, far from any sick animals. It didn’t take long for the pups to settle in. Once they realized they were safe, they collapsed in a heap and slept soundly.
“All of these pups are filthy, exhausted from their ordeal and immediately fell asleep once they realized they were safe,” the shelter wrote in a Facebook update.
That same night, six of the puppies were matched with foster families. The other five waited patiently, wagging their tails hopefully at anyone who walked by.
By the end of the day, the rest had found foster homes, too. With all 11 puppies finally safe, the team at GPSPCA breathed a huge sigh of relief. “Our community stepped up in a massive way.”
The puppies will stay in foster care for the next few weeks, where they can grow stronger and healthier. Once they’re ready, they’ll be spayed or neutered and prepared for adoption. For now, they’re spending their time just being puppies—playing, napping, and soaking up attention.
“Now that these pups are in foster care, they are blossoming into the happiest puppies you’ve ever seen,” Roland-Vaughn said. “You would never know that they went through a terrifying few hours from how playful and loving they all are.”
None of it would have been possible without a stranger who took action and a community that showed up. “None of this would have been possible without our amazing supporters,” said Roland-Vaughn. “Because of them, these pups can now look forward to finding their forever homes.”
