Under the House to the Try Line: Ruby and Her 11 Pups Seek Forever Homes

Born under a Whakatāne house and now sporting an All Blacks and Black Ferns-themed set of names, Ruby and her 11 puppies have had an unusual start to life.

Ruby and her 11 puppies have already had an unusual start to life — born under a Whakatāne house, rescued by the SPCA and given an All Blacks-themed set of names.

The Whakatāne SPCA was called by a concerned homeowner after Ruby gave birth beneath her house.

The SPCA ambulance team was then sent to collect Ruby and her pups and bring them back to the centre.

“Obviously under the house is not the most ideal spot to bring up the puppies,” animal attendant Gemma Cahill said.

The unusual rescue was a first for Cahill.

“So I’ve been here nearly seven years, and it’s the first time we’ve gone out to a mum dog that’s given birth under someone’s house,” she said.

The SPCA regularly deals with cats and kittens found in unusual nesting spots, but a dog and 11 newborn puppies under a house was a new one.

The family was brought back to the centre on August 22 and checked over by a vet.

The puppies were in good health, but Ruby was underweight and had fleas and worms.

Cahill said the young mum had been giving everything she had to her pups, scavenging for whatever food she could find.

“She’d been giving everything that she had to them,” she said.

“She looks great for a dog that’s been feeding 11.”

With regular meals and treatment for fleas and worms, Ruby soon bounced back.

While Ruby has been busy doing the hard yards of feeding 11 hungry mouths, SPCA staff have taken on the considerably more enjoyable jobs of cuddling and caring for the pups.

And with 11 puppies to name, the team decided there was only one way to tackle it: rugby.

The litter was given an All Blacks and Black Ferns theme, with pups named Beauden, Jordie, Portia, Jonah, Carlos, Zinzan, Maddison, Richie, Carter and Dougie.

Ruby herself was named after former Black Fern and rugby star Ruby Tui.

Cahill said the theme came from a colleague who is a big fan of the national teams.

“It was perfect,” she said.

The timing was also fitting, with the All Blacks facing South Africa around the time the puppies arrived.

After an unusual start to life, Ruby’s puppies are thriving, with Mum busy doing the hard yards of feeding 11 hungry mouths. IMAGE // SPCA

So far, the pups appear to have inherited more than just their mum's good nature.

Ruby is thought to be an Australian cattle dog mix, with her naturally short tail a distinctive feature that most of her puppies have also inherited.

The puppies turn eight weeks old on Saturday and will then be ready to find their forever homes.

Their profiles will go up on the SPCA website, with the adoption fee set at $400.

They will also be desexed when they reach six months, with the SPCA covering that cost.

Cahill said anyone thinking about adopting should be prepared for the commitment that comes with a puppy.

“They need a lot of time,” she said.

“And they need a little bit of training as well to make sure that they grow up to be good doggy citizens.”

For people who come across an animal that appears sick, injured or vulnerable, Cahill encouraged them to get in touch with the SPCA for advice.

Healthy wandering dogs, however, should be reported to the local council.

For Ruby and her 11 pups, a concerned phone call has turned an unconventional start under a house into a much safer future.

And with adoption day looming, this little squad is ready to leave the kennel and take the field.