In a neighborhood in Manaus, Brazil, Edineia Florgomes has spent years doing something simple but demanding: showing up for the stray dogs no one else does. She feeds them, gets them water, and arranges vaccinations when she can. “Everyone here knows I help defenseless animals,” she told The Dodo.
A Den That Turned Dangerous
One of the dogs under Florgomes’ informal care recently gave birth to seven puppies in a narrow den she’d dug beneath a neighbor’s brick structure — a spot that likely felt safe and hidden at the time. After roughly a month without rain, that changed fast: when the rain finally came, the low-lying den began flooding with the puppies still inside.
Florgomes wasn’t even home when it happened. “I was actually at the doctor with my daughter when it started raining,” she said. “When we got back, the area had flooded.”
A Mother’s Repeated Dives
The mother dog was frantic, and the opening to the den was too narrow and deep for Florgomes to reach the puppies herself. She grabbed a shovel and began bailing water and widening the entrance — and that’s when the mother took over.
Florgomes’ daughter caught what happened next on video: again and again, the mother dog dove into the flooded den and emerged with a puppy held gently in her mouth, repeating the process until all seven had been carried out safely. “I jumped and clapped for her,” Florgomes said. “She got them all out. So much happiness.”
Getting the Family Clean and Settled
Once all seven puppies were out, Florgomes bathed them and helped set the family up somewhere safer and drier. “They were all covered in mud, and the mother was cleaning them too,” she said.
What Happens Next
Florgomes plans to have the mother spayed and, once the puppies are weaned, find each of them a permanent home — carefully. “I’m going to put them up for adoption,” she said. “I’ll only consider people who will adopt them with love, care and affection.”
Frequently Asked Questions
How did the mother dog manage to carry all seven puppies out safely? Dogs typically carry puppies the same way from birth — gently gripping them by the loose skin at the back of the neck, a hold that doesn’t hurt the puppy and lets the mother move quickly between trips.
Is it common for community caregivers like Edineia Florgomes to look after stray dog populations in Brazil? Informal, community-based care for street dogs is common in many Brazilian cities, often filling gaps left by limited municipal shelter capacity, though formal rescue organizations also operate throughout the country.
What should someone do if they find puppies trapped in a flooding or dangerous space? If it’s safe to do so, widening or clearing the opening (as Florgomes did) while giving the mother room to work is often more effective than direct human intervention, since a stressed mother may react defensively to a stranger reaching for her puppies.
Source: The Dodo, cited above.
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