Faces of No-Kill: Just 2 weeks give pups second chance

It’s a fact that foster volunteers save lives. But even fostering for a couple of days can make all the difference for homeless pets — just like it did for Daisy and her puppies.

You don’t need to pick petals to know whether Daisy loves you or not: Her happily wagging tail says it all. This 1-year-old dog with floppy ears and a speckly nose absolutely adores attention and affection.

[Puppies go from flaky to floofy with TLC]

Daisy was found as a stray and brought to a Houston animal shelter. Although practically a puppy herself, she was due to give birth any day. Soon, she delivered six puppies — a beautiful bouquet of black, brown, and white. Unfortunately, the whole family came down with upper respiratory infections, and one of the puppies passed away. Although they were receiving wonderful care at the shelter, it wasn’t the ideal environment for a nursing mom and fragile newborn pups.

Angie’s Dog House, a rescue group based in Alabama, offered a solution. The organization was planning a trip to move dogs from Texas to places where they were more likely to be adopted, and they had room to take Daisy and her pups. But the trip wasn’t scheduled for another couple weeks. So the little family needed somewhere to stay in the meantime.

That’s where Best Friends came in. Thanks to an extensive network of local foster volunteers, the Best Friends team in Houston knew they could take in this special family and find them temporary housing. Even though it was only a week before Christmas, several short-term foster volunteers eagerly stepped up to help.

Daisy and her puppies — Aster, Dandelion, Snapdragon, Sunflower, and Tulip — came to Best Friends in Houston when the pups were about a month old. At their initial exam, the veterinary team gave them dewormer and microchips and continued the treatment they’d already begun for their upper respiratory infections. Then it was off to their first foster home. For the first time since giving birth, Daisy could finally relax in a home environment.

[How a Texas family became heroes for sick puppies]

Because it was the busy holiday season, multiple foster volunteers worked together to care for the family in the time leading up to the trip with Angie’s Dog House. So a few days later, they moved to their next foster home, where the pups continued to grow plump and playful — nibbling their mama’s ears and treating her body as their own personal jungle gym. Although Daisy was a nurturing mother, once the puppies were weaned, she was ready for some “me” time.

“At that point, we put the pups in a separate foster home to give Daisy a break and time to soak in all the love for just herself,” says Valentina Costa, Best Friends lifesaving outcomes supervisor.

Soon, the family was all healthy and ready for their doggy road trip. On travel day, a van from Angie’s Dog House picked up Daisy and her puppies and whisked them away toward bright new futures. All the dogs were quickly adopted — and Daisy was even the first one to go home.

Their story proves that fostering doesn’t have to be a long-term commitment; even fostering for a few days can save lives. “Just two to three weeks gave Daisy and her pups a positive outcome,” says Valentina.

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill in 2025. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.