Celebrating Life Over 50 in the Puget Sound Region and Beyond

The 12 Dogs of Christmas

December 1, 2024 at 12:10 a.m.

The story of Maya the dog and a Christmas miracle

...by Michelle Roedell, Editor, Northwest Prime Time

This Christmas story begins on a cold October night many long years ago...

Gloomy twilight settled in on the frosty night, which was unseasonably cold for October. The year was 1999; the place Highway 99 – that no-man’s land just north of the airport. Not the likeliest spot for the miracle that waited.

I noticed a shadowy figure dart across the busy 6-lane highway. Swerving to miss the scroungy-looking creature, I pulled off to the side of the road.

“Here pooch, pooch, pooch.”

She stopped running and turned to look.

“C’mere! C’mon,” I crooned invitingly. Surprisingly, she came to me. I opened the car door and she jumped right in.

“Well, hello there,” I muttered as I searched in vain for a collar with tags.

“Well, aren’t you pretty,” I flattered while contemplating what to do.

As I petted her and settled her into place, I couldn’t help but notice that this was no ordinary dog. This was a nursing mother dog. Suddenly, the contemplation turned to panic. Where were the puppies?

Barely more than a pup herself, she seemed nothing but skin and bones. I whisked her to my veterinarian hoping that, like my pets, she had an identifying microchip implanted under her skin.

No such luck.

“This dog just had puppies, probably today,” informed the vet.

We both glanced out the window. The coming night promised to dip below freezing.

We gave the dog some kibble, formulating a quick plan. The vet provided a leash and collar, and I drove back with the dog to the spot we first met, hoping she would lead me to the puppies.

She trotted forth with purpose and my hopes rose as I followed briskly behind. But after several blocks of going this way and that, the panic returned. She did not seem to have a

destination.

There were few houses in the neighborhood, and it was easy to visit them all. No one had seen the dog before. I crossed back and forth across the highway to check the 3 or 4 businesses on the road, but to no avail.

We spent some time exploring the fields and parking lots that stretched as far as the eye can see. The puppies were nowhere to be found and my heart sank as I drove away into the freezing night.

The vet promised to keep the dog – we called her Maya – until a decision was made. I rushed to get back before closing time, and she was offered water. Maya drank and drank as if she was parched, and it suddenly occurred to me that she had been on a hunt for water when I found her wandering earlier in the evening. That was probably why she didn't lead me back to her pups... there was no water to be found. But now the vet's office was closing; it was too late to take her back out. I hoped and prayed that the pups would survive the night

The next day dawned bright and crisp, perfect for a long-awaited trip to the countryside. But worry kept my enjoyment at bay; my thoughts returned again and again to those motherless pups.

I called the vet’s office the moment they opened.

“How’s Maya doing?” I asked.

“Oh, she’s fine,” came the cheerful reply followed by an elongated pause… “and so are her 11 puppies!”

It seems late in the night a box with 11 squirming newborn pups was discovered at the vet’s back door – some that looked just like Maya.

Maya sniffed them once, licked them twice, and then settled in to give them a long, hearty meal.

How they ended up at the same veterinarian as Maya we will never know – other vet offices were closer to where she was found. But Dr. Hazen and the entire staff at Tukwila Pet Hospital cared for Maya and her 11 puppies until they were old enough for adoption.

They found loving homes for all the puppies, and Maya, too. Just in time for Christmas.

postscript: The original article about Maya and her 11 puppies was published in the print version of Northwest Prime Time many long years ago -- before we had a digital archive. Sadly, I cannot locate the original photos of Maya and her puppies. However, all 12 were exceptionally cute dogs. For several years, there were "puppy reunions" -- organized by Dr. Hazen's veterinary practice -- where the puppies and their owners would gather together to let the dogs romp together and the owners to share stories about how wonderful their miracle pups turned out to be.