A man who showed kindness to a stray dog struggling to survive after a hurricane was rewarded with a litter of puppies, after she gave birth in safety after he took her in.
Joe Tulgan, 33, originally from Massachusetts, now lives in Greenacres, Florida, with his wife, Marissa, and 13-year-old stepdaughter, Abby.
In 2022, Hurricane Ian devastated the west coast of Florida, along with the Carolinas and Cuba, at a category 4 intensity. It caused over $112 billion worth of damage, with millions losing power and 156 people dying in the United States alone, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Among the horror of the storm, there were stories of heroes risking their lives to save others—both humans and animals.
Tulgan was among those helping out in the area; he, along with friends Travis and Todd, were cleaning up debris and rubble when they were approached by a stray dog, who was “wagging her tail and searching for food amid the rubble.”
The men fed her, and while she left, she returned to them later that night, and remained close to them during their entire stay at the Airbnb. Tulgan “fell in love with her.”
“It was evident she didn’t have a home; she was dirty and skinny,” Tulgan said. He told his wife and stepdaughter about the dog—only for him to get the call he had hoped for. His family wanted him to keep her.
The plan was to feed her up, take her to the vet and get her checked for a microchip, and as weeks went by, she began to fatten up. But Tulgan quickly noticed that she was “getting even bigger.”
“I instinctively knew she was pregnant, even though Travis and Todd insisted I was overfeeding her. The vet later confirmed my suspicion,” Tulgan said.
And on December 12, the rescued dog—whom they named Gypsy—gave birth to six puppies, safely indoors.
At the time, Tulgan and his friends were still traveling around Florida in different Airbnbs, and as the puppies grew, they and Gypsy “traveled with me everywhere,” he said.
“I loved having them around, although they were a lot of work,” Tulgan added. I constantly had to clean up after them once they were old enough to run around, and they were pretty loud, making it difficult to sleep. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t have traded the experience for anything.”
Eventually, once the puppies were old enough, it was time to find them new homes—and four of the siblings went to Tulgan’s friends and family.
“I am the designated dog sitter, and the puppies love to see their mother,” Tulgan said. “She enjoys playing with her children!”
Tulgan shared Gypsy’s story to Reddit‘s r/mademesmile sub via his account u/BloodyMurderBloody on July 6. He shared photos of Gypsy and her six adorable puppies, and wrote: “I rescued a stray dog after a hurricane. Turns out she was pregnant! Here’s her puppies!”
Reddit users had a big reaction, awarding the post more than 8,400 upvotes, as one wrote: “Bless you for rescuing her! What precious pups.” Another described them as a “six pack of love.”
“She held on through the storm so her babies could have sunshine,” one commenter said, and yet another thanked Tulgan for being a “kind and compassionate soul.”
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