Golden puppy in a brown dog bed with black puppy siblings in the background

Homeless puppies now thriving

A litter of puppies brought to Blue Cross in crisis when they were six weeks old are now settling into life as much-loved pets.

The German shepherd mixes arrived in our care with their mum under heartbreaking circumstances; already struggling to provide care for the accidental litter, their owner was suddenly facing homelessness and the prospect of living in a car with all seven dogs.

Thankfully, our Southampton rehoming centre stepped in to provide urgent help.

A litter of black and white puppies playing on the grass. In the centre of the image, one of the black puppies is running and his ears are up in the air.
The puppies enjoying our Southampton centre's outdoor playpen

Caring for six rambunctious puppies is a demanding task, but our team quickly put into place rotas, feeding schedules and a socialisation plan to give the litter the very best start.

This also meant giving their mum much-needed rest away from the litter, which was gradually built up during their time with Blue Cross.

Leonie Harrison, Adoptions Coordinator, says: “She still liked to check on them but didn’t want to stay with them any longer than needed.”

During the puppies’ time at the centre, the team worked hard to get them used to the sights and sounds of a home environment as well as the outside world.

White puppy and black puppy sitting in front of a blue door
The puppies were put on a socialisation plan to help them grow in confidence

Until puppies are fully vaccinated, at around 16 weeks, they cannot go on the ground in public spaces or areas frequented by other dogs and animals.

But our dedicated outdoor puppy pen, closed to all other pets, enabled them to explore a garden environment, which we regularly dotted with different obstacles such as tunnels to build confidence, and a variety of toys for enrichment.

Leonie continues: “We would also carry them around and up to the road so that they could see the traffic and get used to it. And we got them to meet as many new people as possible – making it really positive by sending them in with food.”

Two white puppies playing. One is pinned down on the floor with the other on top, with toys scattered around.
Full of energy, the puppies kept our team on their toes

The puppies’ personalities quickly began to shine through. The three girls in the litter – Pippin, Jazz and Braeburn – were more sensible, sensitive and calm.

While the boys – Gala, Jona and Bramley – enjoyed lots of rough and tumble.

And Jona stood out as the “cheekiest” of the puppies.

It wasn’t long before the puppies were adopted and, from the age of eight weeks, all six had loving new homes to go to.

— Page last updated 14/03/2025