Poppy's Story (formerly Scarlett)

I’ve fostered many mama dogs, but my experience with Poppy (Scarlett) was one of the best so far because it demonstrated an incredible connectedness among people and animals – a full circle of care.

This beautiful five-year old Redbone Coonhound with her LONG ears, beautiful brown eyes, and bulging belly arrived from Kentucky on January 13. She looked like a mule carrying loaded saddlebags on both sides. The paperwork said her name was Scarlett (changed later to Poppy by her adoptive family). Scarlett had been abandoned by her family and lived as a stray. Once pregnancy was obvious, a kind neighbor who had been feeding Scarlett notified our partner rescue in Kentucky, who arranged with Karen Braun for Poppy to join Geauga Mama Dogs and Pups and be transported to me in Chesterland.

Scarlett settled in nicely and on January 19, when her temperature dropped below 99⁰ and she started nesting behaviors, I knew that labor would begin within 24 hours. I slept beside Scarlett the night of January 20th as she was clearly uncomfortable and in the early stages of labor with intermittent panting. By morning, Poppy’s labor had stopped completely. I have been whelping pups for 13 years and knew that things were not progressing normally. It seemed she was overdue and something was preventing delivery. That evening, we made the 50-minute trek to Northview Animal Hospital where there are reproductive specialists I trust completely

Scarlett’s very low progesterone level and the presence of milk indicated that the pups were full-term. The x-ray showed 9-10 pups. We opted to try an injection of oxytocin to see if that would get things going, and to remain at the vet in case we needed help. Northview provided a quiet room for us with blankets on the floor – though Poppy kept trying to climb up on the couch (smart girl). Contractions began within 30 minutes, but after 20 minutes of pushing and no baby, it was clear that the first pup was stuck. Though I could feel the front paws, I was not able to free it. Fortunately, a vet came in and was able to get the pup out after about 15 minutes.

The second pup presented feet first, so although Poppy struggled, I was able to help with that one. However, the third pup was worse than the first, and another vet (shifts had changed by this point) said it was time for a c-section since he would have needed forceps to deliver that pup, and Poppy was too exhausted to deliver the remaining six. By this time, it was the early morning hours of January 22.

Once inside, the vet found that one horn of Poppy’s uterus was twisted and torn to the blood vessels feeding it. If she hadn’t had the surgery, she and the pups would have died. The remaining 6 were delivered full of fluid and struggling, but the amazing staff at Northview worked on them until they were stable. We left a few hours later with 9 healthy pups, two exhausted moms (one human), and a vet bill just over $2000.

That day a post was made about Scarlett on the Geauga Mama Dogs and Pups Facebook page. Within a few hours, our amazing followers had contributed enough not only to pay the bill but to provide food and medicine for the pups.

Scarlett was a great mom who fit in well with my family and my pack of 6 Labrador Retrievers. Since she was called Scarlett at that time, we named her pups after characters in Gone with the Wind. My neighbor Patty follows my online posts and texted me one day asking to adopt Scarlett. At the time, Patty had a rescued redbone coonhound mix named Peanut who was also about five years old. The adoption was approved and we started calling Scarlett by her new name, Poppy – short for Popcorn.

We typically separate the mama dogs from their pups at 7 weeks – send the moms to another foster family for a few weeks to let their milk to dry up – then have them spayed and put up for adoption. Patty agreed to take Poppy during the period before the spay. Tragedy struck two weeks before Poppy was to go to her new home. Patty’s dog Peanut bloated and died at the vet. The family was devastated and would not have adopted another dog so soon, but they had committed to Poppy and still wanted her. So on March 11, Poppy moved to her forever home.

The next day I received a message from Karen Braun asking if I thought Poppy would nurse some orphan pups who had been dropped at a vet clinic in Columbus with a note saying that they were born on March 7 and their mom died on March 9. I asked Patty if she would be willing to let us try, even though it meant giving Poppy up for 3-4 weeks. Thankfully Patty agreed, Poppy came back to us on 3/13 when the orphans arrived, and within 10 minutes, had accepted the five little ones as her own. She cared for them until they were weaned at 4 weeks.

Savior, starring Dennis Quaid is one of my favorite movies. It is about a “broken” soldier fighting in the Bosnian War after his wife and son were killed by a terrorist bomb. He rescued a pregnant hostage, raped by her captors, who ends up saving the baby she initially despised. In the end, the woman and her baby are Quaid’s saviors. In the end, the saving goes full circle. Similarly, Poppy was rescued by the kind neighbor and transported here from Kentucky by wonderful volunteers. She was accepted and cared for by Geauga Mama Dogs and Pups; her life was saved by the surgeon and her pups were saved by the veterinary assistants. The orphans were bottle-fed for a few days by a kind person at the vet clinic in Columbus and transported from Columbus to Chesterland by GMDAP volunteer Erin Wheatley. In addition to all those directly involved in care, many people contributed to pay the bills. Poppy cared for her nine babies and then nursed and nurtured the orphan pups. In addition, she is blessing to Patty and her family as they grieve the loss of Peanut – a full circle.