Unhoused woman doctors 10 newborn puppies for days, nonprofit needs donations to help

19 hours ago 4

In the sweltering heat of Oklahoma, an unhoused woman named Billie found herself facing an unimaginable challenge—her dog Penelope gave birth to 10 fragile puppies while the two lived on the streets with no shelter, supplies, or safety. For days, Billie did everything in her power to protect the newborns, shielding them from the elements and tending to their needs with what little she had.

Her story came to light when Oklahoma Alliance for Animals spotted a Facebook post circulating about a homeless woman with a plastic tub full of newborn puppies. By the time volunteers arrived, Billie had already contacted every rescue and resource she could think of, but none had openings. Despite the hardship, she wasn’t asking for help for herself—only for the puppies.

One of the pups was injured, and Billie had been cleaning the wound with makeshift supplies for three days. Because of her care, the puppy’s injury was free of infection and ready for sutures upon arrival at Catoosa Small Animal Hospital. Her dedication moved the rescue volunteers, who were also told Billie had previously panhandled to get Penelope vaccinated—putting her dog’s health first even while she had nothing of her own.

The Oklahoma Alliance for Animals stepped in immediately. Volunteer Cynthia, a woman who had once been helped by the rescue herself while unhoused, opened her home to Billie, Penelope, and the 10 puppies. But what the team found there revealed the scope of a much larger crisis: Cynthia was also fostering a second mother dog with nine newborns and housing four other unaltered dogs. In total, 25 dogs were now in urgent need of care.

Every dog needs vaccinations, flea, tick, and heartworm prevention, and spay/neuter surgeries. The organization, already stretched thin, is now racing to raise funds to cover these needs. According to their team, over $2,000 has come in, but much more is required to provide proper care for all 25 animals over the coming weeks.

Despite the overwhelming challenges, the nonprofit refuses to walk away. Their team is committed to breaking the cycle of overpopulation with compassion and action. As they wrote in their now-viral post, “This is where the change starts—one dog, one mama, one act of compassion at a time.”

With donations still needed and foster homes required in the coming weeks, the organization is hoping the community will step up to help finish this story with a happy ending.

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