Grieving abandoned rescue dog given stuffed animals to cope after her puppies die

An abandoned dog who lost her litter of puppies has been given soft animal toys to help her cope with the loss.

Kiah was found wandering along roads in Atlanta, Georgia, by a good samaritan and given to Caroline Claffey, a foster for the Cherokee Humane Society.

The dog was heavily pregnant but when she was taken to the vets, tests showed her puppies had died.

Speaking to WXIA-TV, Claffey said: "She was very timid. Her teeth were all broken and flat which tells us they were either deliberately filed or she broke them by probably chewing on the bars of the cage and she clearly had had a lot of litters of puppies.

"Worst-case, she grew up in a puppy mill and just had litter after litter with very little medical intervention."

The dog underwent a procedure to remove the puppies and save her life, before being sent home with Claffey to recover.

Although she was healing physically, Kiah was listless and wasn't eating or drinking.

"I went out and bought her some stuffed animals, hoping they would cheer her up. She has three tiny ones, a regular sized one, and one that hums lullabies and vibrates.

"After she got her new 'babies,' she started eating and drinking with a little more enthusiasm."

Kiah is slowly recovering from her ordeal, but it will take time, Claffey said, adding she believed the dog is confused and grieving.

"Kiah has probably spent her whole life in a puppy mill, getting pregnant and having babies – she knows what's supposed to happen.

"But this time her puppies were never born. One day she had puppies in her belly, and the next day she didn't.

"Her hormones are telling her she's a mother, but she doesn't understand why her babies aren't there."