It was a warm spring day when construction workers in St. Louis, Missouri, noticed a white paw sticking out from an unused pipe. As they rounded the corner, they were immediately met with two crystal-blue eyes and an apprehensive growl. Echos of tiny whimpers reverberated deep within the surrounding pipes, but the dog wouldn’t let the workers get close enough to look.

The workers assumed they’d encountered a protective mom and her pups, so they reached out to Stray Rescue of St. Louis (SRSL) for help. As soon as Donna Lochmann, SRSL’s chief life saving officer, got there, she came to the same conclusion.
“She was kind of sticking her head out of the pipe and growling at us,” Lochmann told The Dodo. “She was just protecting her puppies like a good mama should.”

To earn the dog’s trust, Lochmann started throwing chunks of Vienna sausages in her direction. She carefully inched her way closer to the pipe with each accepted treat, and, soon, she was close enough to slip her leash around the pup’s neck.
After a bit of resistance, Lochmann was able to pull the dog safely out of the pipe. It didn’t take long for Lochmann to realize that their assumptions about the pup’s identity had been wrong all along.

“As I finally pulled her out of the pipe, I saw that she wasn’t a ‘her’ at all,” Lochmann said. “The dog was a male, not a female.” “Peter Piper ended up being just an absolute sweetheart,” Lochmann said. “Everyone here fell in love with him.”
Luckily, the dogs all went to foster homes soon after their arrival. Penelope has since found her forever family, but Peter, Paisley and Patrick are all still waiting for their happily-ever-afters. The rescue team at SRSL can’t wait to see the rest of the little pack settle into their forever homes soon. Until then, they’ll keep spreading the word about this incredible dad and his adorable survivor puppies.

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