Rescued Dog Surprises Rescuer With Puppies

Atlanta's Gary DeNicola was a perfectly normal single-dog-owning man before he found a small dog in the middle of an intersection back in September. While everyone else ignored Ruby (named by DeNicola later for the color of her coat), DeNicola did what we all would like to do: He put her in his car and took her home, as reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. But little did DeNicola know that he could have taken the carpool lane that day. Ruby was preggers.

After coming home, DeNicola put Ruby in the backyard to avoid confrontation with his other dog, Tiger. But DeNicola had his own confrontation to make. "At that point, I actually felt a kick and put two and two together and realized [Ruby] was pregnant," he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. More likely, he felt a chorus line of kicks. Ruby soon gave birth to nine puppies.

Drowning in a sea of fur and cuteness, DeNicola called local shelters in Atlanta, but was unable to find one willing to take the puppies; all of the area shelters were already overcrowded. The best he could find was a place that would take them only if they were already vaccinated. Instead, he made a pen in his basement to house the pups, and has been caring for them ever since.

For now, DeNicola has no plans to keep Ruby or her puppies. He is taking them to get their shots this week, and he intends to find each one of them healthy, happy homes. If you are interested in adopting one of DeNicola's puppies, he gives his e-mail address in the original article. For now, we at Paw Nation commend this modest hero for helping an animal in need.