Brave shiba inu guards her babies under a tree for weeks until help arrives
Last fall, a striking orange and white Shiba Inu wandered the town of Peterborough in Central England. For several weeks, she moved through the area alone, surviving on food left out for her by locals.
Neighbors in a lost pets Facebook group worked together to figure out where the Shiba Inu was living. On a cold day in November, a couple of people managed to track her into a wooded area, where they saw her head poking out from under a tree.
The stray Shiba Inu had been living in a hole, but she wasn’t alone. Five fluffy newborn puppies cuddled behind her.
Spooked by the strangers, the Shiba Inu ran off. The rescuers worried the tiny babies might not make it through the night, as freezing temperatures rolled in.
They transported the puppies to their warm home and went back later, after midnight, where they found Mama waiting under the same tree. She reunited with her babies that night.
The rescuers contacted Woodgreen Pets Charity, and a volunteer arrived the next day to pick up the furry family.
When the Shiba Inu, later named Fern, arrived, staff could tell she’d worked hard to keep her puppies alive and healthy. But she seemed nervous and out of sorts in the noisy, unfamiliar clinic.
“Fern had clearly cared for them well,” Woodgreen Pets Charity wrote in a Facebook post about the family, “but she was very underweight. So, our team gradually increased her food to help her build her strength back up.”
Safe and warm indoors, Fern, who is about 2 years old, recovered as she weaned her puppies.
The babies were no more than 3 weeks old. Staff named them Ash, Chestnut, Acorn, Blossom and Maple, a tribute to the tree they had called home.
It turned out that Fern had a microchip, but staff couldn't trace it back to anyone. They believe someone dumped poor Fern when they realized she was pregnant.
And yet resourceful, determined Fern never gave up, and staff weren't about to give up on her either. They found a foster, who took in the whole family, and the puppies began to thrive.
But Fern struggled with the new environment and stimuli. She moved in with Ciara Pollen, a behavior and training specialist, who already had a dog at home.
“For Fern, living with a well-adjusted dog can be a big boost,” Pollen said in a press release from Woodgreen Pets Charity. “Nervous dogs often learn more readily from another dog than from people.”
Slowly, Fern’s defenses came down and she gained confidence. For a short period, Pollen had all six Shiba Inus back at her house while the charity vetted forever homes.
“The puppies have adapted quickly to home life,” Pollen said in the press release. “Given their outdoor start, it’s been lovely to see how resilient and curious they are now that they’re safe and cared for.”
Today, everyone is living safely in their forever homes. Fern and one of her puppies, Blossom, were adopted together. Another puppy, now named Ebi, joined a family who already had a Shiba Inu.
“The two of them love a good tussle in the garden,” Ebi’s new mom told Woodgreen Pets Charity. “He’s an absolute whirlwind of a little boy, full of chaos, charm and personality — and we all adore him so much.”
Fern did a remarkable job keeping her babies alive in such difficult circumstances — and now it’s time to let someone take care of her.
