CRAWFORD COUNTY, Georgia — The German Shepard and Lab Mastiff mix 'Kota' was there through many memorable moments with the Keller Family.
She was there when they welcomed their first child into the world.
"She's very special to us. We got her as a puppy before we had kids or anything, so she was our baby pretty much," says Kellie Tuten, Kota's owner.
Things took a turn last July when Kota got loose after the family's electric fence stopped working after a storm.
"That was it. We never saw anything or heard anything else about her," says Tuten.
After several leads that led to dead ends, a glimpse of hope finally appeared on the horizon in September. A post on Facebook guided the family to a Macon home that fed Kota and nicknamed her 'momma dog.'
"She was living in the woods behind her house," says Tuten.
Kota was reunited with family, but a different Kota than what the family is used to.
"We had in our head that it would be like oh Kota and she would run and jump on us. It was not that way. You can tell she's very nervous and had to fend for herself," explained Tuten.
As it turns out, Kota had 4 babies while she was by herself for a year. The Tuten family found the pups in a pipe behind the house feeding Kota.
"She was living in the woods behind her house," says Tuten.
Kota was reunited with her family, but a different Kota than the family was used to.
"We had in our head that it would be like, oh Kota, and she would run and jump on us. It was not that way. You can tell she's very nervous and had to fend for herself," explained Tuten.
As it turns out, Kota had four babies while alone for a year. The Tuten family found the pups feeding Kota in a pipe behind the house.
Huck, Finn, Creek, and Bear are now under a roof with the Tutens.
