ARF Rescues 9 Puppies, Mama Dog From New Mexico

EAST HAMPTON, NY — A mother dog and her nine puppies are safe on the East End after a rescue by the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons.

With the help of volunteer pilots, two flights arrived at the East Hampton Airport last week, ARF said.

Rescued from rural New Mexico, the flights carried the dogs to the East End, where they will be put up for adoption at ARF Hamptons.

Earlier this fall, two-year-old Shepherd mix Zia, a stray, along with her nine babies were found, scared and cold, in Española, a rural area of New Mexico north of Santa Fe, by a local mom behind her daughter’s dance studio, ARF said. Zia and her puppies, two males and seven females, were taken to Española Humane, the area shelter.

At capacity and faced with limited resources, Española Humane looked to form new partnerships out of state and contacted ARF Hamptons for help after Dr. George Dempsey, the medical director of East Hampton Family Medicine, became aware of the situation in Española this summer. Dr. Dempsey was in the area for a family reunion with his cousin Dr. Tom Parker, the director of medicine at Española Humane, ARF said.

Dr. Dempsey — who is also an avid flyer — wanted to help; he contacted ARF’s Executive
Director Scott Howe to see if ARF could assist Española Humane in any way. The only obstacle for the two shelters to overcome was the distance between them, ARF said.

After a month of coordination, two volunteer rescue flights were arranged for Zia and her puppies. Now two-months-old, seven of the nine puppies took their first trip in a plane with ARF’s partner and friend, Four-Legged Fliers, piloted by Jan Brentjens and Matthew Pellegrino. That flight arrived at the East Hampton Airport on Saturday, November 19. A few days later, Zia and her remaining two puppies were flown by Dr. Dempsey and David Reinbach, landing in East Hampton on Tuesday, November 22, ARF said.

Once medically cleared by ARF’s veterinarian, the mother dog and her puppies will be available for adoption, "just in time for the holiday," ARF said.

Adoption applications can be found on the ARF website here.