FORT WALTON BEACH — Officials with the Panhandle Animal Welfare Society don’t know much about the dog or her 10 puppies that came in Wednesday. They don‘t know her name, what breed she is exactly or where she came from.
For now, the dog is going by the name ‘Mom’ and the 10 pups are still scurrying around with eyes shut and whimper anytime they feel disoriented in the cage they share with their mother.
The family of 11 was brought in to a Laurel Hill animal shelter Dec. 20 after the puppies were already born, according to Tricia Bryant, the director of the Humane Society and Adoption Center at PAWS.
View a photogallery of the canine family.
Bryant said that while getting large litters is not unusual for her animal shelter, it’s not the normal time frame for it. “Puppy Season,” as she calls it, is typically from March to April.
Bryant said she believes the tiny canines are between two to three weeks old.
The mother is likely part pit bull, but Bryant said the puppies breed won‘t be known until they are several weeks older.
Three of the puppies came in with abscesses on their necks, but all the puppies are doing well now.
Once the puppies are weaned, they will be split up and put into foster care until they are eight to 10 weeks old and ready for adoption.
“The mother is very sweet and the puppies are so cute — one even has a heart on its paw — I’m sure they will be adopted quickly,” Bryant said.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Angel McCurdy at 850-315-4432 or amccurdy@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @AngelMnwfdn.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Litter of puppies finds home at PAWS