Some dogs leave paw prints on your heart. Thunder? She left an entire roadmap of love, loyalty, and slightly chaotic Dalmatian energy. She was our best girl, CEO (Canine Executive Officer), belly-rub enthusiast, and the face of Thunder & Friends. She had the biggest smile, the loudest bark, and a heart that somehow managed to love everyone, all at once.
This was never how her story was meant to end. Thunder was meant to grow old, stealing treats, bossing Norman around, and making surprise appearances on Teams calls. But fate had other plans.
A Battle Bigger Than She Was
Thunder had 14 puppies growing inside her. Fourteen! And in true Thunder fashion, she gave them everything, her blood, her strength, her entire heart. She did such a good job raising big, healthy pups inside her belly that when it came time to bring them into the world, her body simply had nothing left to give. Puppy number one arrived safely, but puppy number two got stuck. An emergency c-section gave them their best chance, but we lost our best girl in the process.
We came home with fourteen orphaned puppies and a hole in our hearts the size of Thunder’s big Dalmatian grin. And then, something miraculous happened.
Enter: Frank, The Unlikeliest of Heroes
Frank, our miniature sausage-shaped chaos gremlin, knew something was wrong the moment we walked through the door. Her best friend, the dog who had been her world since puppyhood, was gone. And in her place? A pile of crying, helpless puppies who had no idea their mum wasn’t coming back.
Now, Frank is many things: customer service expert at Thunder & Friends, champion treat sniffer, and provider of waggy greetings. But foster mother? She’s two inches tall and shaped like a loaf of bread. Yet, when the pups needed comfort, Frank stepped up. She cuddled them, kept them warm, and cleaned them like Thunder would have.
And then—because this story wasn’t already ridiculous enough—Frank started producing milk.
A tiny, slightly baffled dachshund became a mother overnight to fourteen hungry, spotted giants who will soon be as big as she is. Science says it takes pregnancy hormones to trigger milk production. Science did not account for Frank, whose sheer determination to be the best foster mum overrode biology itself.
A Journey of Spots, Sleepless Nights, and Hope
Sadly, two of the pups passed away in the first 12 hours. Losing puppies is heartbreaking, but without Frank, we know we would have lost more. We are supplementing with bottle feeds, as Frank (who is already outnumbered in the nipple department) simply doesn’t have enough to go around. But she’s keeping them strong, warm, and safe—and that’s everything.
The road ahead is long. Raising twelve orphaned puppies is no small feat, and learning to live without Thunder will be even harder. But if there’s one thing we know, it’s this: love finds a way.
Somewhere over the rainbow bridge, we hope Thunder is looking down, proud (and maybe a little amused) at the sight of her tiny best friend running a full-time puppy daycare.
We miss you, Thunder. But your legacy is safe in the paws of the most unlikely of heroes.