Animal lovers have been left horrified by the story of a pregnant golden retriever who was cruelly dumped and had to give birth outside—but one woman has stepped up to care for both the dog and her puppies.
Stephanie Garcia shared a heartbreaking video to her TikTok account @..auntsteph on July 25, showing her using a flashlight to discover the distressed golden underneath the crawl space of her house, surrounded by tiny newborn puppies.
She told Newsweek: “I have never able to understand the affection a human can have for a dog. It never made any sense to me. And the day Honey and her pups came into my life I instantly fell in love. I was so overcome with emotions and fell in love.”
The day Honey gave birth underneath her house, she and her daughter immediately took action, crawling on her stomach to reach the mother and puppies. The dog allowed her to take her newborns and put them in a warm blanket before she brought the entire new family into her house
The mother dog, filthy and muddy and covered in fleas, desperately attended to her puppies, now safe and warm inside as Garcia worked to get them to full health.
“I’ve never owned a dog, I didn’t want a dog or the responsibility that comes with owning a dog,” Garcia told Newsweek, but immediately upon finding Honey and her pups, they became a “family.”
TikTok @..auntsteph
Garcia explained that her brother had tragically died three years ago, and she and her daughter have been grieving since—but now Honey and the puppies “make us smile and you can hear laughter in our home again.”
In video updates and a GoFundMe set up to help her care for the new family she had unexpectedly taken into her care, Garcia went on to share their journey so far, including her plan to keep every one of them, as she had plenty of room on her rural property.
Honey had a total of 11 puppies, but only four survived their difficult start in life. Honey was also rushed to the vets after suffering seizures, and was revealed to have heartworms, but Garcia took on the expensive treatment—telling Newsweek she lost her job as she worked round the clock to take care of Honey and her puppies.
“I don’t regret losing my job because the dogs have brought so much joy into our home,” Garcia, from Rio Grande Valley in Texas, said.
After being urged to set up the GoFundMe by TikTok followers, she acknowledged “people think I’ve done a wonderful thing by taking in an abandoned pregnant dog and her pups but really and truly they have been a blessing in our lives.”
“I went from never owning a dog to being a dog mom of five. I’m learning about dogs, what to do, what not to do. I feel like the dogs give me purpose,” she said.
She admitted, however: “I worry I won’t be able to keep them all because I won’t be able to afford their vet bills. Dogs are expensive! Vet bills, dog food, flea medication and I’m not currently working but I do know things will work themselves out.”
Now the puppies are three weeks old, becoming playful and allowed outside, while Honey is settling into life as a much-loved pet.
TikTok @..auntsteph
The video of Honey’s initial rescue melted hearts across the site, racking up 94,000 likes and 840,000 views, with hundreds praising Garcia for her selfless actions.
“Thank you for helping her. It will come back to you tenfold. She will protect your family when you least expect it,” one user wrote.
“You even brought her into your home. Hugs to you. Thank you for being so kind,” another said, as one declared: “Whoever dumped her is a horrible human! This made me cry!”
And another thanked Garcia for “helping her and her babies,” adding she was “blown away a golden retriever was on the streets.”
Golden retrievers have long been one of the most popular dog breeds in America, coming third in the American Kennel Club’s list of the most popular dog breeds of 2023.
The AKC notes the breed’s outgoing, trustworthy nature who make excellent family pets thanks to their eager-to-please attitude and ease to train.
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