When Tracey and Jon Stewart stumbled upon a lonely dog wandering the streets of Tennessee, they were shocked to see she was pregnant and lacking the sustenance she desperately needed.
Not sure how they could go about helping her, they decided it was best to take her to a vet.
It transpired to be a wise decision; the female, named Bess, was pregnant and carrying no less than 12 puppies.
When Tracey and Jon arrived at the vets, they were told there was little chance all 12 pups would survive. The smallest of the litter, Burrdie, was in critical condition, having blocked the birth canal and been bereft of the right levels of oxygen.
Refusing to give up
Tracey and Jon, however, were determined to give all the pups a fighting chance. They cleaned out their entire living room, removing lots of furniture, and installed a makeshift pen where they, along with volunteers from their friends and family, could feed and care for the youngsters during their first weeks of life.
Of course, this would only be a temporary fix. The older the puppies grew, the more difficult it was to care for all of them. Their living space diminished as their size increased, and in the end Jon and Tracey were forced to put the puppies, and their mom, up for adoption. Bess was the first to find her forever home, with her babies fortunately all being adopted by friends and family of Jon and Tracey.
A true birthday surprise
The couple remained determined to see the dogs together again, though. So when the anniversary of their birth came around, they invited all the siblings and Bess round to their house.
Watch the clip below to see the unbelievable reaction when the family are reunited again after 10 months of separation:
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