Cookie, a rescued pregnant dog, delivered nine puppies on Feb. 12 thanks to a local Steiner Ranch family.
By MADISON PHARIS, Four Points News
Thanks to the suggestion of her husband to download the Nextdoor app, local resident Melinda Pyle was on a journey to rescue a trio of dogs only two days later.
It was on Jan. 26 that Pyle met up with Alex Landry to take in the three rescue dogs rescued to their new foster home. The dogs had been abandoned in April 2017 in a commercial lot that had sold recently, leading to their discovery.
The three adult dogs had been the concern of several animal lovers in surrounding neighborhoods including Steiner Ranch, Austin Lake Hills and Westlake. That convinced Pyle to take the dogs back to her miniature horse ranch.
The Pyles have lived in Steiner Ranch for 12 years and own a ranch in Jonestown, Tex. There the Pyle raise miniature horses and several other rescues, including a 1,200-pound quarter horse, an FFA goat, and a senior rescue dog named Chewy.
Two of the recently acquired rescue dogs, both chocolate labs, had been microchipped previously. Named Coco and Chip, they were kept as one of the chips had not been activated and the other came from a breeder who did not want his dog back. The third dog, a Shepherd mix named Cookie, had an X-ray performed to uncover that nine puppies that were soon going to be born.
Pyle’s daughter, Audrey — a 2012 Vandegrift grad — offered to help take care of the expectant mother and her future puppies with her fiance Gerardo Newberry, both 2016 graduates of University of California, Santa Barbara.
Cookie delivered her puppies in the safety of the ranch on Feb. 12.
The dogs have been enjoying a good daily routine at the ranch, which allows them daily walks, chew bones, and a private doggie den.
Cookie and her puppies have gone to the vet for their check ups over the past eight weeks. While several of the puppies have been adopted out, four remain available. For more information, contact Melinda at (512) 413-1516 Melindapyle@att.net.
One of Cookie’s nine pups.
Building the whelping box.
Rescuer and Austin Lake Hills resident, Alex Landry, visiting the trio