She Crawled Through a Landfill on a Broken Leg to Protect Her Puppies: Wendy’s Story
The call came in quietly.
Rescuers were alerted to a skeletal mother dog and her puppies living near a landfill. She had been abandoned while pregnant, given birth alone, and was begging for scraps just to keep her babies alive. By the time help arrived, one puppy was already gone.
What the team from Fundación Mi Primer Rescate Carabobo found was worse than expected.
The mother dog could not walk properly. Her left hind leg was broken. Locals said a heavy log had been thrown at her while she begged for food. She never ran. She couldn’t. Instead, she dragged her injured body through trash and mud, moving from place to place with her puppies close behind.
One rescuer later described her behavior in a single sentence:
“She crawled around the landfill, never giving up her pups.”
A Mother Who Could Not Leave
Sometimes there were leftovers. Sometimes there was nothing.
The result was visible right away. The mother and her puppies were painfully thin, their ribs easy to see, their energy nearly gone. When humans approached, she didn’t growl or resist. She crawled forward and begged.
When rescuers finally took her into care, she didn’t fight back.
The puppies were only a few weeks old. They were heavily infested with parasites and desperate for food. Milk was offered. Medicated baths followed. Four puppies appeared strong enough to survive. The smallest one did not.
The team later said both the puppies and the mother ate continuously.
Starvation and Medical Reality
The rescue moved quickly to stabilize the family.
Blood tests revealed that the mother dog’s sugar levels were dangerously low, a common risk for starving, nursing dogs.
VCA Animal Hospitals notes that “the typical signs of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) include weakness, collapse, disorientation, tremors, and sometimes seizures.”
At the same time, the weakest puppy was slipping fast. She was at high risk of dying.
There was no time to wait.
A Race Against Time
The smallest puppy was rushed to a larger hospital in the city center for urgent treatment. Rescuers watched anxiously as she underwent emergency care.
One moment from that night stayed with them. As the puppy struggled, they whispered:
“Let fight girl. We really hope you can make it.”
She collapsed twice.
That first night, she finally slept.
After a week, something changed. She began eating on her own. The team allowed themselves a brief moment of relief.
Rescuers described the moment she began eating again as deeply relieving.
But rescue does not always mean survival.
On day eleven, despite continued care, the weakest puppy didn’t make it.
The rescuers spoke about her gently. They said she was gone, but not forgotten.
Healing After Loss
While one life was lost, the mother dog’s fight was not in vain.
The healthier puppies were placed into carefully vetted homes after their story spread. The rescue made sure each family was prepared and committed.
Parasites like the ones found on the puppies are common in situations like this.
The Companion Animal Parasite Council explains that “Toxocara spp. are extremely common parasites of dogs and cats throughout the world.”
With treatment, the remaining puppies recovered.
The mother dog stayed behind. She still needed care.
Learning to Stand Again
Once she was stable, the mother dog was discharged from the vet and brought into the shelter. Her broken leg was healing, slowly but steadily.
The American College of Veterinary Surgeons notes that “as a general statement, fractures need a minimum of 4 weeks in young puppies and 8 weeks in adult/older animals to heal sufficiently for your pet to begin to progress to normal activities.”
Then came the moment no one expected to see so soon.
She stood.
She took a few steps.
Her tail wagged.
For the first time, she walked without dragging herself through the dirt.
Wendy’s Second Chance
The rescuers named her Wendy.
Day by day, her transformation was impossible to miss. She gained weight. She began to run. Her body grew stronger, and her spirit changed with it.
Wendy had done something extraordinary.
She never gave up; she protected them.
Her puppies are now safe. Loved. Home.
And Wendy, once crawling through garbage with a shattered leg, is finally free to live the life she always deserved.
A Story Worth Sharing
Wendy’s rescue was later shared through a video uploaded on the No Animal Behind YouTube channel, using the words and footage provided by the rescuers who stood by her through every loss and every small victory.
Wendy survived because someone stopped.
If her courage stayed with you, consider sharing her story so others like her are not left behind.
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