I promise you, this has a happy ending . . .

But you could make it happier. Before we talk about that, let me tell you their story.

A local doggy day care/kennel, PAWZ Dog Services, is a Knoxville business that as part of its mission includes community outreach. The owner was contacted by a woman in rural Grainger County, Tennessee, about a stray dog that had given birth to a litter of ten puppies in a mountain cave on the woman’s property. The Martin Luther King holiday weekend, however, was going to see bad weather. No, not bad weather - horrible weather with a blizzard followed by temperatures dropping below zero (and, in fact, many people remained homebound due to the ice and hazardous conditions. If Momma and the puppies were going to have any chance of survival, action was needed now. The volunteers got to the cave and rescued the eight surviving puppies before the storm hit.

But Momma was not helpful, at first. She managed to elude the rescue squad and even steal back two of the puppies. Not to blame her, of course - a mother’s determination is a force to be reckoned with! Fortunately, the two puppies were retrieved and now the hunt was on for Momma.

Happily, Momma was rescued! PAWZ gave her the named Cryptozoa, which is what you call animals that live underground, as she did to shelter her puppies as best she could. And the puppies were all given names relating to rocks and geology formations. If you don’t know, the term “spelunking” is another word for cave exploration.

Here is the synopsis of what went down from the puppies’ adoption pages:

A momma and her 10 puppies were found on a remote mountain side in Grainger County living in a cave and surviving off trash and wild animal carcass leftovers.
Battling the frigid temperatures and record rainfalls mom lost two of those ten puppies on that mountainside. PAWZ and the property owner had to step in and help.
After a couple days of effort we were able to secure the 8 remaining puppies, against mom’s best efforts at stealing them back.
Unable to catch mother before the snow arrived we were forced off the mountain until mother natures frigid grip was loosened.
During the snowstorm we were able to regroup and come up with a plan to try for mom as soon as we could make it back up the mountain. We hit a high of 30 degrees and we took the opportunity. Shovels and salt melt in hand we worked up the properties 300 yard drive, making it to where mom was bedding down.
Immediately upon getting to the top we started setting up the dog pen to trap her in. Momma watched us the entire time. Enticing her with her puppies in a crate and a big chunk of rotisserie chicken, it wasn’t long before she was in and we had her!

I got tagged in the silent auction PAWZ arranged on Facebook to gather funds for the care of these dogs, get the puppies neutered, etc. This is when I learned their story and donated a package for the auction. I ofetn say, as girls women go crazy over one of three animals: dog, cat, or horse. For me, it has always been dogs. I cannot imagine a home without at least one in it. It really, really pains me to hear stories where a dog is fighting against odds and the story of Cryptozoa and her puppies touched me, especially knowing how instinctually desperate she was to keep her puppies safe (as well as her pain in losing two of them).

The silent auction was a success and Cryptozoa and her puppies have received excellent care. Now comes, however, the task of finding a home for the puppies. Two have gone to be fostered and the woman whose mountain cave they were born in adopted one. Now, as a photographer I know good marketing photos are key to selling an idea so I asked if I could photograph them for PAWZ. And so I did. Here are the remaining pups - clockwise from the top: Limestone (female); Chert (male); Flowstone (female); Dolomite (male); and Dripstone (female).

Who needs a puppy? The correct answer is everyone but if you think a new dogs is in the works for you, click on any portrait to see their adoption page.

What’s the mix with these guys? Maybe Mountain Cur, maybe Australian Kelpie, maybe German Shepherd - who knows? But the real substance of their makeup? Loyalty, companionship, and love without conditions.

By the way, Crypto is scheduled to be spayed and is slowly overcoming her shyness as she has been out on her own for a while. If you think you might be a good match, contact PAWZ for more information.

The Tale of the Spelunking Mountain Hounds

Havana, ooh na na . . .

Homeschool Picture Day