Woman Rescues ‘Stressed’ Dog Tending to Three Puppies During Mountain Drive

While driving through the Appalachian Mountains, a family spotted a dog and puppies and immediately stopped to help. The hope is social media can work its magic to bring awareness to their story and get these dogs adopted from a Tennessee shelter.

Haylee Jaszewski ran outside, shoeless, to get to the “stressed dog and three puppies,” she said in her April 4 TikTok video posted to the account @belaysbestfriend. Although terrified, and likely out in cold temperatures, the dog still trusted Jaszewski and the family.

The dog and puppies quickly welcomed the attention with excited tails wagging up a storm. They were affectionate and sweet around their other dogs and kids.

Jaszewski, a dog trainer, believed the canine had several litters based on her belly, noting old and new scarring. The dog even seemed ready to wean the puppies off of her.

The caption reads: “TikTok please … find this girl the right home …”

The family took the animals to the Blount County Animal Center in Maryville, Tennessee. In a follow-up video, she called the shelter and learned that the puppies had not fully weaned off the dog and that staffers would wait another week or so before reevaluating.

Jaszewski told Newsweek via TikTok that she plans on calling the shelter again for an update on the dogs. She is unsure if the puppies were adopted, but given how younger dogs get picked up faster, she assumes they were.

The shelter has since named the mother Cinderella, a German shepherd mix around 3 years old.

Viewer Reactions

The TikTok video amassed 9,165 views, 1,889 likes and 136 comments. People applauded her for the rescue, but she didn’t take all the credit. She called it a “family affair.”

“Haylee, so glad you found her and hope she goes to a loving home,” commented a viewer.

Another added: “Dogs are so wonderful; true love; you’re the best; you’re an angel. Thank you so much,” with a third person chiming in: “Hoping she finds her furever family! You are such an incredible person.”

U.S. Shelter Numbers

Each year, 6.3 million pets enter U.S. shelters, an average of 17,260 a day, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The number of dogs and cats taken in by pet shelters reached 46,807 during January 2023, an increase of 1,744 compared with January 2022, the 24Pet “Shelter Watch Report” found.

Around 920,000 surrendered animals are euthanized every year. Shelters are striving to minimize euthanasia rates by promoting adoption campaigns, spaying and neutering programs, and behavior rehabilitation.

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our “Pet of the Week” lineup.