A happy moment for one dog mama is so bittersweet. People at Lancaster Animal Care Center in Lancaster, California must’ve been so happy when a gaggle of German Shepherd puppies were adopted. What a feat! But that left Mom all by her lonesome. And now the poor mama has to wait at the shelter until someone gives her her forever home too.

Evelyn showed a heartbreaking before-and-after that unfortunately happens all too often. There was the German Shepherd mama with her puppies — then there was the mom all on her own.

Like so many adult dogs, Gladice was left behind while her pups were rushed off to their new homes.

Related: German Shepherd’s Perfect Spot to Lie Is Right on Top of Mom & It’s Too Perfect

All four of the German Shepherd puppies were adopted out of the shelter. Which is good news! But that means the mom was separated from her babies. What’s worse, she didn’t have a loving forever home. Which means she was stuck at the shelter and was “cleared for euthanasia,” Evelyn wrote.

Luckily, this story has a happy ending. Someone saw Gladice’s story online and ran to her rescue.

“UPDATE: RESCUED BY Promise4paws rescue!” Evelyn exclaimed. A second video from the woman shared the good news.

This was too close for comfort. People in the comments section were so upset.

“There’s no way I could have adopted the last puppy and left the mom behind… They both would have went home with me,” wrote one person.

“WHY DID THEY SEPARATE HER FROM HER BABIES?” another commenter wondered.

“Imagine being ripped away from your babies and being alone, with zero hope! Praying she finds a home,” chimed in another person.

“Oh noooo. She watched all her babies go. She needs a forever home ASAP,” added someone else.

Adopting From the Lancaster Animal Care Center

Gladice is just one of so many animals that need someone to come and save them. You can be that person. Just head to the Lancaster Animal Care Center website and look through all of the animals waiting for adoption. Today is the day that you can change an animal’s life!

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This story was originally reported by PetHelpful on Oct 29, 2025, where it first appeared in the Pet News section. Add PetHelpful as a Preferred Source by clicking here.