A brave Mom’s Big Day: How Rescuers Saved Perdita, Pongo, and Their Puppies

Imagine getting a super important phone call. That’s what happened at Hope For Paws, a group that saves animals. Another rescue group, Maison Sûre, told them about two dogs left all alone in a big, empty part of Central California. One of the dogs, a sweet girl, was very pregnant. Her belly was big, and she was going to have puppies soon. Eldad Hagar, who started Hope For Paws, knew he had to act fast.

Scary Start on a Busy Road

When Eldad got to where the dogs were, it was a very dangerous situation. He saw the pregnant dog. She was careful but also in a hurry. He was happy to see her, but not for long. The dogs were scared and confused. They ran right across a busy road! Cars were speeding by. Eldad was so worried. “Oh boy,” he said. He knew this was risky. “Saving dogs like this is so dangerous for everyone, the dogs and the people on the road.”

This wasn’t just about catching scared dogs. It was about stopping something terrible from happening. If a scared, pregnant dog ran into traffic, it could cause a bad accident. She could get hurt, her puppies could get hurt, and people could get hurt too. The boy dog stayed right with his pregnant friend, trying to keep her safe as they crossed the dangerous road. It was a scary chase for a few minutes. Finally, they ran into a big, open field. They were so scared they ran far away from Eldad. “I tried to follow them,” Eldad said, “but they were too scared, and they disappeared.”

A Little Kindness, and a New Problem

Eldad looked around the area where the dogs had run off. He found something nice: someone had been leaving food and fresh water for them! There was a red plastic box as a sort of shelter, with lots of dog food and bowls of water. “It’s always nice to see people caring for animals,” Eldad said. But this kind act also made things harder. If the dogs already had food, it would be much harder to get them into a trap with more food. “This is going to make the rescue much trickier,” he thought.

Perdita female dog
Image Credit: Hope for Paws

But Eldad didn’t give up. He kept looking. He found a big, fenced-in area next to a junkyard. It was an old, uncared-for place, but the fences were good. It meant he could try to trap the dogs inside. If he could get them in and fix any holes in the fence, he might be able to catch them.

Setting the Trap: Lots of Waiting and Careful Work

Eldad knew what he was doing. He carefully started to close off the area. He knew if there was even one small hole, the dogs could get out. He fixed holes and made sure the fences were strong. He left just one opening. He hoped the dogs would go through that opening and into a big, safe cage trap he had set up. After an hour of this careful work, and watching where the dogs were going, it looked like his plan might work. “I just saw them go into my big, big trap area,” he said. He was hopeful but careful.

Image credit: Hope for Paws

The “trap” wasn’t just the cage. It was the whole fenced-in place he had made safe. The dogs were now inside this area. But the sun was so bright, it was hard for Eldad to see them well on his camera. He saw the boy dog. He knew the girl dog, who was good at hiding, was somewhere close.

With the dogs inside the big fenced area, Eldad quickly set up some gates and other things to block them in. He made a sort of path that would lead them to the smaller cage trap with food inside. He was doing it all by himself. “I started to think that doing this rescue all alone wasn’t the best idea,” he said. You could tell it was hard work. But he couldn’t stop now.

Happy and Sad: Pongo is Safe, But Perdita Escapes

Eldad carefully tried to get the dogs to move. “Let’s go! Go, go, go! Good job! That’s exactly where I want you,” he said in a calm voice. Just like he thought, the dogs got scared and ran to the only way out they could see – right where the cage trap was!

Clang! The trap door shut. “I got one!” Eldad shouted. “I got the boy!” He ran over. His heart was beating fast. The black and white boy dog was very scared and barked a lot from inside the cage. Eldad decided to call him Pongo, like the dad from the Disney movie “101 Dalmatians.”

He was happy to have Pongo, but also sad. “I made a mistake,” Eldad said, and he sounded sad about it. “I didn’t fix all the holes in the fence well enough, and the girl dog got out!” The very pregnant girl dog, who he named Perdita (like the mom from the movie), had found a small hole he didn’t see and slipped away.

A Long Night and New Hope

Soon after Pongo was caught, Eldad’s camera battery died. This often happens when you’re trying to rescue animals. He called Katie McKittrick from Maison Sûre and another helper, Teresa. They met him partway to take Pongo. With Pongo safe and on his way to Los Angeles, Eldad went back to look for Perdita.

He looked for the pregnant momma dog as it got dark, and then all through the night. He used a flashlight to search the big fields. He got more worried as time went on. “I was really worried she would have her puppies all alone out here,” he said. Thinking about Perdita having her babies in the cold, with no one to help, made him feel terrible.

When the sun came up, Eldad had been up all night. But he saw fresh paw prints in the dirt! Perdita was still close by. This gave him new hope.

Caught at Last! A 30-Hour Rescue Ends

Eldad searched for another two and a half long, hard hours. At last, far away, he saw her. “She’s so good at hiding,” he whispered, using his camera to see her better. Perdita was lying down near where he had first set the trap. Maybe she came back because she remembered the smell or was hoping for something.

Just then, help came! Katie and Kai Han, another rescuer, drove up in a Jeep. They brought more things to make sure the area was totally blocked off. Now, with their help, there was no way for Perdita to escape. The plan was to gently get Perdita to come out from the thick bushes she was hiding in and guide her into the trap.

