Hearts Break for Shelter Dog Left Behind After All Her Puppies Get Adopted

A young shepherd mix is waiting for her own happy ending after all of her puppies were fostered and she was left alone in a shelter. Addison and her puppies were pulled from Fort Worth Animal Care & Control by Saving Hope Rescue in Fort Worth, Texas. She and her seven puppies were very unwell, with Addison herself emaciated and suffering diarrhea and sickness that had spread to her puppies.

Despite her own ill health, she never left the side of her puppies who—along with her—made an incredible recovery from their illnesses. With her mothering duties now complete, Addison has watched every one of her puppies go to their own foster home—and is now looking for a warm bed to call her own.

"Still no offers," Saving Hope Rescue said in a post on December 31. "Our hearts are breaking for Addison. It's always the moms that are left behind." Each year 6.3 million pets enter U.S. shelters, which is an average of 17,260 a day, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Still no offers. Our hearts are BREAKING for Addison It’s always the moms that are left behind. All of Addison’s puppies have been placed with... The number of dogs and cats taken in by pet shelters hit 46,807 during January 2023, an increase of 1,744 compared with January 2022, the 24Pet 'Shelter Watch Report' found.

Around 920,000 surrendered animals are euthanized every year. Shelters are striving to minimize euthanasia rates by promoting adoption campaigns, spaying and neutering programs, and behavior rehabilitation. There is evidence that older dogs often have a harder time getting fostered or adopted. According to a report by Maddie's Fund, the adoption rate for senior dogs—defined as seven years or older—is lower than that of younger dogs, with a senior dog adoption rate of 25 percent compared to 60 percent for younger dogs.

But there are many positives to giving . They are often calmer, already housetrained, and require less exercise. While Addison is estimated to be just over a year old, she is still struggling to find the perfect placement in comparison to the younger puppies. Once emaciated, she now weighs around 45 pounds and is great with other dogs and people: "All of Addison's puppies have been placed with their furever families and there hasn't been anyone interested in fostering her," Saving Hope Rescue added.

On the Facebook post appeal on behalf of Addison, people shared their well wishes and hopes that she would soon find the perfect human companions to care for her. Alicia said: "Prayers for a loving furever family ASAP," while Stacey said: "She is a beautiful girl. Just precious. Hoping and praying she finds her loving forever home which she deserves very soon." reached out to Saving Hope Rescue via email for comment.

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