MOUNT CARMEL - A litter of puppies has been given the name "Tornado Nine" after their mom gave birth inside the Silver Bowl.
The canine family was discovered this week when a niece of Mount Carmel Area administrator Greg Sacavage was walking near the stadium and noticed an adult dog running about inside.
Dave Fegley, maintenance director, went to the stadium to check on the dog, believed to be a Labrador retriever/boxer mix. The dog wouldn't let Fegley get too close, and eventually
darted beneath the home bleachers. That's where Fegley encountered nine puppies huddled together on a tarp.
Sacavage took the choice of bleachers as a sign.
"She didn't have them on the visitors side. She had them on the home side. They're real Tornadoes," he said Thursday night, perhaps only half-jokingly.
Cheryl Hill of Mostly Mutts, a no-kill dog shelter in the rural Sunbury area, responded and took the puppies, believed to be between 3 and 4 weeks old. The mom, however, escaped. She returned the next day to check on the puppies and, in doing so, walked into a trap set up by the maintenance crew. She, too, was taken to Mostly Mutts.
The discovery comes just days ahead of this weekend's National Adoption Weekend.
Sacavage said all 10 dogs are healthy and doing well. He said they would be put up for adoption when ready. Some at Mount Carmel Area are already staking claim. Both Donna James, school board president, and a district secretary have vowed to adopt one.
A fundraiser will be organized at district schools to round up money to pay for supplies for the puppies and the mom. Sacavage said there will be a contest to name all nine of the puppies.
To inquire about the puppies and their mother, or for more information on Mostly Mutts, visit www.mostlymuttsonline.com or call Hill at 988-6483.