Brave Chihuahua's difficult birth

When four-year-old Angel arrived at our centre, she was heavily pregnant. Thankfully, she settled in quickly and enjoyed the peace and comfort after a turbulent time.

A week later, just as the vet arrived for our regular Wednesday vet visit, Angel went into labour.

What followed was far from straightforward. Her first two puppies were breech, but with careful monitoring and a lot of hands-on support, they were delivered safely. Angel struggled with the next pup, which was also breech, so we rushed her to the vets where she received medication and supportive care to help her deliver her third baby. When Angel showed signs of exhaustion and wasn't making any progress with the fourth puppy, the decision was made to perform an emergency caesarean section.

Thanks to the quick action and expert care from the vet team, Angel and all four of her puppies survived. We named them Seraphina, Celeste, Raphael and Gabriel - affectionately known as Angel’s little angels.

In the days following their birth, Angel recovered steadily and began bonding with her puppies. She’s taken to motherhood with calm confidence, always close by as they snooze, wriggle and snuggle in a warm bed.

Now four weeks old, the puppies are a joy to watch. Their eyes are open, they’re getting more mobile by the day, and they’ve just started trying out puppy food for the first time! Angel herself is thriving. She’s enjoying gentle cuddles, good food, and plenty of rest, while continuing to be a wonderfully attentive mum.

We shared Angel’s story with the hope of raising some money towards the cost of her emergency treatment, and the response was incredible. Thanks to your kindness, we raised over £3,300 (including Gift Aid), far more than our original goal of £1,000.

Your generosity has not only covered the cost of Angel’s lifesaving treatment, but it will also help us care for her puppies and many other animals who need us. As an independently funded charity, we're so incredibly grateful for your support!

You can read Angel’s birth story here.

We will start taking applications for Angel and her puppies in about 2 weeks and they will be ready to go to their new homes a few weeks later. If you are interested in applying for Angel or one of her puppies, please keep an eye on our website for more info. For now, we hope their little faces bring you as much joy as they’ve brought us.