12 Days of Happy Tails: Meet Donuts

As the year winds down, we're taking a look back at all of the lives that we’ve saved thanks to your support. It’s another year of 12 Days of Happy Tails — stories that touched the hearts of our staff and volunteers. We hope you enjoy reading them as much as we’ve loved all of these special pups.

Our Happy Tail of the day is sweet little Donuts!

In April, “Mama” Waffles came up to NYC from our shelter partner in Kentucky. She was very pregnant and severely malnourished. Pregnant mamas are one of the most vulnerable populations in shelters, and they depend on rescues like Muddy Paws to transfer them into foster care as soon as possible. She immediately went into foster care with Rita, a trusted MPR foster who bravely stepped up to take on a mama pup about to give birth for the first time. Soon after her arrival, Waffles’ puppies made their arrival - 8 of them!

Rita’s best friend, and next door neighbor, Rob was there from the beginning. “When I took in Mama Waffles, I knew the experience was going to be a lot of work, but it would be worth it. I was prepared for the joy of seeing the puppies come into this world, of watching them grow, and of handing them to their new families,” recalled Rita. “Unfortunately, we lost three puppies out of the eight. Rob was with me for those tough moments–when I needed a good cry or was at the brink of exhaustion. He was also there for some of the best moments – seeing them open their eyes for the first time and watching them take their first steps. Raising a litter does take a village and he was a big part of mine.

“I met all the puppies the day after they were born, which was such a cool experience!” Rob says. “They were just small potatoes and couldn't even open their eyes. In the process I got attached to a few of the littermates, but Donuts and I bonded almost immediately. The moment I knew I wanted to adopt him was when I saw him taking some of his first steps (and stumbling). I just had to have him in my life long-term, and the experience has been so rewarding .”

Rita was thrilled that Donuts would be sticking around, and that she would get to see him grow from a tiny bean into a wonderful dog. “It only felt natural that Donuts should go to the person that was so integral to helping him during those crucial first weeks,” she says. “Best of all, I get to see ‘Dodo’ all the time!’

These days Donuts is living the sweet life, spending his days snuggling with his favorite stuffed Stitch toy (the resemblance is uncanny) chewing anything he can get his teeth into, and exploring every single thing in the world. His morning zoomies are the perfect start to each day and he’s working hard on his training.

“Adopting Donuts has been a wonderful experience, even if his puppy energy can be a lot from time to time,” concludes Rob. “It's moments when you make breakthroughs in training that make it so rewarding. When he mastered potty training and crate training, after some hard work, it made me feel so proud of him and the work we put in together. While adopting a dog is a lifestyle change, it is so worth it!”