On the frosty evening of December 23, while most families were wrapped in the warmth of their holiday gatherings, Tessa Lee — a devoted volunteer with the Whitecourt Homeless Animal Rescue Foundation (WHARF) in Edmonton, Alberta — was still on duty.

Her phone rang. The voice on the other end carried urgency: Five puppies, barely clinging to life, had been found on a private property 45 minutes west of Edmonton.

“They were skin and bones, desperately dehydrated,” Tessa recalled. “The cold was merciless — you could feel death hovering.”

Without a second thought, she drove straight to Alberta Beach. The property had other animals, but she was only permitted to take the five frail pups, each shivering so violently that their tiny bodies seemed ready to give up. As she placed them gently in her car, the thought gnawed at her — Would they even make it through the night?

Back home, Tessa became their lifeline. She checked their hydration, nestled them against heat packs, administered subcutaneous fluids, and fed them maple syrup to raise their glucose levels. Every two hours, she syringe-fed them recovery wet food, watching each breath like a guardian angel afraid to blink.

For Tessa’s family, sharing Christmas with unexpected “guests” is nothing unusual. Over the years, they’ve celebrated alongside orphaned kittens, rescued puppies, even newborn lambs. “When an animal needs help, our phones never go silent — not even on Christmas,” she said.

By Christmas Eve morning, four of the puppies began to stir with newfound energy. But one little girl — a red-coated beauty with ribs protruding — still couldn’t stand. Tessa named her Ruby, knowing the next 24 hours would decide her fate. On WHARF’s Facebook page, she posted: “Please keep Ruby in your thoughts. We’ll share more after the holidays.”

Then, Christmas morning delivered its gift. Ruby, with trembling effort, managed to push herself up — just for a few seconds — but long enough to drink water and take her first bites on her own. “Merry Christmas, everyone! We have movement,” Tessa announced, her relief palpable.

Messages of love poured in — hundreds of offers to foster or adopt Ruby. But Tessa tempered her joy. “She’s still fragile, still under 24/7 care,” she explained. “The other four are stable, and we’ll keep everyone posted.”

It was exhausting work — round-the-clock feeding, monitoring, and tending — but Tessa wouldn’t trade a moment. “For the past decade, we’ve done whatever it takes,” she said. “Every animal deserves a fighting chance.”

If recovery stays on track, Ruby’s siblings will be ready for adoption by February. And for Tessa, this Christmas was a powerful reminder: even on the coldest nights, love and persistence can thaw the deepest freeze — and turn survival into a miracle.