Maggie’s Miracle: A Tiny Puppy Saved

June 12, 2025 began like any other day at the Peterborough Humane Society. Our team moved through the halls checking on the animals, preparing for morning rounds, and settling into the steady rhythm of care that shapes every day at PHS. Nothing hinted at the unexpected surprise we were about to get, or the tiny life that would soon depend on all of us. Including you.

The night before, our Animal Services team had brought in a dog who had been involved in an act of cruelty and was thrown from a second story window.

She had been running loose for hours, scared and hurt, until we came to her rescue. Staff made sure she was safe and comfortable after everything she had been through. At that point, nobody knew the extent of her trauma or that she was about to go into labour.

The next morning, one of our animal care attendants went in to check on her and found a newborn puppy lying beside her. Just the one. A surprise birth and a very fragile one at that. The mother was not producing milk, and she had already pushed the pup aside.

The puppy was cold, dehydrated, and barely moving. She was in trouble and needed our immediate help to be given a chance to survive.

That was when one of our incredible animal care staff stepped forward. She acted instantly, creating a warm little nest in an office and starting bottle feeds every two hours. Given the condition of the pup and the need for constant care and supervision, she volunteered to take the puppy home.

For two exhausting weeks, she gave Maggie around-the-clock care that kept her alive.

Around this time, my wife Catherine and I were grieving the sudden loss of our senior dog.

The house felt quiet and sad, but when the team said that Maggie was strong enough to go into foster care, we raised our hands to help. We did not foster her to fill a space. We took her because she needed someone. We were not prepared for the healing power this tiny animal would bring into our lives. She helped us as much as we helped her. That is the human animal bond at work.

Supporting Maggie meant learning everything from the beginning: bottle feeds through the night, daily weigh ins, supplements. Helping her learn to go to the bathroom (yes, we had to teach her). Understanding how to support a puppy without a mother or littermates is no small task.

The staff at PHS guided us through every step, and Maggie slowly grew stronger and louder and full of spirit. Her first little bark made us laugh on a day we truly needed it. Her tail found its rhythm. She helped us move through our grief while we helped her grow. As her personality developed, our hearts warmed as she seemed to love everybody and everything. She is unlike any dog I have ever known.

None of this would have been possible without your support. Every supply used during those sleepless nights is possible because you support animals in need. Every veterinary technician who monitored her health and taught us how to care for her is thanks to you. Every bit of training and expertise that made quick action possible. Puppy food, medicine, expert care, and comfort.

Every moment of Maggie’s survival was made possible because of the generous support PHS receives from donors like you.

Right now, your gift can make an even larger impact to ensure the next Maggie receives the same level of care. PHS friends Lloyd and Elaine have offered to match every donation up to $25,000 until December 31. This means every dollar you give becomes two. Two times the care. Two times the supplies. Two times the power to save lives.

Double your donation today and help more animals who rely on the life saving work PHS does, just like Maggie did.

Maggie is part of our family now, and our home feels complete again.

Tears of sadness have been replaced by gales of laughter. We watched her take her first steps forward. We watched her play with a toy for the first time. We were part of her first pup cup at the drive thru.

She is enjoying her first winter, chasing snowflakes, posing for holiday photos, and you gave us all of this through your generous support. It is called joy. You have given us pure joy.

Happy Holidays, and we wish you a wonderful New Year.

Kevin MacKenzie (and Maggie)