Dogs' tale touches people's hearts

Amber, the silver Labrador retriever rescued from the cold with nine puppies, became an overnight celebrity since her story and photos of the family appeared in Saturday’s Inter Lake.

The phone began ringing off the hook and people flooded in the door Saturday at the Human Society of Northwest Montana on U.S. 93 north of Kalispell.

Administrative director Lori Heatherington said the receptionist estimated up to 100 people came to the shelter the first day.

And interest in the dogs continued this week.

“I’ve been standing out front,” Heatherington said Tuesday. “Nearly everyone who comes in says, ‘I want to see the puppies.’”

On Saturday alone, the shelter accepted a dozen applications for the puppies. A family had already adopted the mother dog before the story was published.

Then Amber’s story was distributed by The Associated Press on Monday and was carried Tuesday morning by Fox News. Calls came in from all over the country including Georgia, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and other area codes not yet identified.

Along with Amber’s heroic mothering, people responded to the compassion of Joey Norris and Austin Lowe, the two young men who stopped to help the dog when she came running out to intercept them on their snow mobiles near McGregor Lake.

After noticing that the Lab was nursing puppies, they asked her where her puppies were. Amber then led them to a burned-out log where she had kept her litter of nine warm and fed for an estimated seven to 10 days.

“We couldn’t even see them, but we could hear them,” Norris said.

Unable to reach the little puppies, the two were forced to leave the family for one more night in early January. They returned the next day with a crowbar to peel back the log and retrieve the puppies.

Norris and Lowe took Amber and her brood to the Charlotte Edkins Animal Adoption Center, a no-kill shelter operated by the Humane Society of Northwest Montana. When the puppies reached five weeks old, shelter officials shared their story, hoping to find them homes.

Their tale touched people’s hearts.

Readers sent e-mails like one signed by Tamara who said she read the story several times with tears in her eyes.

“Many times you read about the cruel things people do to animals and it is just wonderful to read about the two men going the extra mile and having a big heart to save them,” Tamara wrote. “We need more people like them in this town.”

Richard Gatlin in Altus, Okla., called the Inter Lake on Tuesday to get the shelter telephone number after seeing the story on Fox News. He wanted to give a puppy a good home. He echoed Tamara in a follow-up e-mail.

“I’m glad to hear there are still a few good people in the world,” Gatlin said. “I hope I get one of those puppies.”

According to Heatherington, the shelter considers each application and picks the best matches for the potentially large dogs. As an example, she said an applicant with a fenced yard who likes to hike has the edge over someone with a one-bedroom apartment.

Out-of-town applicants have a disadvantage because the shelter doesn’t transport or ship animals to avoid traumatizing them. But according to the receptionist at the Humane Society, one caller from New Jersey actually asked for directions for driving here.

Heatherington said she hopes those who don’t get a puppy open their hearts to the other dogs as well as cats at the shelter. She made that case with the people who came to see Amber and the puppies.

“I said, ‘Let me walk you down the north and south kennels,’” she said with a laugh.

If a person has his or her heart set on a puppy, Heatherington said the shelter has more on the way.

As she spoke on Tuesday afternoon, a miniature dachshund named Muffin was at a local veterinarian clinic having a Caesarean section after exceeding her due date.

Imaging performed earlier revealed about five puppies waiting to liven up suitable homes for miniature dogs. Shelter manager Marje Guest said Muffin was voluntarily surrendered from a home where she was kept in the garage.

Her prior owner said she was “too friendly.” Muffin’s ears appeared to show signs of suffering frostbite.

Anyone interested in these or any of the other animals should call the shelter at (406) 752-PAWS or go to www.hsnwmt.com.

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.