It’s not just humans who can be heroic. Dogs can also show huge acts of courage and loyalty to their owners and puppies, which is why the Canil de Portimão is sharing the beautiful story of Sunshine and her puppies.
The tale does not start happily. Sunshine had just given birth to six puppies and was suffering from severe tick fever. She had been spotted in a rural area, living in the middle of fields, alone, raising her babies by eating scraps some locals were throwing to her.
Poor Sunshine was in a very bad condition, her back legs were paralysed by the tick fever and her hip showed signs of having been previously broken, possibly by a car. She was close to death when she carried all her puppies one by one close to the road edge. It is likely the clever dog knew this would mean her pups might be saved. Portimão veterinarian Dr Osvaldo Mateus was notified there were six puppies on the side of the road and by the time he found them, Sunshine couldn’t walk and he thought she had died. Her puppies were all huddled up with her, so he separated them in order to care for them.
Sunshine was taken to the clinic and stayed on a drip for ten days. She needed a lot of meds, and her back legs had stopped working completely. She very nearly died a few times.
The veterinary team did everything they could and slowly she started to get better. Miraculously, she recovered well enough to be taken to the Canil de Portimão, where she was christened Sunshine, as she is such a joy to be around.
Sunshine started walking again with the help of the staff of the Canil de Portimão, alongside Friends of Canil de Portimão – the charity association that works alongside the canil to raise money, run outreach programmes and adoptions. She is now being cared for and waiting for her second chance.
Her pups were really malnourished and, although Sunshine did her best, they needed special care, food and treatment. They are now the healthiest, happiest little pups, and, at around three months old, they are ready for adoption.
Despite costing a lot of money to bring about this happy ending, the friends of the canil charity never give up hope for dogs like this.
If you would like to adopt Sunshinne or her pups, contact Holly Van Deursen on +351 923 525 129
