Officer Jennifer Bloom pulled up to a park in Newark and found an abandoned German Shepherd tied to a bench. It was pregnant and in labor.
"You know we go through training on how to help a woman deliver a baby, but we never had to deal with puppies," said Bloom.
Bloom who spoke to us via FaceTime says the dog was in distress and she was trying to bury one of her puppies that was already dead. Carefully, bloom removed the dog and took it to the Central Veterinary Hospital in Fremont.
"I heard some puppies screaming in the back and I knew she was actively giving birth to more as I was driving over there," said Bloom.
"The police officer was knocking on the back door. She was a little freaked out, just like I was," said Veterinary assistant Beatriz Retana.
Retana says the German Shepherd appeared to be a first-time mother, less than a year old. And after delivering three puppies at the pet hospital they had a strong suspicion there might be more.
"There are actually four fetuses that you can actually count. You go from skull and down the spine," said veterinary technician Elizabeth Jardine-Pereira.
She had a total of nine puppies, but two of them did not survive.
"She's been a great mom. She had a rough time... a really rough time," said Jardine-Pereira.
Police are investigating this as an animal cruelty case. There was no microchip or tags, so the veterinary workers named her "Bristol" and if no one claims the dog, she and her puppies will be available for adoption.
