She was so stunned that she practically froze and gasped. Then it dawned on her that she wasn’t hallucinating. The puppy actually appeared that way. But she had no time to figure out how this happened. The dog was about to give birth to several more puppies soon, so she had to continue working. And when they puppies finally arrived, they added more intrigue to the mysterious situation.
Katie had never seen anything like this in all the years she’d spent looking after dogs. And she’s been at it for quite a while. She’s a huge dog lover, and so is her husband, John Black. They particularly love Golden Retrievers and they have three of them. One is named Winchester, and the other two are named Annie and Leroy. But eight years ago, they decided to do more. So, they opened their doors to help other dogs in distress.
Kathie and John partnered up with the Neuse River Golden Retriever Rescue, and became foster parents for rescue dogs. The organization is based in Raleigh, North Carolina, and they take in Golden Retriever mix dogs and Golden Retrievers that owners give up, or get picked up and taken to the shelter. The Rescue will then find a suitable foster family to place the dogs in until they can find a permanent home. So, Katie and John were glad they could lend a helping hand.
The Blacks fostered approximately 20 dogs over an eight-year period. But being a foster home for dogs can be expensive. It also takes up a lot of their time. But they’re more than happy to help. The couple also has an Instagram account, which they use to post photos of all the dogs they’ve taken into their home. But one day, they had taken a very special dog in. They didn’t realize it at the time, buy they were about to have one of the most unusual experiences ever.
The Neuse River Rescue learned that a Golden Retriever mix had been turned in at the county shelter. But she wasn’t alone. She was pregnant and about to give birth at any moment. They realized there was no time to waste since the dog would need a clean, safe place to deliver her litter of puppies. So, they grabbed her, and then they reached out to all of their foster partners, to see if anyone could help. But they weren’t expecting this response.
A couple of foster families offered to look after the pregnant pooch named Rosie. But the staff at the Rescue chose John and Katie Black. After all, they had more experience than all the other foster families. So, they were confident that the Blacks would look after Rosie and her litter. So, John and Katie picked Rosie up and drove her home. Then, they prepared for the impending birth, which was going to happen at any time now.
The Blacks took Rosie to see the vet. That’s when they learned that she might have 6 or 7 pups. To get ready, the couple brought a child-size swimming pool inside the house so Rosie could give birth. They also used a gate to close the family room off. This would give Rosie the privacy she needed. But Rosie had never been a mom before, and she was terrified.
Rosie’s temperature had dropped two days after the Blacks brought her home. Katie knew this was Rosie’s body letting her know that she was about to give birth. The couple kept an eye on her using a camera they’d set up in the family room. But, as they slept, Rosie became anxious as she began experiencing contractions. The next morning, Katie saw that the railings at the bottom of the stairs were all chewed up. And it became clear that Rosie was going through a patch.
Rosie was in labor for two days, and John and Katie did their best to keep her comfortable during her contractions. Then, the puppies began to make their debut, and the couple happily welcomed them into the world with blankets. Rosie had popped out four healthy pups. One was male, the other three were female, but their appearance completely baffled the Blacks.
Katie took to Reddit to share her story, and claimed they pups were, “Not quite what we were expecting.” She said, “Our foster dog and golden mix gave birth yesterday. To baby cows… she is one proud mama!” And she was right. The puppies didn’t look like Golden Retrievers whatsoever. Their black and white fur markings made them look like tiny cows, which left the couple really confused. Heck! Even the Blacks were stunned.
Katie posted a photo of Rosie and her newborn babies, and you can clearly see that the young momma is utterly confused by the situation. Redditors had a field day with Rosie’s expression. One Redditor commented, “Mama looks as confused about this as everyone else.” Soon enough, the thread became a total hit, getting over 90,000 upvotes on the popular platform. Suddenly, the Blacks’ Instagram page got showered by new followers who wanted to know everything about Rosie and her extraordinary puppies.
Since the puppies looked nothing like their Golden Retriever momma, they decided to honor their unusual fur markings and give them cow-related names: Betsy, Clarabelle, Daisy, and Moo. And while Rosie was making sure to always keep an eye on her newborn babies, the Blacks noticed that motherhood was becoming more and more exhausting for her. Soon enough, Rosie felt sick, so they had to step in and replace her as surrogate parents.
The Blacks had to bottle-feed their new furry grand-kids, while their mommy got to rest a bit, finishing off her round of medical treatment. The entire experience was really rewarding, as you can imagine. “Someone needs to bottle-feed the puppies? I volunteer as tribute!” Katie joked on Instagram. Despite not having their mom momentarily, the puppies were slowly growing bigger and bigger, which made the Blacks wonder about the father’s breed.
The Blacks then decided to genetically test the babies to find out what breed their father was. Soon enough, they got the results back Their father was a purebred American Foxhound. But the results also unveiled a surprising secret about Rosie. She wasn’t a Golden Retriever, at all! She was a mix between a Chihuaha, a Lab, and a Weimaraner. Not that the Blacks actually cared! Rosie was the sweetest dog ever and she was ready for what was coming next.
A few months later, the puppies were finally big enough to get adopted. Slowly but surely, each puppy got adopted. The Blacks had to say goodbye to each one of them as they made their way towards their new adoptive families. Finally, it was time for Rosie to leave as well, which was pretty tough in the beginning. She growled at prospective owners, but eventually, a loving couple was ready to give Rosie the life she deserved. They had a dog sister named Bailey, and a huge backyard. The Blacks will forever remember and miss the baby cows and their adorable mommy, Rosie.