No one knows how five innocent, helpless kittens came to be abandoned by the side of the road in the middle of the night during Ontario’s freezing winter. But what everyone does know is that the kittens would never have survived the frigid temperatures that night if it wasn’t for their new best friend.
A stray dog somehow stumbled upon the five kittens and instinctively recognized their dire situation. The two-year-old dog, barely an adult herself, took charge and curled herself around the babies in the hopes of sharing her body heat and keeping them alive.
The woman pulled over and cautiously approached the dog to find that nestled inside the C-shape she had made with her body were five small jet black kittens. The dog was trying to shelter the babies from the horrible weather.
The good Samaritan contacted the local Pet and Wildlife Rescue and an animal control officer arrived to tenderly rescue the dog and kittens, taking them to a warm shelter. Employees there couldn’t believe how protective the dog had become of the kittens. They weren’t sure if she knew the kittens before, but it was clear to everyone that they had bonded while fighting to stay alive together.
“It’s truly heartwarming! It had been a very cold night so these kittens would have had a very hard time surviving.”
Shelter staff named the loving dog Serenity who had to be spayed first before she could be adopted. The kittens first were being treated for flea and worm infestations and would be ready for adoption once they are old enough.
Fans of the kind and compassionate Serenity were hoping the pup and her kittens could be adopted together, but they don’t want to keep the kindhearted Serenity at the shelter for that long. They posted on Facebook from Serenity’s perspective on how important it was for her to go home sooner rather than later.
“If they waited for the kittens to be ready that would mean that I wouldn’t have my forever family for a couple of months. It is always the staff’s goal to get dogs out of the shelter environment and into their forever homes as soon as possible. At the end of the day, I am just happy that the kittens were found with me and are now resting peacefully in a warm foster home instead of outside in the cold.”
To ease Serenity’s eventual separation from the kittens, shelter staff members encourage her to regularly visit the babies and reassure her that they are doing much better.
Serenity loved visiting her kitten babies, just to check on their progress and make sure they are doing OK. But today, she’s busy acclimating herself to her new home.
Serenity’s story has been shared around the world and shelter staff are stunned at how many people applied to adopt her. They hope that Serenity’s saga will draw attention to the fact that many wonderful pets are in shelters waiting for their furever family just like the amazing Serenity was until her magical “gotcha day.”
