Dog, her 4 puppies rescued from Houston storm drain embark on new life

HOUSTON - The once homeless dog got her name "Carnitas" from the food truck that fed her.

For almost a month, concerned pet rescuers tried to trap her.

"Half the time I can get out there with salami or pepperoni or cheese or something and entice them after about half an hour," said Emily Daniels.

But not Carnitas.

"And to hear she’s in a storm drain of all places giving birth it was nerve-wracking," said Ben McClelland. "She could die down there with her puppies after a month-long chase."

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"We had her cornered for the first time ever and we were not going to leave that night without getting her," Daniels said.

"We were just trying to figure out, how do we get her out of the drain because we could see the puppies. We weren’t sure how she was going to react because she was protecting her babies," said Shireen Hyrapitt.

"It was very dark I think we had been there for like an hour trying to see her puppies but it was hard because she was blocking them and she dug a hole and put them down there," said Sabrina Amador.

"People were driving by stopping providing additional lighting, providing random tools, providing a pole," said Pam Ashley.

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"It’s very gross down there," Amador said. "But there has to be at least one person willing to go down there. I’m just glad I’m always up for it."

"It was worth it," Daniels said. "I’m not going to say it was the safest thing but what are you going to do."

"They are all headed to 4 Paws For Life in Colorado," said Shelby Roquemore with Rescued Pets Movement. "Carnitas already has a permanent home and the puppies have 10 to 20 applications. As soon as they’re weaned from mama they will go to their forever home."

Click here to learn more about Rescued Pets Movement.