Feral pack

Jiffy

Ruby

Jiffy and Ruby- 

Many great dogs come from the Pearce Lane corridor in Eastern Travis County, Texas. The most recent treasure came from a feral pack of 11 untouchable dogs, all red heeler mixes except for two white pups. I was overwhelmed when I discovered the dogs living at a trailer, in the woods off Pearce Lane, surviving on dog food occasionally tossed to the ground. They were a brilliant, functional pack. Survival depended on sharing food, accessing water by crossing under busy Pearce Lane, via a ravine, and staying warm in winter curled on carpet scraps. One sunny, brisk morning, I observed the younger dogs playing on dirt mounds behind the property. Their carefree manner was heartbreaking, since they had so little to be grateful for.

I couldn't touch the dogs, so I began trapping them a few at a time. They were easy to catch because they were eager for food. There were 6 females and 5 males, so the little pack was growing. I was determined to trap females before they became pregnant. Unfortunately, most went to the shelter and were euthanized, because they would never tame. I regretted this reality. I caught the two white pups, about 6 months old, both with black ears and an odd blue eye. One twin reacted by growling, while the other sat calmly in his trap. I struggled with the injustice of it and I decided to save one, so I put my faith in the calm pup. I arranged friends (all dog trainers), to socialize the lucky one. The dog responded magically to hand feeding and handling. When the pup came to my house for fostering, I had to keep him. His name is Jiffy.

I gradually trapped the next 3 dogs. They were fixed and released back to the best life they would ever know. Since dogs have no sense of entitlement, they were estastic to return. The caretaker was encouraged to provide better care. The final pup, a dainty red Shepherd mix, was trap resistant. When the caretaker went to Mexico, she became so hungry that she was caught. 'Ruby' has socialized slowly and her foster parent recently adopted her!  This dog pack can attribute their success to sharing and staying together; a good lesson for all.