Family reunions can be chaotic, especially when it’s a huge family, but there is nothing better than being surrounded by people who you love and who love you.
And, when you haven’t seen each other for ten months, the reunion becomes even more special.
After taking care of twelve babies and having all of them adopted into different homes, sweet mama Bess finally reunited with all of them to celebrate a special thing – the puppies’ first birthday!
Do you think the littermates recognized each other and their mama?
A Pregnant Stray Named Bess
Bess was rescued from the streets of Tennessee, pregnant and in dire need of help. Amazingly, there were twelve puppies inside of her.
Tracey Stewart and her husband, Jon, who are huge dog lovers and advocates, immediately offered to help with mama Bess and her babies, and she was transferred to NY.
When it was time to give birth, Bess had to be taken into the emergency room. One of the smallest puppies – Burrdie – was blocking the birth canal, and was stuck there for 3+ hours with limited oxygen.
When she was born, everyone was very concerned about her. They needed to keep a closer eye on her and make sure she made it through – so they put a pink bow on her to remind everyone of her special needs.
“We really thought we were just gonna get through the birth, and that was going to be the end of it. The doctors came out and told us that there was a chance that because there were so many puppies, they probably weren’t all going to make it. That just wasn’t an option!,” Tracey said.
Tracey, her husband, and many of their incredible friends all took turns taking care of the mama and her precious babies. Half of their house was designated only for the babies.
Bess truly had an incredible support system. “Burrdie got to have extra feedings (…) Starting to see her thrive and become the same size as everybody, that was really profound to us,” Tracey told The Dodo.
Finding Them Forever Homes
Bess was truly the perfect mom – always so patient, gentle, attentive, and full of love.
Before any puppies were adopted, Bess had already found her forever home. Susan Zaleski fell in love with Bess when she first heard about her.
“I knew immediately that this was our dog,” said Susan. According to her, Bess is definitely the nanny dog with motherly instincts.
All of Bess’ babies were at Stewart’s for at least eight weeks until they were ready to go to their new homes; however, finding a home for 12 puppies turned out to be a daunting task.
But, in the end, their friends and family adopted every single one of the puppies.
Family Reunion
Ten months after the adoption, the puppies were turning one year old and everyone had this amazing idea of getting them all back together for one giant party.
So, they all came together in Middletown, NY, to reunite Bess with all 12 of her babies at the same time.
It was a day full of pure magic.
“She had a special pink bow that they put on her to make sure that she got extra milk. And so that’s why we got her extra pink little bow for today, to remember that,” said Burrdie’s mom.
All of the dogs are doing very well – Burrdie, Ginny, Gracie, Ruby, Osa, Louis, Drake, Rupert, Ranger, Seven, Ruby, and Sandy.
“You always wonder if the dogs recognize, and clearly they do. It’s really sweet,” said one of the puppy parents.
There were many happy tears, smiles, “awws”, “yays”, and generally, lots of joy.
When Bess finally arrived, she was so overjoyed that she didn’t know where to go first.
“The puppies couldn’t stop themselves, and Bess couldn’t stop herself. And she leaps up, almost leaping into the group of puppies, just to say hello to everybody. And you could just see joy,” Susan described.
Everyone wore their birthday hats and looked as adorable as ever.
“It touched my heart. It’s nice to feel like, that this birth is actually creating community around it. It was a very successful reunion. My hope is that we get to have this every year, and that this goes on for years and years and years to come,” Tracey said.
To follow the adventures of Bess and her amazing 12 puppies, check out her Instagram profile.
