When Belle Bermudez was leaving a friend’s house, a stranger on the street called her over, leading her to a matted dog hiding in the bushes. The woman asked if the dog was familiar, and as soon as Bermudez saw the pup, who would later be named Swiftie, she knew the dog needed help.

Bermudez described Swiftie as having “very long hair that was matted and completely covered her eyes.” When she tried to approach, the dog was so terrified she wouldn’t move, eat, or drink as long as anyone was nearby. With the help of a neighbor and an extra leash, Bermudez was able to catch Swiftie and bring her down from the hill where she had run off.

Bermudez attempted to scan for a microchip but found none. She brought Swiftie inside and enlisted a friend experienced with dogs to help bathe and groom the terrified pup. As they did so, they discovered Swiftie had a major secret—she was pregnant.

After finding out about Swiftie’s pregnancy, Bermudez and her husband decided it would be best to send her to a rescue organization. “I wanted to make sure both she and her puppies would receive the best care,” Bermudez said. She planned to take Swiftie to the rescue the following morning.

But when Bermudez checked on Swiftie the next morning via a camera, she saw strange behavior. Rushing over, she found Swiftie in labor. “I panicked at first, but then somehow mom mode kicked in,” Bermudez recalled. She gathered towels and called her friend, who helped with the cleaning and feeding of the puppies. Swiftie gave birth to seven pups: Traffic Light, Lover, Augustine, Lavender, Haze, Cowboy, and Saturn.

Initially, Bermudez and her husband planned to send them all to a rescue, but as they spent time with the pups, their plans changed. “I decided to keep them for a few days to let Swiftie recover,” she said. “Then the two tiniest babies started losing weight, so I began supplementing them. It went from five to seven days, and eventually 10 to 14 days. We decided to keep them all for about eight weeks before finding them permanent homes.”

Throughout the process, Swiftie, once anxious and uncertain, began to trust people more and more each day. Witnessing Swiftie’s transformation has been a beautiful experience for Bermudez and her family. Though she never planned on returning home with eight dogs, she wouldn’t change a thing.

You can follow Swiftie and her pups on TikTok as they continue their journey.