The right person arrived at the right time.

By Sarah Ashley

Published on June 25, 2025 at 9:20 PM

Earlier this month, Carlin Curtis spotted a dog just off the road while driving in Mississippi. As she pulled over, Curtis realized three tiny puppies were crowding around their mama in the rocks and dirt. The dogs had likely been dumped and abandoned.

Luckily for this little family, Curtis is an independent rescue partner with Wright-Way Rescue, an organization that focuses on rural animal rescues in the Southern Midwest. The mama dog, who has since been named Sugar, must’ve known Curtis was there to help, because she walked right up to her, eager yet relieved.

Curtis offered Sugar some food — a much-needed meal for a nursing mother who had likely been scrounging for food for several days. The puppies were placed into a large plastic tub Curtis keeps in her car for surprise roadside rescues like this one.

Once the puppies were safe and Sugar had a full belly, the mama dog collapsed in Curtis’ back seat for a well-deserved nap. She and her puppies were safe at last.

JeriLynn Burks, director of development at Wright-Way Rescue, told The Dodo that all of the dogs were healthy enough to head straight to a foster after Curtis found them. The foster family quickly fell in love with Sugar and decided to officially adopt her.

Soon after, the 2-month-old puppies were transported to the rescue’s medical campus in Southern Illinois. Named Bailey, Bree and Burt, the siblings are incredibly playful and have big appetites. “Bailey seems to possibly be a bit more timid,” Burks added. “But they are all crazy with puppy energy and enthusiasm.”

Burks said the puppies have already been spayed and neutered. After a two-week “healthy hold,” they’ll get vaccinated and head to another location for playtime and socialization with other puppies.

“Once they’re 16 weeks old and fully vaccinated, they’re cleared for outdoor walks and adventures,” Burks said, though these puppies have certainly had lots of outdoor adventures already.

As for Sugar, she is thriving in her forever home — and getting as much food and rest as she needs.

If you’d like to donate to Wright-Way Rescue or reserve a meet and greet with Bailey, Bree or Burt, you can do so through the organization’s website.

Related

‘Broken’ Dog Wouldn’t Go Outside — Then She Met Her Forever Siblings

She gets more confident every day.

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• Daily Dodo
• Pets

Neighbor Sees Cat Give Birth On Apartment Doorstep — And Saves The Whole Family

“They have slowly been taking over my apartment.”

By Alana Francis-Crow

Late last year, a Florida resident named Carolyn spotted a cat wandering around outside the duplex where she lives. Soon, she started noticing the cat every day, and began to wonder if she was OK.

Carolyn, who preferred to have her last name omitted, suspected that one of her neighbors had dumped the cat outside. Every day, the cat would wait at her neighbor’s doorstep, hoping someone would let her in.

“She would just be sitting there, kind of waiting to go inside,” Carolyn told The Dodo.

Carolyn watched this go on for a few months, unsure whether she should step in. But then, on Valentine’s Day, Carolyn saw something heartbreaking: The cat had just given birth and was curled up on her neighbor’s step with her six newborn kittens.

At that point, Carolyn knew she had to do something. She asked her neighbor if she could take in the cats, then scooped up the entire family and brought them to her apartment.

For the first few weeks she had the cats, Carolyn focused on keeping the mama, whom she named Rosie, as comfortable and well-fed as possible so she could take care of her babies. At first, Rosie was terrified of her new environment, but once she realized she was finally safe and taken care of, her personality transformed.

“She just flipped a switch and became the sweetest cat I’ve ever met,” Carolyn said.

Carolyn named the two orange boy kittens Leo and Flynn, the two white kittens Koda and Luna, and the two dark tabbies Forrest and Delilah. The kittens are all 12 weeks old now and significantly bigger than they were the day Carolyn rescued them — and more rambunctious. They all love running around and playing together.

“They have slowly been taking over my apartment,” Carolyn said.

While seven cats may sound like a lot to some people, Carolyn has been loving seeing the kittens get to grow up with their siblings and their mama.

“You have to see it to understand how perfect they are together as a family,” Carolyn said.
 

Before she took in Rosie and her babies, Carolyn had been wanting a cat for a long time and was just waiting for the right opportunity to come along. Then, from one second to the next, she went from having zero cats to having seven — and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“It definitely has been a whole transformation of my life,” she said.

To keep up with Rosie and the kittens, you can follow Carolyn’s TikTok and Instagram. If you’d like to support the cats, you can check out Carolyn’s cat family merch here and buy something from her Amazon wishlist here.

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She saved more than one life that day 🥹

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