Kassy and her two litters – released from the Zoo.
Today’s good news story comes from the Good News Network. Here it is in its entirety.
This Golden Retriever is Nursing 3 African-painted Painted Dog Pups at Indiana Zoo After their Mother Abandoned Them
At the Potawatomi Zoo in Indiana, a mama golden retriever has her paws as full as can be these days looking after a huge litter of pups—but half aren’t hers.
The Zoo had the unhappy issue of an African-painted dog who was a first-time mom and wasn’t displaying the level of care required to raise her litter of 8 pups. The Zoo’s canine team knew they had to act fast.
The group wanted to use a surrogate mother because the African-painted dog relies on the social group into which it was born. The Indiana Council for Animal Welfare connected the Zoo with a golden retriever named Kassy, who just gave birth to a litter of her own.
But even with Kassy’s love and attention, the litter of 8 experienced some cases of failure to thrive owing to a lack of presence from members of their species. However, three individuals were resilient and survived. Due to the delicate nature of baby animals, their names were simply Blue, Red, and Orange—identity codes to various shades on their coats to prevent their caretakers from becoming too attached.
The three will form a new social group in an enclosure next to the one into which they should have been welcomed. Abandoned more or less by their mom, the canine team at the Zoo is wary that reintegrating them as pups will cause conflict for the same reason they were abandoned. They will live separately and perhaps reunite in adulthood.
African painted dogs might be one of the more resilient African animals due to their limited value to poachers and large litter sizes, but because they need tens of thousands of acres to roam and hunt, fragmentation of habitat has caused them to become endangered.
“It has been an emotionally exhausting and challenging journey for the team, but it is the Zoo’s mission to work toward the preservation of wild species,” the Zoo said in a press release concerning the pups
“Sometimes the journey is smooth, and sometimes it takes extraordinary measures. These three healthy, active pups are just the start of this story, and the Zoo hopes to share more positive updates of their milestones in the future.”
Red, Orange, and Blue are thriving under Kassy’s care and are now 11 weeks old. They will hopefully live on to produce pups of their own that may return someday to Africa, but in the meanwhile, their early struggles present critical lessons to zoo visitors on the delicate nature of wild social structures and how important it is that animals are given their own space.
The good news here is the zoo folks took decisive action to save the pups. Today’s JohnKu talks about saving lives. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Precious by John W. Howell © 2023
There is no value,
That can be placed on a life . . .
All remain precious.
Fiction Favorites 
These creatures are fascinating. I only wish they had the chance to live as they should and not in a retrofitted habitat that is “The wild” in name only. But this zoo is doing the great good work to give them a chance and good for them. Good for all of them.
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Thanks, Marc. I think the best part is continuing to support life over the alternative. 😊
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A worthy cause.
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😊
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I am not fond of zoos unless they serve this very purpose. To help species survive and thrive. It would be nice if they can be let out into the wild but I imagine it will be difficult as their start in life is in safe surroundings. I do love that this golden mom was so welcoming to the three!
Wonderful JohnKu and happy Friday, John!
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Thank you, Dale. I think you have identified the best part of zoo activity. I wish they could be released but they are not going to be ready to survive. Happy Friday to you and hope you have a super weekend.
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I wish they could with the guarantee they’ll survive.
Thank you and you as well!
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😊
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Your poem says it all, John. Amazing, but not surprising that the retriever understood.
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She is a good mom for sure. I’m glad she was there for the pups.
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Such a sweet story. Thanks for sharing it with us.
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I liked it too, Craig. Glad you did as well. 😁
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Good find, John. Bummer that some of the pups didn’t make it. Because of the general temperament of Golden’s, I’m not surprised by Kassy stepping up. Thanks for the touching JohnKu.
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I think humans lose sight of the fact that all lives are important especially in times of stress. Thanks for the lovely comment, Frank.
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Pups is Pups and Love is Love! ❤
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So true, Annette. Stories like this tend to open the heart. 🤗
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So cute. Golden retrievers are amazing dogs.
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They certainly are. Thanks, Charles.
