Bridgette❤️

In September of 2018, our family was mourning the loss of our 14 year old dog who had passed just a few months before.  My daughter recommended that we start volunteering at Sweet Paws Rescue to help with our loss and to help animals in need. I walked into my first day at Sweet Paws with my daughter not expecting to fall in love, but we did.  In one of the “Momma and Pups” rooms in the back of the building sat a very sweet, emaciated, and broken momma dog.  Her big, sad brown eyes met ours as seven wiggly puppies pounced around her.  When we left that day, I couldn’t get the image of her sweet face out of my mind, and I reached out to learn more about her.

Her rescuer had named her Bridgette, and she had a sad story.  She was abandoned under a bridge in the middle of cotton fields in Alabama.  She was also pregnant and very frightened.  A young woman spotted Bridgette while driving through the cotton fields, but could not reach her under the bridge.  It was not until Bridgette gave birth to her puppies did she venture out from under the bridge and laid in the open fields. 

Bridgette soon came up to Massachusetts with her five puppies, and then took care of two other puppies abandoned by their mother.  She was extremely malnourished, heartworm positive, and was a very broken dog.  After being on a medical hold for a few weeks, we were able to take her home. 

 Bridgette had a rough beginning in our home.  She didn’t know how to walk on a leash, had to undergo painful heartworm treatments, and was learning how to be a dog.  She slowly gained her confidence with my son’s dog Sampson, who showed her how to play.

After multiple heartworm treatments we saw success, and she is now heartworm free.   She slowly but surely began to gain confidence and now loves to play, lie in the sun, and go for long walks.  She is a true southern lady, and enjoys hot summer days, and dislikes the cold winters.  She now wags her tail almost every moment and hops around when we offer her favorite treat, a bully stick!   Bridgette helps us care for another dog that we are currently fostering, and they have become very good friends.  We love our sweet, yet sassy girl!   

Bridgette and her pal Hurley