An animal shelter in Ohio rescued two dogs from a cramped, filthy cage that went viral. After being rescued, the dogs were all scared and one dog comforted her sister with a hug. This family of dogs was then adopted by 3 different families, with the transport help of a partner.

In March 2022, the nonprofit animal charity based in Mahoning County, Ohio received a call from Youngstown Police, requesting a welfare check on the dogs. When animal intake facility staff arrived at the address, they lifted three dogs — 7-year-old mixed breed mama Lady and her two 2-month-old puppies, Layla and Peaches — from a makeshift, holding pen. they are in the backyard.

“Our humane organization representative came and took all 3 dogs out of the terrible conditions they were in,” an animal reception facility employee shared on Facebook.

Epoch Times Photo

Photo by Epoch Times (Courtesy of Animal Charities of Ohio)
“They were found in a narrow cage outside in the yard, covered by a blue tarp, and held together by rope,” the intake facility’s director, Jane MacMurchy, told The Epoch Times. The inside was covered with several inches of feces as well as trash and debris. All the dogs are inside this cage, barking for help.”

“They all smelled horrible, like urine and faeces, from the conditions they were living in. When they were first rescued, they all seemed relieved, but still shocked to see the outside world .”

Lady, Layla and Peaches were taken for separate veterinary checks, MacMurchy said, adding that five minutes apart was “a lifetime” for the terrified puppies. Having never seen a vet before, they had their toenails clipped and their first vaccinations.

“As soon as the two sisters were together, they quickly hugged each other and didn’t let go,” she said.

Epoch Times Photo
Photo by Epoch Times (Courtesy of Animal Charities of Ohio)
Born and raised in Mahoning County, MacMurchy started out as an animal shelter volunteer in 2017. She lamented that the facility’s staff often had to deal with “evil things and most terrible things humans do to animals,” including shooting, strangulation, mutilation, and torture.

“We are constantly faced with the mental stress we see; The moment this hug happened in front of us was extremely heartwarming, and motivated us to continue this rescue work,” she said.

Puppies Layla and Peaches were so paralyzed with fear that they couldn’t move or walk when separated. “We tried our best to provide them with lots of time together and, in addition, to reintegrate them into society,” MacMurchy said.

Epoch Times Photo

Photo by Epoch Times (Courtesy of Animal Charities of Ohio)
Ohio’s animal charity’s transfer partner, Lake Humane Society, in Mentor, Ohio, was able to find good new homes for all three dogs. The dog family had been at the animal receiving facility for less than a week.

“When they reached out to us to help these adorable dogs, we were happy to help,” said Megan Newkirk, manager at the Lake County Humane Society. Since COVID we have started a new adoption process, you can ‘foster and adopt’ which means you can take the pet home and make sure it is the right fit for your family and adopt after 7 to 14 days.

“This has been very successful, as we have been able to answer questions throughout the fostering period, and have been successful in placing more animals in homes.”

Newkirk reached out to the three dogs’ new owners and shared an update with The Epoch Times. The photos show Layla playing with her new stuffed toy with her owner’s other dog. Peaches loves playing in the paddling pool. And their mother, Lady, gathered in the safety of their new home on cozy couches.

Epoch Times Photo

Lady in new home. (Courtesy of Lake County Humane Society)
Epoch Times Photo
Peaches in a pool at its new home. (Courtesy of Lake County Humane Society)

Epoch Times Photo
Layla with her owner’s other dog, Linus. (Courtesy of Lake County Humane Society)
Here’s what the new owners told Newkirk about their adorable new pets:

Peaches’ owner said: “I love my dog Sasha (formally Peaches’s name). I wake up every morning to puppy kisses. Thank you again, for allowing this beautiful dog into my life.”

“I really can’t say enough about Lady,” said Lady’s owner. It’s perfect! It is incredibly sweet, calm, well-behaved and affectionate. He adores our two boys and cuddles with us on the couch. Lady dogs love to ride in cars, walk and play tag. He also likes to harass the neighborhood cats and chase away bees. We are real