“Sisters function as safety nets in a chaotic world simply by being there for each other.” – Carol Saline.
She was her safety net, a shoulder to cry on.
When the owner surrendered Erica and Diamond, two Pitbull sisters, to a shelter in New York, everything changed for these dogs. But, not for the better.
Unable to take care of the pregnant Erica and her coming babies, the owner let the shelter have her.
However, as soon as Erica arrived, she was taken by Twenty Paws Rescue because of her condition.
Little did the organization know… Wherever Erica goes, her sister tags along.
My Sister Is My Safe Harbor
![photo-of-pitbulls mama dog with her sister and two of her puppies](https://csfe.info/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/photo-of-pitbulls.jpg)
She was restless. They didn’t know what to do. When she arrived at the shelter Erica seemed fine. But then, as if someone turned on a switch, she changed her behavior. This soon-to-be-mommy became stressed out, and she wasn’t into labor yet.
Something was odd.
That’s when Twenty Paws Rescue found out about a piece of Erica missing: her sister, Diamond.
They rushed to bring Diamond to Erica because the other dog was also having trouble with the separation.
As soon as the dynamic duo was together, the stress faded away and happiness joined the club.
Only two days later, Erica’s labor started. It seemed as if she was waiting for her sister to bring the pups into this world.
It was hard, but giving birth is not a walk in the park, especially when you’re giving birth to 14 puppies. Lucky for Erica, she had Diamond by her side all the time, supporting her the way only a sister could support.
Fourteen pups came into the world, and only eleven of them survived. Diamond stood by her sister through the loss and through what was coming: raising the pups.
We Got This Together
![two-pitbulls-sleeping two pitbulls mix sisters taking a nap side by side on a couch](https://csfe.info/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/two-pitbulls-sleeping.jpg)
Giving birth tires a dog out. No, it exhausts one to the core!
Just when you finish pushing the little ones out, you gotta lick them clean and nurse them because they are hungry. And, that’s only the beginning since baby pups are always hungry.
Thinking Erica would need some extra help with nursing, the rescue team had bottles ready for the wee pups. But, to the surprise of everyone, bottles weren’t needed.
To help out her dear sister, Diamond also started lactating and nursing the puppies! The two sisters shared the litter and started raising them together. They weren’t just Erica’s puppies; they were Diamond’s, too.
“When we noticed Erica was just getting so exhausted and wanted a break and Diamond was lactating, we kind of switched them out, and Diamond just took over as Mama Bear and loved them, groomed them, fed them, was just so patient with them. And after that, they started feeding and grooming them together,” Rachel from the Twenty Paws Rescue said in an interview.
You know how they say: it takes a village to raise a child.
Well, in this case, it takes two Pitbull sisters to raise a big litter of 11 pups together.
Erica and Diamond did their best and raised the entire litter together successfully.
The pups were growing up nicely, and soon it was time to wean them and put them up for adoption. The great news is that all the pups found their furever homes immediately. Not a single little one was left waiting.
But, you know who is still waiting at their New York foster home? Erica and Diamond.
The two Pittie gals still need your help and are looking for their ideal home – a place where they won’t be separated.
The incredible love of two sisters, Erica and Diamond, is beyond inspiring. We can learn a lot from animals, especially dogs. Seeing a sister dog raise the pups as her own is one of the purest beauties of the canine world.
A mother isn’t the only one who gives birth. A mother is also the one who raises the baby. Diamond isn’t the biological mother, but she is one at heart and one hell of a good dog sister!
@adoptapet PLEASE SHARE: this remarkable rescue story hasn’t had its happy ending yet. Erica and Diamond are available for adoption from @Twenty Paws Rescue – head to the link in bio for their adoption profiles! #rescuedogsoftiktok #dogsoftiktok #adoptdontshop #availableforadoption ♬ Stories 2 – Danilo Stankovic