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After Saving Her Pups, Rescued Hoarding Survivor Dog Awaits Loving Home
Gabrielle LaFrank
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Among the dozens of dogs rescued from a hoarding situation in Kentucky, one stood out – a severely emaciated mother dog named Matilda. Her journey began when local authorities busted hoarder Kelly Blankenship, finding him with over 60 dogs living in deplorable conditions. While getting those neglected animals to safety was a major win, the complications were only beginning.
From Bad to Worse
As Blankenship was exposed online, he opted to cruelly dump many of the dogs across rural parts of the state to avoid prosecution. Matilda ended up going from one nightmare scenario to another when the person Blankenship abandoned her with turned out to be another hoarder. This second individual soon became overwhelmed with over 100 dogs on their dilapidated property and desperately reached out to Julia and the team at Teresa’s Legacy Continues Rescue, Inc. (TLC Rescue) for help.
When rescuers came to meet the dogs intercepted in this case, they were shocked and saddened by Matilda’s state. Not only was she extremely emaciated, with a body condition score of 2, but she was also caring for a litter of newborn puppies. She became pregnant and gave birth while in the ‘care’ of Blankenship, and all he did was place her (and her pups) in a small kennel on a muddy pallet, with another dog house on top. She ate once every 4 or 5 days–usually only treats like Greenies–but managed to survive while keeping her puppies alive, too.
The Relief of Rescue
When Matilda and her puppies came into TLC Rescue’s care, they were all extremely ill and weak. They all had parasites, and everyone was flea-infested. Matilda was hardly producing milk due to her own starvation, but after a few days of vet care and proper nutrition, she was able to nurse her puppies again. As the babies got stronger, they were able to eat puppy gruel, too, and before Julia knew it, the chubby, healthy puppies were ready to be adopted. And they were snatched up quickly!
Meanwhile, Matilda has been waiting for the right person to give her a forever home. She showed many signs of stress while nursing her puppies, but she’s already started to feel like herself again now that she’s been separated from them for a while. She gave her whole life to those babies when she had nothing to give, so it’s understandable why motherhood would feel traumatic and stressful. Luckily, she can focus on being the baby now!
This sweet girl is becoming more playful and loving every day (Julia thinks she’s making up for all the fun she couldn’t have throughout her past), but she will still need a patient person or family to call her own. After all, she’s never lived in a home before!
Matilda is spayed, up to date on vaccines, and isn’t experiencing any lingering health concerns from her past. She’s doing great walking on a leash, though Julia advises her future adopter to invest in a trainer, too. With a little bit of effort and understanding, she’s going to make a dog owner so happy!
Teresa’s Legacy Continues is accepting donations via PayPal or Chewy to assist with caring for the rescue dogs in their care–including Matilda.
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