St. Louis, Missouri – What kind of dog was that, and why did it look so strange? A farmer from Missouri was puzzled last month when he discovered the animal on his property. He soon realized that the uninvited guest was hiding something...

Because the four‑legged friend, which was almost hairless, kept looking toward the shed, the farmer finally decided to check it out.

There, he found three tiny puppies lying in the straw.

He immediately called the Stray Rescue of St. Louis. In the pouring rain, the team set out to help.

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"We arrived on the property and saw her - she was missing just about all of her hair. She was interested in us, but wouldn't let us approach," the animal‑rights group wrote in a Facebook post that also included a video.

Since the dog wouldn't come to them voluntarily, they had to switch to plan B.

"So we set a humane trap," the rescuers explained. "This hungry, nursing mama went right in and gave us no trouble at all."

The farmer then led the group to the shed where the three puppies were.

"This mama found the BEST place to hide her babies," gushed the Stray Rescue of St. Louis.

It was clear, however, that things couldn't continue like this.

Team member Debi soon agreed to take the four puppies as a foster mom.

First, however, they went to the shelter.

There, the mother received what was probably the first bath of her life.

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Hopper, as the dog is now called, still has a lot ahead of her.

She needs to gain weight, and her litter also requires treatment.

Nevertheless, within a few hours, she was already with her foster mother.

"She and her babies will be safe in a quiet and peaceful home where she can nurse stress-free," the team wrote.

Since then, a lot has happened. A few days ago, Stray Rescue of St. Louis posted a detailed update with many new photos.

According to the report, the three puppies have thrived, as a vet exam later showed. The update, however, contained no trace of their mother.

"They all just came in for a check-up (mom was not a fan of the car ride, so we didn't get updated pics of her,) but her babies Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail were being extra photogenic," the team wrote.