Mother and pups thrive

Heavily pregnant, under nourished and due to give birth any day, Gloria was in desperate need of a place to stay.

The 15-month-old beagle cross couldn’t be cared for at home, as her elderly owner fell ill.

Full of energy but days away from giving birth, Gloria’s family contacted the Blue Cross for support.

The lovable mum-to-be was soon in the expert care of our Burford rehoming centre before transferring to our Suffolk centre for the final stages of her pregnancy.

Just eight days after arriving at Blue Cross, Gloria gave birth to 10 pups.

Sadly, not all survived, with one stillborn and another pup born with a deformity passing away after two days. 

Another pup with malformed bones in all of his legs later had to be put to sleep.

Happily, Gloria’s other seven puppies – three female and four male – are all doing well in new homes after the “brilliant mum” took to motherhood despite the difficult start.

Sadie Hollinsworth, Suffolk Assistant Manager, says: “At Suffolk, we have dedicated team members who installed wifi and a camera in the unit to be able to monitor her, throughout pregnancy, whelping and with the puppies.

“Along with this, the team regularly checked her and the puppies throughout the night, while during the day a dedicated member of team looked after her every need.”

Sadie adds: “Gloria is very sweet and loving once she gets to know someone. She made a brilliant mum.”

Inspired by the animated film Madagascar, the pups were named Gia, Fossa, Skipper, Moto Moto, Melman, Marty and Alex.

Cuddling up close to their mum in a huddle of black, white and tan coats in the early days, the pups won the hearts of the Blue Cross team members, who worked closely together to help Gloria settle.

Burford’s volunteer driver had brought the pregnant beagle cross more than 150 miles between the centres to ensure Gloria had smooth transport to her final location at Suffolk.

Flea and worm treatment and high protein puppy food gave Gloria and the puppies the best possible start to their new lives.

“Gloria slowly gained weight and her coat improved to look vibrant and shiny,” adds Sadie.

Once Gloria recovered and her puppies were old enough, they joined families across the country in Suffolk and Norfolk, to Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Oxfordshire and London, with their futures set to be full of love, care and fun.