Meet Mama, a 4-year-old English bulldog and the loving mother of five spunky and very hungry pups.
"She gave all her strength, and energy and fat to her babies, and luckily she was able to keep her babies healthy, surprisingly. And now it's time to focus on Mama too," said Bridgette Booth with Fresno Bully Rescue.
Mama's ribs really showed just days ago when she was rescued from a Clovis backyard. Animal control officers were called by an alert neighbor who peeked through a fence and saw the severely emaciated animal.
"Animal services went over and knocked on the door, and the owner relinquished the animals and thankfully he did. He said he couldn't take care of them," said Janet Stoll-Lee with Clovis police.
Shelter workers believe Mama probably did not get much to eat and without an intervention, she could have died in weeks.
"Just in the nick of time, just because she didn't have much left. Not much longer and with the weather getting hotter the babies wouldn't have lasted at all. The babies are about five weeks old," added Booth.
Right now, Mama is fattening up nicely at Fresno Bully Rescue. But her caretaker Bridgette Booth is worried about an eye condition which can cause blindness, and her teeth are in such bad shape, you can hardly see them anymore.
Still, even after everything she's been through, when you meet Mama, you'll meet a sweet dog with a gentle spirit.
"I can touch her all over her. I even temper tested her with other dogs. I even tested her with cats and she didn't care about the cats. She just needs a nice quiet place to get some TLC, and she'd be a great dog for any family," said Booth.
Fresno Bully Rescue says the animal's medical bills are very high. If you'd like to help her or are interested in adopting the puppies, you can call (559) 276-7611 or visit www.fresnobullyrescue.org.
