FBI agents save puppies on Mother's Day

When most people think of the FBI, they think of crime fighters, case solvers, people who save the world from bad guys.

But Jackson's field office has two agents who saved some puppies from a certain untimely demise over the Mother's Day weekend, and now they're waiting on a forever family at the Mississippi Animal Rescue League.

Special Agent Kara Pepper said her mother-in-law, Dena Gibson, was headed to her home for a Mother's Day celebration when the vehicle in front of her opened the door and put out a crate with three little black lab mix puppies. The crate broke, and one of the puppies got loose and ran for the road, so Gibson stopped and loaded the puppies in the back of her truck and took them straight to Pepper's house.

While many people in the same situation wouldn't have gone out of their way, Pepper and her husband, also an FBI agent, resolved to help Gibson save the puppies. They were emaciated and bore some signs of neglect, but Pepper saw to it that they were well fed during their time at her home.

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"I'm a dog mama myself, so I became an adoptive dog mom of triplets," Pepper said. "We took care of them and bathed them and fed them. Seeing those puppies emaciated and thirsty and hungry just broke my heart, and as a law enforcement officer it's my job to take care of everyone around me, including these little puppies."

One of them was adopted right away by a family friend, Pepper said. The other two she named Socks and G.I. Joey.

Joey, Pepper said, is a sweet, lovable lap pup. Socks, who has a full set of white paws, is independent and very protective of his brother. Pepper said she would love to see them go to the same home, but they both have such good personalities that they will also do well separately.

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On Tuesday, Pepper and her husband dropped Socks and Joey off at MARL, which she said was actually a little harder than she thought it would be, considering they had only lived with her family for two days. To make sure the puppies go somewhere special, Gibson has offered to pay the adoption fees for the puppies to go to a good home. They've had all their shots to date, as well.

Debra Boswell, MARL director, said the puppies will have to be held a few days, but anyone interested can pull up an application at MSARL.org. Since they will be bigger dogs, potential applicants need a fenced-in yard.

"I can't imagine not having dogs and cats at the house," Boswell said. "They add a lot to the family, and I think they're great for the kids."

MARL takes in around 11,000 animals a year. Boswell said the number of animals they're given rises in the summer, from around 60 animals a day to around 80. But that means there's an option for anyone looking for an addition to the family.

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Contact Therese Apel at tapel@gannett.com. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.