A local resident reported finding a small blonde dog huddled in a stranger’s yard. When they got closer, they realized she was protecting a secret litter of puppies.

“They were literally just born this morning,” Hall wrote on Facebook.

Suzette Hall

Hall and her volunteers rushed to the scene, where they found the mama dog, later named Carol, curled around her babies. The team carefully approached Carol, showering her with words of affirmation, but the skittish mama dog bolted as soon as they got close.

“When we first got there, Mama was safe with them, but she escaped and went running,” Hall wrote. “She wanted to come back to her babies but was so afraid.”

The team collected the puppies and devised a plan to trap their protective mother.

“I … lured her back into the yard, and we were able to shut the gate,” Hall wrote. “She was so protective of her puppies, she wouldn’t let anyone get her.”

Hall decided to set a humane dog trap with enticing food. Moments later, the hungry mama dog entered the trap, and the door slammed shut behind her.

Suzette Hall

Carol was instantly panicked, unsure where her babies were. But Hall’s team quickly reunited the little family, which eased Carol’s anxiety.

“We quickly got her puppies back to her, and she just snuggled up to them,” Hall wrote. “She just wanted her little family, who she had in a strange yard all alone. It made us all tear up.”

Hall drove Carol and her six puppies to Camino Pet Hospital, where the entire family was eventually cleared for foster care. As soon as they arrived at their new temporary home, Carol’s demeanor changed.

“When I got to her to her foster, she knew she was safe. She let me love her and help her learn to nurse,” Hall wrote. “And then, she just cuddled up to her puppies because she knew she was rescued and didn’t have to go through [any more] alone.”

Suzette Hall

It’s been a few days since Carol and her babies were rescued, and the little family is thriving. It’ll be a while before Carol and her babies, Greg, Peter, Bobby, Marcia, Jan and Cindy — named after the beloved TV family, The Brady Bunch — find forever homes. But as of now, they’re doing better than ever, and Hall couldn’t be happier for them.

“Mama was so scared, but now she is just a perfect love,” Hall told The Dodo. “They’re all little miracles.”