Dog and Her Litter Beat the Odds, Need Home

A dog and her litter of puppies were recently rescued from a drainpipe near the border, where they managed to survive the threat of coyote attacks, starvation, and even drowning. 

"One light rain shower and these babies would literally have been washed down the drain," said John Van Zante, spokesperson for the , where the dogs have since been transferred. "We suspect that the mommy dog gave birth in the pipe. Itwouldn't have taken much for them to drown or be swept away."

Now with a clean bill of health, the mother and her six babies—three of them male, and three of them female—will all become available for adoption today. The “six-pack” of puppies, as they’ve been affectionately dubbed by staff, includes: Barqs, Fresca, Shasta, Dr. Pepper, Sprite, and Squirt, the runt. In addition to those six, there is of course one more: Seven-Up, the mother.

Van Zante  said that Seven-Up appears to be a shepherd-dachshund mix and her pups will probably be about the same size, but with longer fur, said.

Adoption fees will be $125 for Seven-Up and $175 for the puppies. This includes spay or neuter, up to date vaccinations, and microchip identification.

Rancho Coastal Humane Society is located at 389 Requeza St. in Encinitas. The hours of operation are from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., except on Tuesday, when the shelter opens at 11:30 a.m.

You can also check out Rancho Coastal on YouTube.