She was heavily pregnant at the time of her rescue. Ellie, a pit bull mix, was seized by BC SPCA animal protection officers along with two other dogs named Sugar and Henry. The dogs were living in a home infested with rats, the floors covered in dog feces and urine.
An x-ray determined that Ellie was pregnant with 10 puppies. “Ellie was due to give birth quickly, there wasn’t enough time to find a foster who could accommodate a pregnant mom and 10 puppies,” says Amrika Tikasingh, manager of the BC SPCA’s South Okanagan – Similkameen animal centre. “She gave birth in the animal centre.”
Sadly, one of the puppies did not make it. The other nine puppies thrived and soon found wonderful forever homes.
Piper is one of those lucky puppies! She is spending her days playing with her older and much larger brother, a six-year-old, 110-pound, gentle German shepherd named Frisco.
“We fell in love with Piper the moment we saw her,” says her new mom Maggie. “She was comfortable in our home from the very beginning,” she says. “She has never been shy. The minute we brought her out of the car and into the yard she introduced herself to Frisco. They immediately started playing. He would send her for a bit of tumble, but she would run right back to him.”
Maggie adds that Frisco is also a rescue they adopted at about a year old. “Because he was abused, he did not know how to play,” she says. “As soon as you raised your hand to throw something he would cower. But he is learning to embrace playing with toys after watching Piper.”
Maggie adds that one of the cutest things they have watched Piper do is play with a ball. “If you roll a ball, she will stalk it and when she gets close, she will pounce on it.”
“Piper is smart as a whip,” says Maggie. “Frisco taught her how to knock at the door with her paw to be let out to the yard and to come back in,” says Maggie. “She will come when you call her name, she sits and will shake a paw.”
She also tolerates being handled well. “I noticed her nails were getting long,” says Maggie. “When I clipped them, she didn’t fuss at all, she just laid there. I wasn’t sure if it was a one-time thing, but when I clipped her nails a second time, she still didn’t react.” She says Piper also has no resource guarding issues. In fact, both dogs have been good when the other eats. “Frisco will look at Piper’s meals with big sad eyes,” Maggie says. “But he leaves her alone.”
Maggie says Piper has brought so many awesome changes to their home, including venturing outdoors. “We were always pretty active,” she says. “But Piper loves the outdoors, so we are heading outside a lot more.” She adds, “We went to the BC SPCA looking for a friend for Frisco. We weren’t looking for a puppy, but we are so glad we found Piper. She has made life so much better for Frisco and for us.”
Henry and Sugar have found their forever homes, but Ellie is still looking for someone to make her part of their family.
Here are updates on some of Ellie’s other puppies:
Ryder
Monty
Ripley
Hunni
Honey Ham
Penelope
Pregnant pit bull rescued from horrible living conditions gives birth to ten puppies in BC SPCA care
Original story: September 17, 2024
BC SPCA animal protection officers have seized three adult pit bull mixes, one male and two females, one heavily pregnant from a property in Kelowna. The dogs were living in a home infested with rats, the floors were covered in dog feces and urine.
“This was a horrible situation for both the people living in the home and the dogs that were rescued,” says Amrika Tikasingh, manager of the BC SPCA’s South Okanagan – Similkameen animal centre. “Large rats were seen jumping in and out of the windows and running throughout the home. The animal protection officers reported that the smell was overwhelming.” Tikasingh adds that in a misguided attempt to care for some baby rats, the residents put dog food out for them, which made the problem that much worse.
The three dogs were all brought to the BC SPCA’s Penticton Veterinary Hospital. Ellie, the pregnant dog, was x-rayed which showed she was in the late stages of pregnancy with a litter of ten puppies. Henry, the adult male and Sugar, the other adult female, were determined to be in good health.
“Ellie was due to give birth quickly, so there wasn’t enough time to find a foster who could accommodate a pregnant mom and 10 puppies,” says Amrika Tikasingh, manager of the BC SPCA’s South Okanagan – Similkameen animal centre. “She gave birth in the animal centre.”
Sadly, one of the puppies did not thrive. “Ellie found comfort in a soft squeeze toy that she must have with her at all times,” says Tikasingh. “She was clearly grieving the loss of her puppy. “
Tikasingh adds that Ellie is an amazing mother, and the puppies are progressing well with no health concerns. “We are currently collaborating with the vets at the BC SPCA’s Penticton Animal Hospital to stabilize Ellie’s weight as she is currently underweight, but we are working hard to make sure she makes a full recovery. As soon as Ellie is ready, she will be scheduled for spay surgery. “It is obvious that Ellie has had far too many litters for a dog of her age,” says Tikasingh. “This sweet girl with so much love to give needs a break from being pregnant.”
The puppies will be available for adoption when they are eight weeks old. Ellie will be available for adoption when she has recovered from her spay surgery. Henry has already found his forever home and Sugar is currently available for adoption.