When rescuers found a weary dog wandering the streets of Southern California, she wasn’t alone. Tucked closely beside her were four tiny puppies, each one depending on her for warmth and survival.
The mother, later named Gladice, had been doing everything she could to protect them, even though she had no safe place to rest.
No one knew where she came from or how long she’d been on her own. All anyone saw was a devoted mom trying to keep her babies alive.
Lost And Left Behind
The little family was taken to the Lancaster Animal Care Center, where volunteers quickly fell in love with the gentle mother and her sweet litter.
The puppies were young and full of life, tumbling over one another in their crate, while Gladice quietly watched them, always making sure they were safe.
For the first time in a long while, she had food, warmth, and kind people nearby. But she didn’t know that her world was about to change again.
Within just a week, one by one, the puppies were adopted. Each left with their own new family, wagging their tiny tails and full of excitement.
Gladice stayed behind, watching the empty space where her babies used to be. The shelter grew quieter around her, and so did she.
A Lonely Heart Waiting
Once her puppies were gone, everything about Gladice changed. The once watchful mother seemed to sink into herself. Volunteers noticed that she rarely lifted her head anymore. She stopped greeting people and spent most of her days lying still, barely eating.
The sparkle in her eyes that had shone when her babies were near had completely faded.
@evelyn.garces_ UPDATE: RESCUED BY Promise4paws rescue!🙌 Thank you everyone for sharing I LOVE YOU GUYS 🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷 All her babies were adopted and now it’s just her. Momma Gladice has been waiting weeks without interest. She’s cleared for euthanasia and won’t make it out unless we get her seen. Please share her. She is 6 years old and 75 lbs of love. A5724078 LANCASTER ANIMAL CARE CENTER; 5210 West Avenue I, Lancaster, CA 93536 • Public Hours 11am-5pm Monday thru Saturday (closed Sunday) Website: animalcare.lacounty.gov Email: [email protected] #animalshelter #cleartheshelters #shelterdog #foryoupage #fyp ♬ TakeHer2TheMoon4Me – H Y O U K Λ
“She just looked lost,” one volunteer said softly. “Like she didn’t understand why the ones she loved most had disappeared.”
Each day, people passed by her kennel, drawn to the younger or more energetic dogs. Gladice, with her quiet presence and sad eyes, was overlooked again and again. The shelter staff tried to comfort her, but they could see how deeply she missed her puppies.
What hurt even more was knowing how much she loved them—and how alone she felt now.
Over time, her energy faded, and she began to give up hope. The shelter was overcrowded, and Gladice’s name soon appeared on the euthanasia list. It was a heartbreaking reality that the volunteers could hardly bear to face.
They knew that without help, this gentle mother might never get her second chance.
Hope Finds Her Again
The volunteers refused to let her story end that way. They shared Gladice’s photo online, pleading for help from rescue groups across California. Her story quickly spread, reaching hearts far beyond the shelter walls.
Messages poured in, and finally, Promise 4 Paws Rescue stepped forward. They promised to take her in, giving her the safety she desperately needed.
When rescue workers arrived, Gladice’s eyes met theirs, uncertain but trusting. She didn’t know it yet, but her life was about to begin again.
For the first time in weeks, she was gently led out of her kennel—not toward the unknown, but toward hope.
Now under the care of Promise 4 Paws, Gladice is receiving love, comfort, and medical attention. She has a few health issues, but her rescuers are determined to help her heal both inside and out. Her soft spirit is slowly returning.
Volunteers describe how she’s starting to lift her head again when someone walks by, her tail giving the smallest wag, as if remembering what it feels like to be loved.
Those who once feared they would lose her now share updates filled with gratitude. “She made it,” one volunteer said. “She finally got her chance.”
Gladice’s journey isn’t over yet. She’s still waiting for the family who will see her for the incredible soul she is—a mother who gave everything she had, even when she had nothing.
But this time, she isn’t waiting in silence. She’s surrounded by people who believe in her, who whisper to her that she’s safe, and who promise that the next time she watches someone walk away, it’ll be because she’s walking beside them.