Perdita stayed hidden in the bushes for thirty whole minutes. Eldad was determined. He pushed through the scratchy branches. “Hey good girl, it’s okay, it’s me,” he said softly. He finally saw her hiding under a fallen tree. He was so relieved! “I was so happy to see she still had her babies with her,” he said, sounding very emotional.

Eldad used a special soft rope, called a gentle snare, to catch her safely. He carefully put the loop over Perdita’s head. She was scared, and that made sense. She tried to get away and even chewed through the plastic rope! But Katie had another one, a stronger one with metal inside. They were very patient and gentle. “Good girl, good girl,” they kept saying.

Finally, everyone breathed a big sigh of relief. Perdita was safe inside the travel crate. “After 30 hours,” Eldad said, sounding tired but happy, “we finally got Perdita.”

A Trip to the Vet and a Big Surprise

They couldn’t waste any time. It was a long drive back to Los Angeles. Perdita had to go to a special animal hospital called CARES right away. It was clear her puppies were going to be born very, very soon.

Image Credit: Hope for Paws

At CARES, the vets got to work right away. They didn’t want to scare Perdita too much by lifting her into a tub for a bath since she was so pregnant. So, they gave her a gentle shower to make sure she was clean and comfy for the very big and important event of having her babies. Then, they took an X-ray. The X-ray showed something amazing: Perdita had at least nine, maybe even ten, tiny baby skeletons inside her!

While Perdita was getting settled, they brought Pongo in his crate to see her. Pongo had been very quiet and sad since he was caught. They hoped seeing Perdita would make him feel better. And it did! Pongo got a little happier and wagged his tail a little bit. The two dogs sat together. They seemed to understand each other without words, even though they were still not sure what would happen next.

Eldad cared so much that he stayed all night. He slept on the floor next to Pongo and Perdita, waiting for the puppies.

Puppies Arrive! A Mix of Joy and Sadness

Thirty-six hours after she was rescued, Perdita started having her puppies. The first puppy was a tiny black baby. Even after all she had been through, Perdita knew just what to do to clean her new baby. Then, another puppy was born. It was funny because after the second puppy, Perdita seemed to gently tell Pongo it was time for him to leave the “delivery room”! It was like she had her own dog manners.

A third puppy came. But then, after two more hours, Perdita stopped having puppies. She was too tired and couldn’t push anymore. The vets knew they had to help. They called a special doctor, a surgeon, to come on a Saturday afternoon to do an emergency C-section surgery.

The surgery was a very serious time. One by one, the vets delivered the rest of the puppies. But it had been very hard on them. Four of the new puppies were not breathing. The vets worked so hard right away. They started CPR, rubbing the tiny puppies, helping them breathe, and trying to bring them to life.

For twenty minutes that felt like forever, they tried to save every puppy. They hoped so much. But then, they knew. Sadly, two of the puppies, who they later named Gabriel and Sophia, didn’t make it. It was a very sad moment. It showed how easily a life can be lost, especially for babies born in tough situations.

Puppies cuddling mother
Image credit: Hope for Paws

But even with the sadness, there was some good news. Two other puppies who needed CPR, named Fidget and Lucky, amazingly, they survived! Perdita, the brave mom, had nine puppies in total, and seven of them were healthy and strong.

A New Start and a Happy Future

Perdita needed time to get better after her surgery before she could take care of all her puppies. But the puppies were hungry! Eldad and the team quickly got bottles with special puppy milk. For the first couple of hours, Fidget and Lucky, the ones who needed CPR, had a hard time drinking from the bottle. But they really wanted to live, and soon they learned how!

Perdita turned out to be a great mom. She lovingly took care of her seven puppies: Rolly, Patches, Freckles, Penny, Pepper, Fidget, and Lucky.

Puppies ready for adaptation
Image credit: Hope for Paws

How they went from being left alone and scared to being safe and cared for was because so many rescue groups worked together. Pongo, who was so scared in the trap, started to play and be happy in his foster home with Maison Sûre. It was wonderful to see him wagging his tail and running around!

Perdita and her super cute puppies (who looked a bit like Dalmatians!) are now being looked after by another great group called I Stand With My Pack. Very soon, they will all be ready to find new families who will love them forever.

This amazing 30-hour rescue was full of scary moments, some sad times, but in the end, so much happiness. It shows why groups like Hope For Paws, Maison Sûre, I Stand With My Pack, and CARES work so hard. They give animals a second chance, fight for every life, and show the strong connection between animals and the people who never give up on them.

What made this rescue possible?

  1. TeamworkHope For PawsMaison Sûre, and veterinarians worked tirelessly.
  2. Patience: Eldad spent 30 sleepless hours refusing to quit.
  3. Compassion: Strangers donated food, rescuers gave second chances, and Perdita fought for her babies.

How You Can Make a Difference

Stories like Perdita’s happen every day. Here’s how to help:


Conclusion: Love Wins

Perdita’s journey reminds us that even in darkness, hope persists. For every scared dog on a highway, there’s an Eldad searching with a flashlight. For every puppy fighting to breathe, there’s a vet performing miracles. And for every person who reads this story, there’s a chance to be part of something bigger.

As Eldad says, “Rescue isn’t just about saving animals—it’s about remembering what makes us human.”

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