by Allyson Dotson
On a cold, misty morning in December of 2011, an urgent call came into Ridgefield Operation for Animal Rescue.
The caller, a “rescue partner” in Tennessee, said she had a very scared and young pregnant dog that had been dumped at a rural shelter. She desperately needed to find a rescue to take care of the mother, Ellie Mae, during her critical time. After seeing the pictures and hearing the story, ROAR agreed to help.
Plans were set into action. She would be transported to ROAR within the week. Everyone involved in the logistics knew they needed to make the 12-hour trip happen as soon as possible if they were going to ensure the safety of the special Christmas delivery. ROAR staffers and volunteers created a special area for Ellie Mae to birth her pups. This would be only the third litter of puppies ever born at ROAR and everyone was excited.
A neglected and scared Ellie Mae appeared ready to give birth within weeks. Ellie Mae was a beautiful little terrier mix, possibly Jack Russell or rat terrier, and she weighed no more than 20 pounds.
But on the eve of the transport, ROAR answered a frantic call from Tennessee — Ellie Mae was now in labor and the transport was off.
All the nervous staff could do was wait and hope that all would be well for the expectant little dog they had yet to meet but already loved like one of their own.
So it was in the wee hours of Christmas Eve 2011, a determined Ellie Mae delivered six tiny puppies. There were five snuggly males and one fuzzy female. Six “puffs of fur” were now settling in with a very tired mother while her human saviors rejoiced that all was well.
After spending a week in foster care in Tennessee, the furry family was prepared for travel. A special transport was arranged and the ROAR staff again set to work at the shelter to make sure Ellie Mae and her pups arrived to a warm, safe and secure place.
Ellie and her pups arrived on a snowy cold day at 5 a.m. Scared and surrounded by strangers, the little mother nervously shivered as she was brought into her new home. After a hearty meal, she found shelter in some warm, soft blankets. It wasn’t long before her tail was wagging as she greeted her new human friends and showed off her family: Belle, Cratchit, Fezziwig, Fred, Marley, and Tiny Tim, named for the characters from Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, creating a lot of joy to end that year and begin the next.
The staff and volunteers became very attached to the little Christmas family and before long they had grown to eight weeks and were ready to be put up for adoption. As each pup found a home in the community, Ellie Mae waited to be adopted herself and became quite the shelter favorite, spending a lot of time with the office staff. But it was only a matter of time before Ellie Mae was adopted, and for ROAR, it was mission accomplished.
Fast forward to October 2013, when the first-ever Rescue Reunion event was held at the annual ROAR/Blue Buffalo Paws for the Cause Dog Walk. Four of Ellie Mae’s six puppies, now all grown dogs, attended the event along with hundreds of other ROAR alumni and friends.
Belle, Cratchit, Fred, and Tiny Tim have become beautiful adult dogs and once again delighted their shelter friends and caregivers.
Sharing the story of their journey with their new families was the highlight of the day — a treasured memory to be a cherished part of history for the Donofrio Family Animal Shelter.
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