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All of Nature tries to maintain a balance, only we disturb it. It is great that some try to restore the damage. There was a terrific “Nature” program like that a few days ago.
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I think keeping the idea of trying to help those in need is the best part of this story. Thanks for your comment, GP. 😊
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Indeed!
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😊
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What a mom that Golden Retriever is. Glad to hear three of them survived and are thriving.
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Yes that was the good news for sure. Thanks, Teri
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Seeing people helping out creatures in a bad situation is nice. Thanks for sharing it with us, John.
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Thanks, Tim. My thought exactly.
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Yeah, we think alike on a lot of things, John. 😀
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It is a good thing too. 😁
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John, instead of “next man up” it was “next pup up.” Kassy really is a “golden” retriever!
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So true, Bruce. 😁
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I read about this – Kassy was a good mother, but no substitute for the real thing, unfortunately. Still, they saved three pups, and that is a real accomplishment. Thanks for the share.
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It is a good story. Thanks, Noelle.
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I couldn’t agree more with your JohnKu!
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I’m so glad, Liz. 😁
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What a wonderful post, thank you!
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I’m glad you enjoyed it, Liza. Thanks for letting me know. 😁
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What a sweet Golden mama! That said, she’s kinder than I’d be, seeing that those “painted puppies” are about as ugly as can be (did I say that?? Yes, I did — sorry, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder, huh?!)
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So true. The painted puppies are not very cute.😊
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Such a heart-warming story, and your words are so true, John!
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Thank you, Becky.
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Thanks for this, John. Big hugs.
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I’m glad you liked it, Teagan. Hugs back.
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This is such a heartwarming story, John. Kudos to Kassie and to the zoo for their efforts in preserving this species.
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I agree, Joan. Thanks.
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All life is precious.
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I agree,
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What a wonderful story, John! I’m so glad the zoo and Kassy were able to help as they did so these young pups were able to thrive. I love tales (or tails, LOL) like this!!
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Me too, Mae. Thanks for your lovely comment.
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That’s so amazing and cool!
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Yes it is. Thanks, Deborah
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We’ve raised several Golden Retrievers over the years. They’re the most loving dogs.
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They are. It is a shame they don’t live longer.
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What a beautiful story, John. I knew nothing of the painted dogs before your post. Thank you for bringing them to our attention. And your poem is perfect for the story. 😊
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Thank you so much, Gwen. I’m glad you liked the story.
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I’ve always liked Golden Retrievers but now I’m impressed! Such a wonderful story. Like Dale, I don’t care for zoos unless they’re doing this kind of work.
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Thank you, Marie.
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Sweet story. Kudos to Kassy for taking in those not-so-cute pups.
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Yes she deserves the kudos. 😁
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Such a beautiful story. A mother’s nurturing love knows no boundaries.
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So true, Jan. Thanks
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This is brave and heartwarming. Doing good, when it comes to dogs, gets extra credit.
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I agree, Jennie. 😊
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🙂
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Never heard of this species until now.
This is a wonderful story. Kassy is a good mom. Makes me think of Lucy when you brought Twiggy home.
As you say,”All remain precious”.
Thank you!
🐶𝔛 🐶𝔛 🐶𝔛
3 beautiful pups!
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It reminded me of Lucy as well. 🐶𝔛 🐶𝔛 🐶𝔛
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Very cool!
🐶𝔛 🐶𝔛 🐶𝔛💋
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🤗😘
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It is sad that the mother rejected the pups. African painted dogs are endangered. It’s not only fragmentation of their natural habitat but also the farmers kill them. Wild dogs have a 80% successful kill rate and can eat up to 3 times a day (in comparison, lions have a 25%to 30% successful kill rate).
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Thanks for the information Robbie. What is really sad is humankind and animal can’t live together.
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My goodness! Just goes to show motherhood knows new limits. What a heartwarming story.
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Thank you, Monika. I like the story too.
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What a sweet story. And wow, I never heard of or seen any African painted dogs. Beautiful. 🙂
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I liked this one too, Debby.
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🙂
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