Juniper aka "The Tree Mom"

Juniper and her ten puppies were rescued in Trujillo Alto, PR in March 2016 by our partner rescue organization, All Sato Rescue, in conjunction with Nancy Tarbox, Adoption Counselor at Cape Ann Animal Aid and her daughter, Talia, while they were on a rescue trip in Puerto Rico. Nancy tells the story of the rescue:

"The day after we arrived in Puerto Rico, we were catching up with Edi from All Sato Rescue when we were alerted to a dog in nearby Trujillo Alto, PR that needed help. We gathered supplies and headed out with Edi and her rescue partner, Ivan. The dog was reportedly living abandoned in a hallowed out tree with a litter of puppies.

When we arrived, we were greeted by a very friendly black and white young female whom we later named Leticia. She was so sweet and friendly, she rolled over on her back and showed us her belly. Directly after we met Leticia, we saw the 'tree mom' (later named Juniper). She was skinny and obviously nursing. They were both super sweet females. Then we saw another dog nearby. She was a little more reserved and did not come directly over to us -- even resisting the temptation of cheese sticks and pepperoni at first! We later named this dog Trinity.

After surveying the area and meeting the three adult dogs, we started to examine the hollowed out tree. We had no idea how many pups were in the tree but Juniper seemed excited that we were there -- as if she knew we were there to help and not to harm. She was so smart to keep her pups in the tree--safe from predators. Juniper tried to help us with the rescue mission. She would go back into the tree and lead the pups toward the entrance where we could reach in and scoop them out.

We got eight pups out pretty easily but Juniper eventually got tired of going back in and out of the tree (she had to crawl down and in and up and out each time). We knew that we'd have to do a little creative thinking. After nine pups were out, we could tell that there was at least one more inside. I went around to the back of the tree and broke through the rotting roots to grab the last pup. Once I had my hand on the puppy, I was not sure I could pull it through the small hole but somehow I managed to just squeeze him through.

With Juniper and her pups safe in the car, I was ready to load up Leticia and Trinity too. The trouble was that with so many homeless dogs in the area and without a foster home or transport commitment from a shelter up north (like Cape Ann Animal Aid), the rescuers have to put top rescue priority on moms and puppies first. Ivan agreed to foster Leticia...but we would have to leave Trinity behind. The neighbor said he would keep an eye on her for us but it was really hard to leave her behind.

We took Juniper, Leticia, and the puppies back to Edi's house where we bathed everyone. The pups looked pretty good -- there were a few ticks and some had missing patches of fur but they were all of healthy weight. Juniper did a great job taking care of her babies! Ivan took Leticia home to foster and we settled everyone in for the night. I got to work talking with my colleagues at Cape Ann Animal Aid. Did we have the funds to transport these pups to Massachusetts? Could we commit to taking in Juniper, her pups AND Leticia and Trinity? Thanks to generous donors like you and reserve funds in the Safe Harbor Fund, we could! We returned to rescue Trinity from the tree the next day. She was so very excited and thankful to see us again!

A few months after we got back from Puerto Rico, I was able to see all of these amazing dogs again. This time, they were happy, healthy, and thriving in Massachusetts. All of them have been adopted and we were lucky to see many of them at our most recent Rescue Reunion! I'm so thankful for the Safe Harbor Fund. It keeps Cape Ann Animal Aid's animal transport program going and that means so much to the animals I've met while down in Puerto Rico!"

Your gift to the Safe Harbor Fund helps animals like Juniper, Leticia, Trinity, and the pups!