We got an email about a beagle in a shelter. This is not abnormal for us - we get several of these a day. The beagle was pregnant. That too is not abnormal; people just don't spay and neuter their dogs.

What was surprising is that she was an owner surrender. The reason for the surrender? She was pregnant, and not just pregnant but about to deliver. She had her puppies in the shelter before she could be rescued.

No matter how many years we do this, no matter how many stories we hear we are still surprised by the depth of human indifference to the animals under their care. Not the felonious acts of outright cruelty but the average run of the mill, soul-deadening lack of regard.

There is no understanding of it. Something so completely foreign to your values and life experience cannot be understood. We have never found any satisfactory answer to the question "Why?"

So now we have a new mom beagle who did not get the proper care during gestation so she is playing catch-up. Who knows if she ever had any vaccines or heartworm preventative. Her pups were born in a shelter, which is a very dangerous place for puppies. It's a miracle that all 6 have survived this long (two weeks old today). Mom is feeling better now that she's getting as much food as she can eat and she's in a safe, non-stressful environment. She's still not producing enough milk to really fatten these puppies up but the vet said overall they look pretty good.

It looks like "Dad" was a Labrador Retriever. There are 5 black pups and 1 chocolate one. They all have a typical Lab coat. These things can change quite a bit as the puppies mature - we saw that with Mary's pups - but the chocolate is kind of a clear genetic sign.

We are very glad we could save Princess and her litter, but once again so sad that we had to.