Stray dog but no puppies

Question
Today, a stray dog came up to me in my yard.  She looks to still be very young and very malnourished.  Sadly, she also looks to have recently had puppies, but I can't find them.  This dog immediately began coaxing me to pet her and would NOT leave my house all day....whenever I was outdoors, she was constantly by my side.  She even began barking at cars as if to protect me and my home.  I fed and watered her and called our local animal rescue.  They advised me to take her around our neighborhood and since she obviously trusts me, she might lead me to her pups.....I did and it didn't happen.  I need some advise on how to find these puppies or how to coax her to show me where they are.  I don't want to call animal control because they will pick up the mother dog and if the babies are, inded, still out there somewhere, they will die.  My husband has given me one week to find them or to get animal control to pick her up (I have maxed out on bringing home strays)!
For now, I have put out food and water and a dog house for her to where she can come and go as she pleases.  This is risking my neighbors calling animal control but I want her to be able to get to the pups.
Most of her teats are engorged and she has a slight bloody discharge from her hindparts..she appears to have some soreness, although she follows me at a quick pace with little problem.
Any advice on how to find these pups or how to help her would be greatly appreciated.

Answer
Lisa,
if this dog came to you then the puppies or puppy she had is probably dead. Most dogs, even young ones, will not leave their puppies for quite a while. It is not uncommon for a dog this young to lose her first litter, especially if she is that malnourished. She simply couldn't keep herself alive and feed those babies inside also.

She is probably a true stray- someone turned her out because they allowed her to get pregnant in the first place. If she has a bloody discharge then she just had them a day or so ago.

The swelling in her teats will go down if the puppies are not alive and nursing but only after a few days. The fact that they are engorged shows there probably aren't any puppies around. Stray dogs will leave their pups to eat after a day but if she is not showing any signs of leaving then you can pretty much guess that she knew her babies were dead.

So your choice is to either take her in and feed her and get her spayed right away or let her wander off or let animal control pick her up. You know how that will end.

I wish I could tell you different,but knowing the behavior of the typical dog that has just whelped and by her physical condition, she is a stray without pups anymore.

This kind of thing just breaks my heart more than you know.
Bless you for trying to help her out. If you can contribute to getting her spayed she has a much better chance of finding a home.
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Lisa,
unfortunately, people who do these things usually don't have a conscience to give them nightmares. It is only because of angels like you that these dogs get loving homes. And they are the MOST grateful, loving dogs you will ever have. I had one myself for 10 1/2 yrs. Discarded at the pound due to heartworms. We had diagnosed her and her owners dumped her there instead of treating her. Turns out it was meant to be and she was my soul mate for life. I still cry when I think about her. she died in my arms happy at 16 yrs old.
So again, bless you and your county shelter for helping her out.

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Hi Lisa,
I was just wondering what happened to the stray dog? Did your hubby let you keep her? How is she doing if he did?