Last fall, residents in Peterborough began noticing a stray Shiba Inu wandering through town alone.
For weeks, the orange-and-white dog survived by accepting scraps of food from compassionate locals while carefully avoiding people. No one knew where she disappeared to each night — until a group of neighbors decided to follow her trail.
One chilly November day, rescuers tracked the nervous dog into a wooded area and spotted her peeking out from beneath a tree.
Hidden underneath the roots was a small den.
And inside were five tiny newborn puppies curled tightly against their mother for warmth.
Startled by the strangers, the protective mama immediately ran off into the woods. Fearing the freezing overnight temperatures could be fatal for the puppies, rescuers carefully brought the babies inside to warm them up.
Later that night, they returned to the same tree — and found the mother waiting there for her puppies.
The emotional reunion confirmed what rescuers already suspected: She had been doing everything possible to keep her babies alive on her own.
Soon, the family was taken in by Woodgreen Pets Charity, where staff members named the mother Fern.
Although Fern’s puppies appeared healthy and cared for, rescuers could tell the young dog herself was exhausted and severely underweight after weeks of surviving outdoors while nursing her litter.
“Fern had clearly done an amazing job caring for them,” the rescue later shared. “But she desperately needed help herself.”
Safe indoors at last, Fern slowly began regaining her strength while continuing to raise her puppies, who were estimated to be only a few weeks old.
The rescue team named the babies Ash, Chestnut, Acorn, Blossom, and Maple — inspired by the tree that had sheltered them.
As staff learned more about Fern, they discovered she had a microchip, but no owner could be traced. Rescuers believe she may have been abandoned after becoming pregnant.
Despite everything she’d been through, Fern never stopped protecting her babies, and staff weren't about to give up on her either. They found a foster, who took in the whole family, and the puppies began to thrive.
But Fern struggled with the new environment and stimuli. She moved in with Ciara Pollen, a behavior and training specialist, who already had a dog at home.
“For Fern, living with a well-adjusted dog can be a big boost,” Pollen said in a press release from Woodgreen Pets Charity. “Nervous dogs often learn more readily from another dog than from people.”
Over time, the shy Shiba Inu began adjusting to life indoors with the help of foster caregivers and behavior specialists. Living alongside calm, confident dogs helped her slowly learn that she was finally safe.
Meanwhile, her puppies blossomed into playful, curious young dogs.
Eventually, every member of the little family found loving forever homes.
“The puppies have adapted quickly to home life,” Pollen said in the press release. “Given their outdoor start, it’s been lovely to see how resilient and curious they are now that they’re safe and cared for.”
Today, everyone is living safely in their forever homes. Fern and one of her puppies, Blossom, were adopted together. Another puppy, now named Ebi, joined a family who already had a Shiba Inu.
The happiest ending of all may have belonged to Fern herself: She and one of her puppies, Blossom, were adopted together.
“The two of them love a good tussle in the garden,” Ebi’s new mom told Woodgreen Pets Charity. “He’s an absolute whirlwind of a little boy, full of chaos, charm and personality — and we all adore him so much.”
After spending weeks surviving beneath a tree and protecting her babies from the cold, Fern can finally relax knowing someone is now taking care of her, too.
