Published 5:17 pm Tuesday, December 16, 2025
By Brendan Shykora
These puppies were rescued from a highway crash scene near Vernon in November 2025. The Okanagan Humane Society took them in, and the society is in the middle of a fundraising campaign to be able to continue taking in animals. (OHS photo)
A litter of newborn puppies was rescued from a crash scene outside of Vernon late last month.
And while nearly all of the puppies have survived and are healthy thanks to a Good Samaritan who stopped on the side of the road to help late at night, their story illustrates the need being felt at Okanagan Humane Society (OHS).
The six puppies were just days old and being driven from Victoria to the Falkland area when the driver of the vehicle swerved to avoid a deer and ended up crashing. A passing driver stopped to help the man who had crashed, finding him shaken but not injured.
Inside the vehicle was Sadie, a young mother dog whose puppies were still nursing and in urgent need of help.
The woman who stopped to help offered refuge to Sadie and her puppies while the driver, who had little means, attended to his vehicle, said Romany Runnalls, executive director of OHS.
The Good Samaritan who stopped agreed with the owner of Sadie and her pups to contact OHS, which had the animals checked by veterinarians the next morning.
“They were nursing OK. They were very young, 10 days old, just opening their eyes,” Runnalls said. “And then just on the checkup the doctor noticed that the lymph nodes were all swollen for the mom.”
Five days later, test results confirmed unfortunate news: Sadie had lymphoma. Sadie and her pups were taken into OHS care from the emergency Good Samaritan foster.
While OHS was still caring for the puppies, Sadie sadly had to be let go.
“She declined very quickly after about two further weeks of nursing,” Runnalls explained. “She took a major turn and we had to just accelerate the weaning.”
After Sadie was humanely euthanized, one of the pups showed signs of struggling health.

Lil’ Bit was the runt of the litter and wasn’t putting on much weight. OHS tried to supplement her feeding, but while there was no connection to mom’s lymphoma, Lil’ Bit had her own developmental challenges.
“That little puppy unfortunately didn’t survive this past weekend,” Runnalls said, speaking Tuesday, Dec. 16.
“The other five are doing very, very well. They’re thriving and doing what puppies are supposed to do and are onto regular food now, and they will be up for adoption after the holidays,” she added.
Runnalls said it’s people like the Good Samaritan who warm the hearts of everyone at OHS.
“The owner is very grateful for the care, and we are grateful to the person who stepped in to help him out of this mess,” she said. “Here she was suddenly with a mom and six little pups nursing, and then news of the mom being sick … she did a brilliant job, and it’s just amazing to be able to work with people like that who suddenly become our volunteers on the spot.”
The story highlights how out-of-the-blue situations can unexpectedly add to the work OHS has to do in the name of animal welfare, and the financial strain that work involves. Indeed, Runnalls said such situations are practically a daily occurrence.
“We’re saving lives every single day of the year, 365 days a year,” she said.
“Each animal doesn’t necessarily cost a whole lot, but when you rescue a volume of animals over a whole year, 4,200-plus at $350 average per animal, you add that up and you’re up at $1.5 million for the year. It’s a huge operation.”
The OHS is in dire need of funds to keep its massive operation going, and that’s why it has launched its Angels for Animals campaign with the goal of raising $300,000. So far, about $215,000 has been raised, and with 2025 shaping up to be a record year for animal rescues, the society hopes to generate that last $85,000 to reach its goal.
OHS is a volunteer operation that is entirely reliant on donations, as well as foster homes. It currently has about 200 foster homes and counting, and more are always needed.
To donate to the campaign, visit okanaganhumanesociety.com/angels-for-animals/.

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