passionate. resilient. diligent.

Why Rescue From Texas

Imagine not being able to go to work, to the supermarket, or out to dinner without seeing a homeless, stray dog in need of help.  This is the way it is in many parts of Texas.  The city of Houston, alone, is estimated to have 1 million stray dogs.  Shelters are overflowing with unwanted dogs, animal cruelty frequently goes unreported, and animal welfare laws are often not enforced.  Countless ‘owned’ dogs in Texas (most often not spayed and neutered) roam free or live their entire lives on chains, many never receiving routine preventative medical care such as vaccinations and anti-flea, tick, and heartworm medications.  As a result, incidence of life threatening tick-borne and heartworm diseases are high, as are significant skin issues such as parasitic mange and vaccine-preventable diseases like Distemper and Parvovirus.  In certain parts of Texas, many people do not believe in spaying and neutering, so the strays and owned dogs alike wander around together constantly producing new and unwanted dog lives.

When the owners are overwhelmed with litter after litter of puppies, they are often dumped on the side of the road or out in the ‘country’, left to fend for themselves, be run over by cars, eaten by wildlife, or are ‘lucky’ enough to survive, continuing the cycle of reproduction, starvation, and suffering.  The volume of unwanted dogs overwhelms the shelter systems such that, depending on the shelter, dogs are often only allowed several days before their status is reviewed for possible euthanasia.  Many rural shelters lack funding, have no foot traffic for possible adoption, and do not advertise the dogs online, leaving those animals with no possible chance of survival. 

Yes, these things really happen.  Daily.  We focus on Texas, but it happens in many other places, too.  Part of our mission is to bring awareness here in New England about pet overpopulation and the plight of the unwanted dog.