Mom, puppies rescued after tornadoes touch down

As seven tornadoes ripped through Northwest Arkansas, Te Fiti was likely terrified. The lost mama dog had four newborn puppies (Moana, Maui, Pua, and HeiHei) and needed to find somewhere to keep them safe. With limited options, the family took refuge in a hollowed-out area underneath a storage shed.

Someone spotted Te Fiti and contacted the local shelter. However, the facility was already full and recovering from storm damage, so shelter staff called Best Friends for backup. Best Friends’ goal is for all shelters to reach no-kill in 2025, and that means working together with other animal welfare organizations to save pets’ lives.

Team members from the Best Friends Pet Resource Center in Bentonville, Arkansas, hatched a plan to save the family. In the meantime, they tried to find the pups’ home but had no luck.

[Foster home is simply the best for mama dog and pups]

When the team arrived and peered under the shed, they didn’t see Te Fiti, but they did find four plump puppies nestled in the dirt and leaves. Lying on the ground, they scooped out the puppies one by one.

The team knew that Te Fiti would be more of a challenge. (The mama dog was so fearful that neighbors hadn’t been able to approach her.) So they set a humane trap and let it sit while they tended to the puppies. Time passed, and they started to lose hope. But finally, Te Fiti stepped into the trap. The whole family was safe at last.

Back at the pet resource center, veterinary staff examined the whole family and determined the puppies to be about 3 weeks old. They all had minor colds but were otherwise in good shape. Mama Te Fiti had managed to keep her little coconuts well-fed despite their bleak circumstances.

[First-time foster volunteers team up for a mama dog and her 14 puppies]

The family went to stay with a Best Friends volunteer in a caring foster home. Over the next few weeks, the puppies flourished; they grew chunky, fluffy, and impossibly adorable. Once they were old enough, Moana, Maui, Pua, and HeiHei were all quickly adopted into loving homes.

Te Fiti needed a little more time. Slowly but surely, she learned to trust and gathered the courage to explore her foster home. When the time was right, this sweet girl was adopted by a family ready to give her all the patience and encouragement she needed. The dark crawlspace where her journey began is now a distant memory. Tonight, she’s sleeping in a warm bed, knowing the world isn’t such a scary place after all.

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.