9 Rescued Pit Bull Puppies Up For Adoption In Mpls.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Nine puppies that had a tough introduction to life are now getting a second chance.

The pit bull-mix pups are up for adoption at Minneapolis Animal Care and Control.

Over the last few weeks, volunteers have worked to make sure the dogs are healthy and ready to find a new home.

Put nine puppies in one place and it's hard resist the urge to play.

The endless energy of the roly poly pit bulls overshadows any sign of their difficult first weeks of life.

"If we'd gotten them later and past the developmental … key milestones, this would not have been the case," M.A.C.C. program development coordinator Jeanette Wiedemeier Bower said.

She was there when Minneapolis Animal Control officers stepped in a month ago to save the dogs from a potentially-dangerous situation.

"We saw these dogs in really rough shape. A number of them were underfed, they weren't getting what they needed where they came from, so your heart goes out to them," Wiedemeier Bower said.

Medically, the dogs needed to learn how to eat, but there was a bigger obstacle.

"These dogs, you know, were in a situation that was pretty precarious," she said. "They weren't learning how to be normal dogs."

Instead of keeping them in cages, volunteers fostered the dogs for three weeks with the hope that would prepare them for adoption.

"So we had to create an opportunity where there's a lot of TLC, there's a lot of play time," Wiedemeier Bower said.

It's a move that may not have happened as easily in the past because of limited resources.

Five years ago, only 60 percent of dogs brought in were adopted or rescued. Today, the placement rate is 90 percent.

"We credit that to more volunteers, more social media," She said. "We partner with more groups and more community outreach."

For the nine puppies waiting for adoption, that change may be the difference in finding their forever home.

"It's kind of the rags-to-riches kind of story," Wiedemeier Bower said. "We're thrilled that they came here and we're excited to kind of launch them into a great future."

Click here to learn more on how to adopt one of the puppies.