Abused Dog Who Could Barely Hold Her Head Up Gives Birth To 8 Puppies

When Everley the pit bull was taken in by a local shelter, she was extremely emaciated, and also very, very pregnant. She also had some sort of wound that had been stapled shut — with an office stapler, not by a doctor. 

As soon as the shelter’s staffers saw what kind of condition Everley was in, they knew she needed more help than they could provide her. She was so weak, and they were worried she would struggle giving birth. They began reaching out to rescues, trying to find someone who could take her in, and luckily Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge stepped up to help as soon as it heard about her. 

Before Everley could be moved into the care of the rescue, though, she went into labor — and gave birth to eight tiny puppies.

The shelter quickly moved Everley into the care of a local vet while she waited to be picked up by the rescue. Everley desperately wanted to be a good mother and care for her new babies, but she was so weak that she could barely even hold herself up. The vet separated her from her babies and began bottle-feeding them, until Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge arrived and took in the sweet little family.

“We are well known for taking in emergency, senior, special needs and desperate cases,” Frannie Laurita D'Annunzio of Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge told The Dodo. “We got her on Tuesday and took her straight to Dr. DeMaria, our vet. She put mom and babies back together, with hope that with proper care and nutrition, she could care for them herself, which is best for all of them.”

Everley is anemic, and so the vet has been taking regular blood tests to make sure that caring for her babies isn’t compromising her own health. The babies are being weighed every day to make sure they are gaining weight, as rescuers will give them supplemental bottle feedings if they’re at all underweight. So far, they seem to be getting stronger by the minute. 

Unfortunately, one of the eight babies passed away in the first few days, but the other seven are continuing to be little fighters, just like their mom — who is trying so hard to keep them safe and healthy.

While rescuers are still concerned about Everley’s health, caring for her babies actually seems to be helping her. Her puppies have given her a purpose and a reason to get healthy, and she absolutely adores caring for them.

“We think it's been good for her own health too, so far,” D'Annunzio said. “She may have been sad or worried without them. Everley is a very loving dog despite what she's been through. Her spirit is amazing.” 

Everley’s litter is made up of four boys and three girls. They don’t have names yet, and rescuers plan on naming them once they get a little stronger and start showcasing their personalities more. As soon as everyone is healthy and weaned, Everley and her puppies will all be up for adoption. Until then, they are happy in the care of their new friends — a true story of survival and love.

“We are SO proud of this sweet girl,” D'Annunzio said. “We want everyone to know that this is the true heart and spirit of our pit bull friends. So full of love.”