Dog Stops Eating After Losing Pups in Barn Fire, Finds Comfort in Raising 8 Orphans

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Daisy, a golden retriever from Roseburg, Oregon, was born to be a mom; when she gave birth to a litter of seven pups, her life was complete. Then tragedy struck, and her owner knew she had to help her dog adjust to life without her puppies.

Jessica Woodruff’s dog Daisy was inconsolable after her 1-month-old puppies perished in a barn fire.

“We had a nice bed made for Daisy to have her pups inside but she found her own spot down at the barn. We noticed the fire and it was too late,” Woodruff said, according to Mashable.

The Woodruff family’s four goats and one pig were also killed in the fire triggered by a heat lamp used to keep the dogs warm.

Recalling the incident that occurred on Feb. 20, 2017, Woodruff told InsideEdition.com: “It all happened within minutes. It’s horrible.” She added that Daisy “came running from another barn that we have,” and her husband and his two friends “had to hold her back.”

Losing all her beloved puppies out of a sudden, Daisy spent her days grieving for her lost babies, and Woodruff became concerned.

“Daisy wondered [sic] the 80+ acres lost, sad and confused,“ Woodruff said. ”As a mother, I couldn’t fathom her loss.”

“She’s just been so sad and so heartbroken,” a woman named Christine Nelson said in an interview with KMTR News. “She just goes down to the barn and just sits there and tries to look for them still. She quit eating.”

So, with her sister’s help, they posted to a local Facebook group, telling Daisy’s story, and inquired if anyone knew of any orphaned puppies in need of a desperate mom.

A local radio host saw the post and mentioned it on air. Then, a television station took up Daisy’s sad story.

Lorna Murphy, of Scottsburg, Oregon, who was left with eight orphaned puppies after her dog, Chloe, died after giving birth, saw the story and contacted Woodruff.

And on Feb. 24, 2017, Murphy brought Chloe’s brood to meet Daisy.

“Daisy let them nurse right away,” Murphy recalled to People. “The puppies were so happy to have mama milk, they nursed and nursed and promptly fell asleep on her.”

Finally, Daisy had a family to feed and care for.

Woodruff was relieved to see Daisy back to her happy self.

“Daisy was in heaven! It was so amazing to see the change. She had a purpose again. She laid down to feed them, cleaned them, and even protects them,” she said.

“She doesn’t go down to the barn anymore and she’s got this smile now and it’s so heartwarming to see her smile again,” she told InsideEdition.com.

Daisy took care of the foster puppies until they were weaned. Then, they were all returned to Murphy, except for the runt of the litter, Benji. Woodruff gave that pup to her grandparents.

“Without a doubt, these foster pups have helped her. We have our Daisy dog back,” Woodruff said.

“It was meant to be,” she added.

Watch this touching video of Daisy: