Puppies for adoption

Got puppies or kittens? To rehome a dog or cat, it's important to ask an adoption fee. People that pay money often want the animal - and can afford to have one. Free animals have no value. 


Seventy-five dollars to $150 is fair for an animal that has been vaccinated, wormed and fixed. Interview, do a home visit and give vet records to the new owner. (See "all about rescue" for an adoption application.) Use low-cost spay/neuter clinics to fix them.

Keep for a lifetime

Thinking of adding a new family member over the Christmas holidays? Shop the shelter! Remember that a pet is more than a present, it's a lifetime commitment. There are plenty of purebreds and mixed breeds for adoption at your local shelter. If you're looking for a specific breed, go online and search 'breed rescue.' If you wait until after Christmas to adopt, put a stuffed animal (with a gift certificate) under the tree for the kids. 


Rescue groups are looking for good adopters, so be sure to visit them too! Shop your local Petco and PetSmart stores. 

laser pointer fun

Do you have a high-energy dog or cat that requires lots of play? Try a laser pointer. You can purchase them at most hardware or pet stores. 


A laser pointer gives an animal something safe to chase and is great exercise! Try to play at the same time each day, as pets enjoy routine and consistency.

DOG TRAPPING TIPS: How to catch a shy street dog.. 

• Set up a feeding station in a protected, shady spot where you often see the animal. The food will keep her in the area. Fill a a cake pan with water (a moat) and put a food bowl with smelly wet food in the middle. (This station provides food/water and keeps out ants.)
• Call animal control and report the location of the animal - (if they're effective.)
• Borrow, rent or buy a humane trap. Traps can be ordered online, purchased at feed stores or borrowed from humane societies. (www.trucatchtraps.com)
• Inspect your trap to be sure it is functional. Oil it, test the trap plate, inspect the welds to be sure the wire is secure. You often get only one chance!
• Third, remove the feeding station a day or two before you replace it with the trap. Post a notice asking other people NOT to feed the animal.. its very important that the animal be HUNGRY! Set the trap where you had been feeding.
• Find a flat surface so the trap is level. Place a chunk of wet food outside the trap door. Line the walkway of the trap with newspaper and drop chunks of wet food to entice the animal to walk in. Place a big portion of food on the trap plate. (If ants are a problem, dust the trap area with sevin dust.) Keep the food fresh and smelly. Oily food works best. (tunafish in oil, bacon, bbq, brisquit fat or deboned fried chicken works great!)
• Once you trap the animal, keep her IN the trap. Go straight to a vet or shelter. If you choose to foster the animal, have the vet remove the animal from the trap. Get her vaccinated, spayed and have the vet attach a harness/tags and leash while in surgery. 
• When the animal wakes, it will be ready to go to its foster home. Slowly acclimate it to a quiet room and secure yard. If its a dog, keep her on a leash at all times. Do not let the dog into an unsupervised yard until you KNOW she will return to you.

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated...the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man." - Mahatma Gandhi

During the '70s we lived in St. Peters, Missouri. One day, we noticed a white Shepherd puppy at our back fence. The pup never seemed to have food or shelter. During freezing rain or snow, she would sit pitifully under an eave seeking shelter. One day, we found the tiny puppy sitting on our back porch. I was thrilled to see her! Our rear fence joined her fence from another block but there wasn't an entry hole. Apparently, this determined puppy weaved through a mile of unfamiliar roads and fences. We returned the puppy, but she came back the next day. We finally kept her. For weeks we expected the owners to inquire, but they didn't even notice the puppy was gone. We named her Fritzie.

A few months later we heard a knock on the front door. Mom wasn't home from work yet, so I timidly opened the door. Fritzie stood barking at the door behind me. A male voice demanded that we return his dog. I hurridly slammed the door. When Mom got home she talked to the man. We'd give his dog back if he would reimburse our vet bills and pay boarding fees. We never heard from the man again.

  
For years Fritzie was my best friend! Later, I left for college in Arizona and Fritzie stayed home in Missouri. Once I graduated and bought a house, I brought Fritz to Arizona. She spent her final years in the desert enjoying colorful wildflowers and long hikes. A first love is always special, one that never bears the burden of comparison but sets a standard for later love.

Dime

When posting a dog for adoption, use a creative bio and great picture. This is your best advertising tool. Post the info on www.Petfinder.com. The sample below attracted a good applicant in a few short days...... "Black and white puppies are a dime-a-dozen at shelters. One of the most popular shelter currencies are Border Collie mixes. Four month-old "Dime" was at the Lampasas Shelter and had no venture capital to buy his way out of this high-kill shelter. But, Dime was so cute that he found a way into rescue and yielded high rates of interest! True to his Border Collie reputation, Dime is intelligent and playful. He’ll stick his head in a water bucket and madly dash around the yard. He is housebroken, crate trained and adores people. He’ll gradually mature into a 50 lb dog. Dime invested wisely with his vet and is current on shots and neutered. If you’re looking for a mutual fund companion and a lifetime investment, Dime is worth your dollar!"

Dogs need physical activity to stimulate their emotional and physical well being. The following activities are healthy and necessary to engage a dog's heart and mind... Remember, a tired dog is a good dog!

• daily walks
• fetch
• hide and seek 
• play dates 
• training sessions

"Properly trained, a man can be a dog's best friend." - Corey Ford

Starved/chained dog (later rescued)

RUFF TIP  

If you observe an animal being neglected, here are a few things you might do.....


1. PHOTOGRAPH the animal. Document its body, living conditions, food/water pan or untreated injuries. Pictures are legal proof!


2. Call the authorities with an address/detailed description of the animal. Ask for follow up with the officer once he's answered the call. If you don't get resolution, don't give up. Call a supervisor. Document it all.


3. Research your local/State animal laws. Knowing the laws will help you insist on proper enforcement.


4. Politely knock on the owner's door and ask if you can provide food or vet services for the animal. If you make friends with this person, he may give you the animal.

5. Send pictures and a short factual story to local news agencies. Ask them to help you seek justice for the animal.


6. If the animal strays onto a road or public property, pick it up and take it to a shelter. It will have a chance of adoption or rescue. Send pictures of the stray to your friends and give them a kennel number and shelter location.

"If you consider that 'we can't save them all', what difference does one make? You should know the joy of the one saved!"  -   Anonymous

"Teaching a child not to step on a caterpillar is as valuable to the child as it is to the caterpillar."  -Bradley Miller

Unspayed Shepherd

RUFF TIP

If you live near a dog that barks frequently, it may be lonely. Dogs are pack animals and need companionship and socialization. Many people acquire pets that don't get proper care and attention. 


You might knock on the owner's door and introduce yourself. Inquire about the barking dog. Ask to say “hello” to the pet(s). This way, you move the conversation to the vicinity of the pet, making it easier to ask questions related to the dog. Ask what the dog's name is and if she's friendly (bring a treat for the dog.) Be polite and respectful to the owner. If you're able, volunteer to walk the dog daily. 


If the dog is unfixed and you have the resources, ask to take the dog to be fixed for free. Make it easy. If the owner says "yes," volunteer to drive the dog into the vet. Have the owner pick her up after surgery. (Transportation to the vet eliminates excuses and guarantees arrival.) 


Ask the owner to make a donation or pay for vaccinations/ heartworm prevention for their pet. This creates an investment in the animal and models better future pet care.

"I tremble for my species, when I consider that God is just." - - Thomas Jefferson

Herman

Herman - Boston Terriers are an old fashioned breed and a big deal in a small package. My family grew up with Bostons, they have the heart of a lion and energy of a power plant. 


A police detective was investigating a case in Dallas, Texas, when she noticed a 4-week old Boston Terrier whimpering in a box. The puppy was too tiny to be away from its momma, but it had just been bought from a breeder. Once home, the woman buyer noticed a lump on the puppy's stomach. The breeder refused to take the puppy back and the woman didn't have money to go to a vet. She didn't want the puppy anymore, so the detective took the pup before it died. 


The pup found its way into our care and was taken to a vet, where it was diagnosed with an intestinal hernia; part of its bladder and intestine were hanging through a large hole in its abdominal wall. The pup was whisked into surgery that day. He did fine. We named the pup Herman, after the Adam's Family character. Herman looked like he was dressed in a little black and white tuxedo, very proper!

Herman recovered quickly from his surgery and was a hot item on the rescue website. We screened out people shopping for a bargain, or because Herman was cute. We eventually found a lovely woman, familiar with the breed, who wanted to adopt, rather than buy a purebreed.

Farley

Ferret and Farley - Tiny puppies are cute and cuddly but too common in the world of rescue. Most underage pups are euthanized at shelters because they’re too young to survive on their own. Mandated spay/neuter are practical solutions to the problem, but some in our society resist such action. Luckily, pups are easy to foster because they don't have aggression issues, heartworms or behavior issues!  

We were shopping at our local shelter, in the isolation area where underage pups are kept and noticed 2 puppies curled on a blanket. Big dogs were barking, but the puppies were asleep, oblivious to it all. When we called to them, they woke and waddled to the front of the kennel. They were Collie mixes, about 5 weeks old. They were from an unwanted litter and their momma had been killed by a car. 

One pup had a severe overbite and was thinner than his chunky brother. The skinny pup had difficulty eating, so we pulled the 2 brothers for rescue. The tiny overbite pup was named Ferret, since he looked like one with his long nose and beady eyes. He was absolutely the sweetest pup. Due to his protruding jaw, he had trouble lapping food, but the veterinarian said Ferret would be fine. 

His brother, a handsome fat Lab mix, was named Farley. Both pups were smart and easy to train. They were adopted by owners who knew the responsibility of time-consuming puppies. Ferret found his lifetime home in Katy, Texas and Farley's owner lives in Austin.

Festus and Chai

Festus and Chai - Junkyards harbor wrecked skeletons of transportation maladies. Rusty metal giants consume acres of once pristine land, and the land is tainted by the giant's lifebloods: motor oil, gasoline, antifreeze, and hazardous liquids from the modern day engine.

One day I stopped at a local yard and saw a tiny black pit bull puppy. A little yellow cat trailed happily behind it. The kitten was only about 6-7 weeks old, very straggly, dehydrated, dirty and amazingly friendly. As I approached, a child came out of nowhere and reached down, grabbed the skinny kitten and stashed it into an 5 gallon orange bucket. I walked up to the nearest adult man, who was working on a broken engine and asked who owned the kitten. He said in broken English, that the puppy was his, and he would like shots for it and it to be "snipped." My reputation as a spay/neuter advocate had preceded me. I explained I couldn’t take the puppy now to the vet, but I could take the kitten. He gave me the orange bucket and said someone had dumped the kitten last week.

Festus was about a pound in weight, but the little guy ate like a draft horse! At the junkyard, Festus hadn’t eaten anything but tortillas, so when it was finally available, he feasted on entire cans of food. Soon, Festus discovered the water bowl and proceeded to drink its entire contents.

I had a tiny Shepherd mix puppy named Chai from the shelter kill list, and Festus and Chai became best friends. They bounded up to each another like two clumsy jousting partners—the kitten rearing onto its hind legs and the puppy running with careless abandon. For the two orphans, the game was irresistible.


Festus was placed into a home where he was an only cat. Chai, the tea colored puppy, was placed into a good home with a resident cat to keep her company. 

Gwendolyn

Gwendolyn - This is the story of Gwendolyn, a bait dog dumped in impoverished Bastrop County. One morning, a woman found a young Pit Bull curled on her trailer porch, covered in blood. The dog was too weak to stand. She was a bait dog, unwilling to fight, so she was used to train other dogs to kill. If bait dogs don't immediately die, they're discarded to die, no longer useful to their evil handlers. This tenacious dog clung to life until her bad luck changed to good.


We carried Gwen to our car and took her to the vet, where her tear wounds were cleaned and stitched. Although  bruised and in great pain, Gwen's calm demeanor was obvious. She didn't have a protest bone in her entire body.


Gwen was a short, stout dog, more accurately an American Staffordshire Terrier breed (AmStaff for short) than a Pit Bull. She was sweet as apple pie and packed with personality. She would do a charming "happy dance" when exiting her kennel and then sit for attention. We were apprehensive when introducing Gwen to other dogs, fearful that she might be dog reactive due to her brutal experience. Instead, she was friendly and calm.


Gwen was adopted by a nice woman living in Austin. People who meet Gwen are constantly impressed by this former bait dog's melancholy, sweet nature.

Cecily

Cecily - Beautiful and affordable land is one of the advantages of living in a poor rural county in Texas. Unfortunately, the poorest counties seem to have the highest numbers of abandoned animals.

Driving home one evening, I noticed something dart across the gravel pavement in front of me. A skinny Sheltie mix ran into a barren ditch and stared apprehensively. When I pulled over, she disappeared. She'd probably just been abandoned and was staying on the road, waiting for her useless owner to return. 


I went home and brought back a dog trap baited with tuna fish. The dog promptly went in the trap and began eating. I waited for the trap door to spring, but it didn't. I kept waiting and she kept eating. The old metal trap was rusty. The Sheltie finished her small meal, turned and walked out. Not discouraged, I borrowed oil from a  neighbor, lubed the trap and caught the dog. 


The Sheltie was shy but not unfriendly. She was taken to our vet where they found two deep burns on the dog's back, possibly made by a cattle prod. Fur was imbedded on her spinal cord. The burns may have been intentional, but dogs remain loyal to their owners and keep their cruel secrets. The dog wore an unusual clothesline harness, one obviously handmade and not commercially purchased, so we assumed she had also been tied.

Cecily blossomed into an outgoing, playful dog. An older couple adopted Cecily, sweetly stating "that they wanted to protect her from the harsh cruel world." The couple had just euthanized their beloved old dog and they were terribly lonely without a best friend.

Ferrari - Sometimes, treasures are found in the most unlikely places. Salvage yards are a retirement ground for wrecked cars and used animals. No one knows where junkyard dogs come from, but apparently they come from the same nameless places cars come from.

While walking in a junkyard in East Austin, I noticed an emaciated purebred German Shepherd momma lying under a rusty car. There were 3 tiny puppies who looked like walking skeletons, milling about, desperate for food. I also noticed 2 red male Shepherd mixes, with ribs protruding, too shy to approach. Since it appeared the dogs were improperly cared for, I asked the yard owner if I could have the dogs. He agreed, since he apparently didn't have the money to feed or fix them.

I took the mom and pups to the shelter. I contacted the German Shepherd rescuers, who take purebreds into their "breed rescue" program. The four dogs were placed with people who didn't want to buy from breeders (since purebreds are available at every shelter in America).

I rushed back to the salvage yard to catch the remaining 2 dogs. Both dogs crowded into the trap to eat and the cage door snapped shut. The dogs sat down in the trap and patiently waited for their next meal. 

Once at the shelter, the Red Shepherd mixes were easy to socialize. One brother couldn't put weight on his rear leg - apparently he'd been hit by a car. The other brother was healthy. They were mixes, so there was no rescue from the purebred group. We had only one foster space, so the healthy brother got out. The other brother didn't.  Fortunately, humane euthanasia is a more acceptable option than dying in a roadway ditch.

We named the handsome red dog, Ferarri. He went places fast, especially when he was playfully being chased by other dogs. He was a gentle, calm dog that enjoyed sunbaths and butterflies. He found a great home in Austin and now has a rescued brother to chase.

Mac (Tom T) and Cass

Tom Thayer –  One day a little girl spotted a puppy wandering along an isolated stretch of highway near Thrall, Texas. The girl asked her grandma to stop the car to pick up the pup, since temperatures would be freezing that night. The girl’s mother sent an email plea to the universe, requesting rescue since she didn’t want to take the pup to a shelter.

I read and forwarded the email plea to friends. No one offered to take the pup. Curious, I emailed the woman, asking details about the pup. The woman couldn’t give me breed information, just that it was male, the size of a cat and spotted grey. I asked if she could transport the unidentified puppy to me. 

That night, a woman arrived at my gate and unloaded a tiny cat carrier. Inside the carrier was a gorgeous, carsick 10-week old Blue Heeler puppy. He exited the crate drunkenly and wagged his tail as he promptly ran to me. The pup had striking coloration—a soft light grey coat and tall dark grey socks on all of his legs. He was healthy and in good shape. I had fears of the pup being a sick, grey pitbull (always difficult to adopt).

We named him Tom Thayer, a name reminiscent of Thrall, where the pup was found. The puppy was delightful, attractive and good-natured. He liked to cuddle with my big malamute mix, Dasher, on their favorite cedar bed. 

 

Heelers aren't a dog for everyone. The breed is extremely smart, athletic and persistent. But people who like the the breed really like it, and we had a prospect in mind. A friend named "Spring" adopted a red heeler from us two years ago. We thought Thayer might be a good addition to Spring's family and she agreed. We packed Thayer's overnight bag and traveled to Spring's home, where Cass, our former heeler, greeted us excitedly at the door. Spring adopted Thayer and renamed him “Mac.”

Bodie playing tug with 2 foster pups

Bodie -  Walking through the Austin shelter, we noticed a brindle pup tightly curled up, trying to stay warm. His hairless legs bowed at odd angles. He was skinny, mangy and smelled bad due to his skin condition. He had an adorable, sweet expression on his worn face. He was found one morning in a church parking lot, curled up in a cardboard box, after a hard freeze. The pup's legs were bent, due to poor nutrition and lack of exercise. He may have grown up in the cardboard box, since neglect and abuse assume many original forms. 


Within an hour, Bodie was enroute to our foster home with a warm cedar bed and a hearty meal. Bodie was about 4 months old and weighed a mere 12 pounds, while he should have weighed 25. With a healthy regiment of exercise and good food, Bodie made a full recovery. His favorite game was hiding stuffed animals from the big dogs. Bodie was a grateful dog, who cherished small favors. His new owner made sure he had ample toys and love for the rest of his sweet life.

Axel

Axel - There is a mile-long series of junkyards east of Austin on Highway 71. The yards are homes to owned and abandoned animals. In 3 years, we removed about 60 abandoned dogs and cats from these junkyards. During that time we developed a rapport with several of the yard owners.

One day, Amado, a junkyard owner, called to ask if I could help his dog. I knew the dog was in dire circumstances for Amado to call. I picked up my 7-year-old niece Madison (she wants to be an animal cop when she grows up.) Together, we rushed to the junkyard. Upon arrival, Amado walked us to a sweltering tin building, where a black German Shepherd puppy was curled on the gravel. The dog's rear leg was bleeding and swollen 3 times its normal size. The leg looked like a black balloon with toes. A heavy metal chain lay in a heap next to the puppy. Amado explained that he'd chained the dog for the weekend and returned to find the dog tangled. The chain kinked around the dog's right rear leg. I asked Amado if he had the money to fix the dog. “No,” he said regrettably. I told him I would take the dog, but unless he could pay the medical bills, the puppy was mine. Amado agreed and I took the pup to a vet. We expected that tissue and nerve damage would force the vet to amputate the leg. But the sweet-natured pup kept his leg and we named him Axel.

Axel was about 5 months old—a pensive, smart boy with radar-like ears, a silky black coat and long legs. He quickly learned to run, jump and play. Exercise was part of his therapy and he loved it, especially when it involved fetching his favorite raccoon toy! Axel soon found a permanent home with a family who owned another rescued black German Shepherd.

Bullet - Stopping for coffee one day off a busy highway, I noticed something curled on the sizzling pavement near the freeway. Suddenly, the tiny bundle moved. It was a little kitten, fearfully trying to escape its circumstances by digging into the asphalt. Suddenly, a car approached. The bundle froze, peeked around, then darted abruptly into a grassy median off the highway. 

I crossed the road and approached the kitten slowly. As I came from behind, I noticed the kitten wore a purple harness. I picked her up firmly by the harness and she relaxed. She purred quietly while we drove home.

The kitten is a classic tabby, with beautiful markings resembling a bulls-eye, hence the name Bullet. We looked for lost signs but couldn't locate an owner. Bullet is playful with dogs, loving with people and respectful of the resident cat, Archie. Although Archie hates her, he bravely tolerates her. Bullet was vetted, fixed and found a lovely indoor home with an "Austin Aussie Rescue" volunteer.

Cricket and Marla

Little Walter, Cricket and Mia - We were trapping puppies behind a convenience store on Pearce Lane when we heard barking at the top of a hill behind a trashed-out trailer, where toys and toilets littered the hillside. There was a dog pen filled with tall, parched grass and 3 dogs. That’s where we first saw Walter the pug. He looked like a giant bug peering through spectacles.  All the dogs were shamelessly friendly and pleading for attention.

The owner had returned to Thailand and left the 3 dogs behind. The pen contained a rickety storage shed which provided little more than shelter from the rain. There was no bedding and the winter nights were freezing. Once a month, a caretaker refilled water buckets and threw a large bag of cheap dog food into the shed. He gave us the dogs just to be rid of them.

Walter was the perfect dog, polite and loving. He chugged around his foster home, soaking in the comforts of indoor living and naps on the couch. Walter was treated for heartworms and adopted by an older woman who appreciated his perfection.


The lab and pit were both females, so we rushed them to the vet to be spayed since they were probably pregnant. Cricket, the sleek lab mix, was athletic and sweet. She found a lovely foster named Marla, a triathlete, who treated Cricket for heartworms and mange. Recently losing her aged Aussie to cancer, Marla had an empty spot in her heart. She adopted Cricket and they are often seen running in Austin.

One night, we met a potential foster person at a local rest stop. Annette, the foster, was willing to foster a “project dog.” While we sat with Annette and Mia, the pit mix, we sensed the temporary relationship might be permanent. The mangy dog needed lots of love and medical care. Mia got both and a great home for life!

Walter

Guilda - This sweet dog was the product of an unwanted litter. Her story, like so many others in America, began with a kind man who saw a starving, stray dog and integrated her into a pack of unaltered dogs. Not surprisingly, the female dog soon had puppies. All but one were given away.

The man died unexpectedly, leaving a wife who didn't know how to care for their dogs. She occasionally filled their food bowls and let the dogs run freely in the pastures and cornfields of Eastern Travis County. The dogs became a nuisance, and neighbors complained. The frustrated woman called our rescue hotline to seek advice.

We agreed to visit her, with the intention of sterilizing her dogs, since she had no fenced yard and she didn't plan to build one. Since the dogs’ living circumstances weren't ideal, the woman gave us the remaining pup. We called the pretty blonde Retriever/Shepherd mix Guilda.

We vetted the remaining 2 dogs at no cost to the owner and provided the owner with free food and advice. We hoped that now the adult dogs were fixed, they would stay closer to home. It was the best we could do, but every effort counts in this business.

Guilda, six months old and totally soft and submissive, soon found a perfect home.  Her foster parent, a singer/songwriter (Susan wrote "Wide Open Spaces") was given the opportunity to 'adopt out' Guilda, but she couldn't let her go. Guilda went from sleeping on dirt to sleeping with her new mom and sharing a house with 2 other rescued dogs. Guilda and Susan travel the country writing songs, playing guitar and meeting new people. 

Pester

Pester - While driving on a rural Bastrop highway, we noticed a tiny black object moving in the median between four busy lanes of traffic. Driving closer, we realized it was a black dog happily investigating an old Pizza Hut box. He crossed two lanes of traffic to pursue the litter and we doubted he'd cross back safely. We pulled to the median and called the dog.

Holding our breath in fear that he’d run into traffic rather than away from it, the little guy surprised us. He came running happily to us, while cars blazed by at 70 mph. No one slowed down. We grabbed the dog and hauled him into the car. Once safely inside, we noticed the dog was a delightful Chihuahua/Rat terrier/Dachshund mix. He was young, outgoing and friendly. 

When we couldn’t find the owner, we named the dog Pester, after his enthusiastic love for people. After being neutered, Pester quickly found a home with a professional woman who appreciated his daring, affectionate behaviors. Pester now enjoys the city life in downtown Austin.

Andie

Andie, Ansel, Sonrisa – People dedicated to serving feral cats pursue cat colonies to the ends of the earth — and that's where these dogs were found. One day a woman called to say that while searching for cats, she'd found "a bunch of skinny, sick dogs way out in the country." I was certain she was making it up, but wanted to be sure.

I eventually found an abandoned house deep in eastern Travis County, off Pearce Lane. (Little did we know how infamous Pearce Lane would be.) I noticed a big Collie lying near a tiny pond among the pasture weeds. As I walked through the tall grass, the dog lay still, wagging her tail shyly. She was an older dog in terrible condition and probably the mother of many litters of puppies. I loaded her into the backseat of my car. In time, we would name her Andie.

I resumed my search. It was dusk when I stepped over a dead grey cat in the driveway of the eerie abandoned structure. I hesitated when I noticed a black dog lying on an old blue mattress and a red and white dog lying next to her. As I approached, the black dog wagged her tail and stood up timidly, revealing a multitude of tiny sleeping puppies. The other dog uncurled from its nap and walked off into the pasture. At that moment, I promised to pay closer attention to crazy cat people.

The momma dog was a small, shy black Lab mix. I called my friend Jen and pleaded for help. With Jen's truck, we could take them all. I felt overwhelmed but determined, since all the dogs could vanish before we returned tomorrow. I made more phone calls and found a friend who would foster the mom and pups. We named the momma Sonrisa. She was a gentle, petite black dog, often overlooked by adopters, due to her color. A lovely teacher in Austin adopted her. 

The next morning, we drove by the abandoned house. I walked toward the mattress and noticed a tiny bundle curled in the grass. I held my breath when I realized it was a tiny puppy and still alive. We had missed it in last night’s darkness. We quickly reunited the pup with momma. 

I returned the next day to check on the reclusive red and white dog. Surprisingly, he was lying near the mattress waiting for his friends to return. He was shy, but eventually let me slip a lead around his neck. We had no foster space, so this pit mix went to the shelter. He was so quiet that he was originally described as being "sick." Housing him at the shelter gave us time to do a temperament evaluation, which he passed easily. We found him a foster space and he was named Ansel. He was adopted by a great family in San Antonio.

As we worked Pearce Lane, we learned Andie's background. The old dog was a stray and lived on scraps from a convenience store. Each time she had a litter, Animal Control officers came and took the pups to the shelter, where most were euthanized. Finally, someone from the convenience store took Andie to be spayed and tied her in the back of a truck. On the way, the dog jumped out and hung herself, but the rope split. She found her way back to the pasture and continued to have more pups. Andie's age made it difficult to find a home, but we found her a good one in Austin.