But the displaced family still went out of their way to bring two dogs and seven puppies to Hernando County to make sure they found homes of their own.

By July 9, Blackie, a 15-pound Spaniel/Terrier mix, and her seven puppies had new homes.

Would-be owners flooded the Humane Society of the Nature Coast after a newspaper article chronicled the animals’ plight, said executive director Joanne Schoch. The shelter on Wiscon Road was too packed to offer them a spot.

Now the shelter will donate some of the money from the adoptions to Walker and her family.

Walker, her fiancé and their two children came home from a dinner outing to find their trailer gutted by fire.

Homeless and unable to care for the dogs, the family took Blackie, the puppies and a Labrador/German Shepherd mix named Jade to Animal Services in Pasco County. Officials there told them the animals would be euthanized if they weren’t adopted within 72 hours.

The family brought them to the Humane Society of the Nature Coast, a no-kill shelter perpetually overflowing with animals seeking adoption.

Schoch took the puppies to her house overnight in hopes a newspaper story would bring in people seeking to adopt them.

There were some notable acts of kindness.

One boy chose Blackie over the puppies despite the fact the dog had heartworms. A young girl came in and donated some of her savings to the shelter.

“Kids give me goose bumps,” Schoch said. “If only the adults could learn from them.”

The shelter charges a $100 fee to adopt a puppy. Schoch will donate $175 of the proceeds the shelter made from the seven puppies to help get Walker and her family back on their feet.

“Considering they lost everything, their priority was the welfare of their animals, and we admire that,” Schoch said.