Mama dog cared for her pups — then helps orphaned litter. ‘Nothing short of inspiring’
A mama dog raised her own puppies — then she stepped in to help an orphaned litter, too.
“Buttercup instinctively began caring for them as her own,” the Triangle Beagle Rescue of North Carolina wrote in a blog post. “Watching Buttercup give these babies a second chance has been nothing short of inspiring.”
Now, Buttercup the “supermom” is waiting for a new home. She’s up for adoption after she and her six pups arrived at the rescue in October. The family was in a “bad situation” and needed a fresh start, the Raleigh-area rescue wrote in Facebook posts and a Nov. 4 email to McClatchy News.
“Just as Buttercup and her family were settling in, we received an urgent call about a litter of newborns, just three days old, who had tragically lost their beagle mom to parvo,” the animal organization wrote. “They needed a mom — and fast!”
The rescue said Buttercup welcomed the five orphaned pups “without hesitation.” A heartwarming video posted on YouTube shows the mom doting on one of the adorable newcomers, who bear the same names as members of the band One Direction: Harry, Liam, Louis, Niall and Zayn.
“Buttercup’s story is a beautiful reminder of the strength and devotion of these incredible beagles,” rescuers wrote. “This amazing mom has shown us all the true meaning of love, and we couldn’t be prouder to help her on her journey.”
The One Direction puppies are expected to be ready for adoption in December. Meanwhile, all of Buttercup’s original litter of six pups — Citrus, Goldie, Lemonade, Limoncello, Mello Yello and Sunkist — either have been matched with new owners or have people interested in taking them home.
Buttercup, described as a “happy go lucky beagle mix,” was still available for adoption as of Nov. 4. More details about the animal organization’s adoption process can be found at tribeagles.org.
This story was originally published November 5, 2024 at 10:14 AM with the headline "Mama dog cared for her pups — then helps orphaned litter. ‘Nothing short of inspiring’."
