Who you gonna call?
Dog rescuers!
Okay, my pun line may be a bit lame, but I know what’s definitely not lame.
Saving dogs in need.
If you live in St. Louis or in the surrounding area, you’ve probably heard of one special dog rescuer, Donna Lochmann.
This brave woman is a well-known chief life-saving officer at the local shelter. Without her help, many lost souls would be gone for good.
Thanks to her sacrifice and determination, countless dogs got their forever homes.
Any time a good Samaritan calls about dogs in need, Donna is there to help, first on the scene.
That’s exactly what happened this time.
Donna got a phone call, but what she found on the scene surprised her.
What could it be?
An Old Couch We Used To Call Home
Location: an overgrown backyard somewhere in St. Louis.
Donna got a phone call saying there are dogs in need. Not one, but three smol puppers.
When you have puppies in need, you have to react fast. Donna rushed into her vehicle and drove to the mentioned backyard, hoping her rescue mission for the day would be a fast success.
Being a part of Stray Rescue of St. Louis for many years, Donna knew that the situation that welcomed her wouldn’t be pleasant at all. Those three pups weren’t alone; their mom was with them, too. And, that means the overprotective mom won’t allow a smooth rescue.
To make things even trickier, Donna realized that the family in need was actually a family of Pitbulls. We all know how marginalized these dogs are. Someone must’ve left poor mamma Pittie to give birth and take care of the pups on her own.
“I thought, ‘Well, I’m just gonna try to get mom first because if she’s barking at me, I don’t know what her reaction is gonna be when I start picking up her puppies,’” Lochmann reported.
And, what better bait to catch a stray dog mom than some food!
Donna opened a can of Vienna sausages she had on her and lured the mommy dog into her vehicle. The poor thing was starving and didn’t mind that a strange woman was leading her into a car, far from her babies.
Donna gave her the cutest name ever: Donut Fest, because she got rescued on National Donut Day.
She was sitting patiently in the back of the car, waiting for her little donut holes to join her.
Easier said than done…
Catching all four puppies was kinda an Olympic discipline. The puppies knew their surroundings very well, and they did their best to make the catch difficult for Donna.
The first pup got snatched rather fast. She did have a strong opinion about being held by Donna.
“She absolutely started screaming,” Lochmann said. “I can’t believe nobody in the neighborhood came out to see what was going on.”
Still, there were three more pups to be caught.
Two of them were hiding in the weeds, and the third was laying on the old couch they called home.
Donna tried the same method with the puppies: she opened a can of puppy food and instantly got a hold of the puppies. They were too hungry to play hide and seek anymore.
Three down, one to go!
You’d think the last pup, the one laying on the couch, would be the easiest to get caught.
Well, let’s just say it took some extra cardio work to get that little one.
All four pups were reunited with their mom in the back of the car, from which they could see their old home, their old couch.
It was time to say goodbye and welcome a bright future into their lives.
Finding Furever Homes
As soon as the little Pitbull family arrived at the Stray Rescue of St. Louis shelter, they got examined by the vet.
All pups were in terrific condition, despite their terrible living arrangement.
It took only a couple of days for all four of them to get officially adopted.
The rescue was a complete success and Donna was buzzing with happiness!
The only dog left to be adopted was their mom, Donut Fest.
It’s always troubling to have an adult Pitbull adopted. People fear them because they have strong beliefs that these dogs have genetic predispositions of being aggressive.
But, Donut Fest was the sweetest girl ever. She had no bad bone inside her.
Luckily, some people decided to give Donut Fest a chance.
Shortly upon her arrival at the shelter, Donut Fest got spayed, treated for her wounds, and adopted.
However, the lucky strike didn’t last for long.
When her new adoptive family brought Donut Fest to the shelter again for medical treatment, something terrible happened. They called in later that day and said they wouldn’t be coming back for her.
Well, good, because such people don’t deserve a sweetheart like this good girl!
According to one of the shelter staff members, Donut Fest finally got her furever home in March, 2023. Her journey did take a while, but it was worth it. This brave mommy got a family of her own… someone to give her all the love in the world.
