A Pit Bull who spent over a year living alone in an orchard in rural California is finally safe thanks to a group of dedicated rescuers.
Mama was roaming “farmlands outside Ducor” for many, many months prior to her rescue. Fortunately, she had several guardian angels looking out for her welfare. They fed her and gave her water and attempted to rescue her but they could never catch her.
Safefurr Place Rescue
Mama came to the attention of Dany Spanks at Safefurr Place Rescue after Mama had been surviving a year on her own. Spanks immediately set out to win Mama’s trust. But it would take him 4 months of daily visits to finally earn her trust.
Safefurr Place Rescue
Mama first appeared on social media around April of 2019. Mama would sleep under solar panels at night and during the day she sat by the side of the road waiting for food from passersby. She was skittish and would run away when anyone approached. It wasn’t until late December 2019 that Spanks became aware of the Mama’s plight and set out to rescue her.
Safefurr Place Rescue
He left food in same spot every day for her and it began to pay off as Mama began to follow him for food. It became a daily routine. Mama would wait for Danny every day at the same place and time.
Safefurr Place Rescue
She would playfully chase after him and eagerly took the hot dogs he fed her. She wanted to play but would never let him pet her.
Safefurr Place Rescue
After 3 months of visiting her every day, the rescue received a video filmed 14 months earlier that told them so much. What they learned “broke our hearts,” they wrote.
Safefurr Place Rescue learned that Mama had been abandoned in January of 2019 at a gas station five miles away from the orchard. “It was clear she had recently given birth to a litter of pups and had been cruelly dumped,” the rescue said.
Safefurr Place Rescue
As getting a leash around Mama was near to impossible, Spanks decided getting Mama familiar with a trap. They got permission to place one in the orchard and slowly but surely Mama got used to it until, finally, her life as a stray was over.
Watch her rescue video below:
“Our friends from Saving Strays K9 Search And Rescue offered to assist us. They would play a major role in this ‘failure is not an option’ rescue attempt,” said Safefurr Place Rescue. On March 27, 2020 – 15 months after Mama was abandoned – she was finally well and truly rescued.
Safefurr Place Rescue
She was then transported to Spanks’ home where she would begin adjusting to her new life.
In a follow-up video Spanks answers many questions from dog lovers after posting Mama’s initial rescue video.
“Her day-to-day life has really changed, and it’s taking some time for her to adjust. But every day, small steps are taken forward,” Spanks wrote. Although she does not want to be leashed at this time, and doesn’t really like being petted, she loves other dogs and is quite happy to interact with them.
For her safety, and because she is an “escape risk,” Mama is currently housed in a kennel.
“It would be dangerous and irresponsible to allow Mama to run free in the yard,” Spanks wrote. “She is an escape risk. She does not follow commands. She will not come when called. She will run from humans. She will run from a leash/harness. This is temporary. In the future, Mama will be able to run free, off leash, in a fenced and secure yard, with people and other dogs.”
Just not yet.
Safefurr Place Rescue
As for Mama’s puppies, sadly, the rescue does not know what happened to them, given that they only learned about Mama 11 months after she had been dumped. “We did not even know that video existed until March 2020 – 14 months after it was shot. We are 99% sure that Mama was abandoned once her puppies didn’t need her anymore. Mama was abandoned, but her puppies were kept and then sold.”
Safefurr Place Rescue
They also revealed that there were many challenges to Mama’s rescue that did not appear in their video and several other reasons for the rescue taking as long as it did. But the rescue wrote, “Our goal is always to rescue a dog as quickly and safely as possible. It is not our goal or intent to take our rescue efforts slowly. But unfortunately, sometimes these are certain situations in which things take longer than we had hoped or planned. Mama is the most dramatic and extreme case of a rescue taking much, much longer than we wanted.”
Regardless, it is very heartwarming to see Mama safe and getting the love and attention and reconditioning she needs to thrive.
Here is an update video of her interacting with other dogs at the rescue, which she does three to four times a day.
“Mama is not currently available for adoption. Mama will be evaluated for adoption once we believe she has progressed to the point of that being an option for her. There are many aspects of her personality and behavior that are still unknown. That being said, Danny intends on keeping Mama for a long, long time.”
In the meantime if you would like to support their rescue efforts and Mama, visit A Safefurr Place’s website.
New Pupdate: 6 Months after rescue
And here is a Q&A video answering questions that Safefurr frequently gets about Mama and her pups.
Pupdate: December 2021
Mama has been adopted by Danny. “Mama is Danny’s dog. She isn’t going anywhere. They are together forever.”
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