A mother dog who was brought to the BC SPCA on Vancouver Island, along with her five puppies, is in desperate need of care.
Celeste was abandoned by her owner and when she was brought in, she was emaciated and struggling to survive.
“She was living outdoors and starving, but she was obviously doing everything she could to try to feed her puppies and keep them safe,” Bonnie Pequin with the BC SPCA in Nanaimo said in a release. “She is such a sweet, loving dog and a very good mother.”
Because of her low body weight, two-year-old Celeste is on a strict “refeeding” program to introduce nutrients back into her system.
“We have to do this gradually because when animals are this emaciated overfeeding can have deadly results,” Pequin added.
Celeste and her puppies are now in foster care and her foster mom says she is very sweet and gentle.
“I lay on the floor and she comes over and puts her head on me and just looks at me with the most loving and kind eyes,” her foster mom said.
She adds that, despite everything she has gone through with lack of access to food, Celeste sits patiently, waiting as her meals are prepared.
“She is such a good girl!”
Celeste will be in foster care for at least another month, the BC SPCA said, until she reaches a normal body weight. Her puppies will likely be available to adopt in the new year.
“We are so thankful that Celeste and her puppies are warm and safe and getting the care that they need this Christmas,” Pequin said. “No animal should be left out in the cold without food or shelter, especially at this time of year.”