Family adopts pregnant dog, receives 12 puppies in return (5+ photos)

A one-year-old dog named Bella was rescued several times over and gave her new adoptive family the shock of their lives! This story reminds us that every animal deserves a chance at love and that the pet adoption process is exciting and memorable — no matter what the circumstances.
One-year-old Bella was a black Labrador being given away for free on Facebook by her previous owner. The owner didn't explain much about Bella's situation or why he wasn't able to keep her, and when someone alerted a local pet rescue service that specifically dealt with Labradors, Bella was placed with a foster family.
Advertisement
The rescue group and foster family soon discovered that Bella had already had a litter of puppies, despite being so young. They were able to place her with an adoptive family, and her spaying was scheduled for a future date. However, more was in store than anyone realized.
Bella's new family began to care for her, but they noticed she was still quite overweight. The family put her on a diet and made sure she got a lot of exercise, but they also noticed she had rashes that required a checkup. Out of instinct, and just two days before her appointment to be spayed, the family took Bella back to the vet. They knew something was wrong but couldn't put their finger on what. ​
After doing an X-ray at the vet's office, the family found out Bella was going to have another litter of puppies! They had never experienced life with a pregnant dog before, so they didn't know the signs to look for. Still, they had known something wasn't quite right and had found out the truth. Now that they knew, though, there was no way they were going to give Bella up.
"We as Bella’s family knew one thing for sure…She is not going anywhere or to a foster home to have her pups...She will be right where she belongs."
A month after her adoption, and with the help of her new family and the rescue group, Bella gave birth to 12 healthy puppies! The photographs, which were provided by Pooja Photography, are of Bella and her puppies soon after she brought them into the world.
After taking some time to be with their mother, each and every one of the puppies was adopted into another family, and the original adoptive family kept Bella. In fact, the dog family continues to connect and thrive, even after the pups have all grown up!
Advertisement
According to the family who adopted Bella, "People don’t want to adopt dogs from shelters and rescues because they come with a 'history.'" However, they feel they were able to amplify their love by doing so, receiving "love from 13 dogs" and experiencing a life-changing event that bonded them with Bella forever.