Omaha construction site puppies rescued and ready for adoption

They and their mom, Blue, were spoiled by foster mom Nata Dominguez after being rescued from a Habitat for Humanity of Omaha worksite in the Bluestem Prairie complex at 50th Street and Curtis Avenue in late October.

Dominguez, a design engineer and dog lover, says they deserve all the attention.

“They are special. They are friendly and nice,” she said. “I think they know they got a good deal.”

The dogs available for adoption from Bullies N Beyond ResQ have had a rocky start.

Blue, who appears to be a Cairn Terrier mix, began showing up at the worksite and workers assumed she belonged to one of the neighbors. But when the sewer work was completed and the trailer needed to be moved, they discovered four puppies.

That’s when the marathon rescue attempt began, involving Dominguez, her husband Cesar, her sister Katya Ward and animal control officer Dayton Martin of the Nebraska Humane Society.

Drew Lier, director of construction for Habitat and Dominguez’s boss, asked her to come up with a plan to get the dog family out from under the trailer.

“Mom was afraid of us,” Dominguez said. “She would grab their legs when the puppies were trying to get out.”

After about an hour, the puppies couldn’t resist the temptation of dog food, although Blue tried her best to hold on to Cobalt, the only female.

After taking the puppies from her, Blue retreated as far as she could into the space under the trailer.

For seven hours in the rain, Dominguez and her family did everything they could to lure Blue away.

Not even an offer from Taco Bell would make her budge.

“She was so depressed about losing her children that she just gave up,” Dominguez said. “Even for Taco Bell. And it gets everyone moving.”

Martin arrived around 10:00 pm with a long fishing rod which they placed in the trailer. The four people lay perfectly still in the dirt outside until Blue fell asleep with her head on the pole. That’s when they finally got it around her neck and were able to get her out so she could be reunited with the children.

“She came out exhausted, flea-bitten and covered in scabs,” Dominguez said. “The puppies were dry, healthy and well-fed. They didn’t have a single parasite, which is crazy. She literally gave her entire body for these babies.”

Dominguez has been caring for the Bullies N Beyond ResQ family ever since. She sent three of her dogs to relatives to provide the puppies with a less stressful, calm environment.

They will be eight weeks old next week. They won’t be very big, but Dominguez said they enjoy running around with little zooms and hanging out in the basement while she works on her laptop.

She made Blue a special suit to cover her baby bump because she has mastitis and can’t breastfeed. Blue herself is less than two years old.

Dominguez said she plans to keep the family together until the perfect homes are found for them all. Interested families must fill out an adoption application on the rescue’s website. Bulliesnbeyondresq.com.

When asked about all the efforts she and others have made to save stray puppies, she said that is exactly what she does.

“These are the types of people who work for a nonprofit,” she said. “It’s really great that I work at a place that takes care of five little dogs and they let me spend part of my day coaxing them. We care. We care a lot.”