Our Dog Rescue Stories

It's said that black dogs are often overlooked when it comes to adoption. But, for one flat-coated retriever found at the pound as a pup, she was the dog I wanted. For nearly 16 years, she shared our food, our bed and our lives.

Slick, another black retriever was wandering around at the Texas Motorplex frightened by the loud noises and crowd.

We brought him home when Bucky was ten. She taught him the rules of the house and everything he needed to know about indoor living. They were inseparable.

We lived in a rural area where people dumped unwanted dogs. While working on building a house on our property, a stray dog inched closer and closer. Her coat was matted and she was covered in ticks. She was also missing some teeth.

Lady joined our growing family and quickly learned to fit in.

When Bucky crossed the Rainbow Bridge it was a blessing to have Lady with us, but tragedy was around the corner. Lady came down with Ehrlichia, a tick-borne disease, also known as hemorrhagic fever. She was five-years old when she passed away.

Slick took the loss hard. He became inconsolable, wheezing and coughing when we would leave the house. It was clear he needed a new friend.

We were the first to arrive at the dog pound on a Saturday morning when we found the Chow puppy. Seven weeks old and 10 pounds of fur, her golden eyes and purple tongue made her irresistible. On the way home we stopped at the vet where she became an immediate celebrity with the staff and other customers.

It was three years before another stray joined our family. On the drive home from work, I saw two dogs running beside the highway near a rest area. I pulled in and scattered some dog kibble on the ground. One of the dogs came right up to me. I asked him if he wanted to go home with me and he raised his paw.

When we got home, my husband was on his way out taking Slick to the vet. Slick's ACL was torn and he couldn't walk.

We looked up and saw that the grass between our house and the neighbors was on fire. The neighborhood had started trying to fight the blaze started by a tossed cigarette in the dry grass.

Cookie came along on Thanksgiving Day.. She was running with a gang of street dogs that were hiding out in a derelict mobile home by our neighbor.

When she first came to live with us, she was leery of our other dogs, unaccustomed to having her own food in a bowl. She dove in so hard that kibble flew everywhere.

When Dolly was 14, she collapsed in the back yard and couldn't get up. The vet said she had a splenic tumor that was likely malignant. He said most dogs don't recover from the surgery and didn't recommend it.

A couple of months later, she succumbed to the tumor and quietly passed away in her daddy's arms one Sunday morning.

From the Pound my Dolly came.

We'd already picked a name.

Husband has himself to blame, Dolly.

Came to us as just a pup.

It was fun to pick her up.

Never was she late for sup, Dolly.

She was Queen of our back yard.

She bossed Slick which wasn't hard.

Bitey teeth that cut like shards, Dolly

Dolly liked to chew a rag.

Tug-o-war was sure a gag.

Slept with it in times of lag, Dolly.

Also known as Stinker-butt.

Named by Daddy, such a nut.

Loved her though she was a mutt, Dolly.

Queen of all that she surveyed

Turned me into her own maid.

Fetch my dinner, get it made, Dolly.

When our Slick tore up his knee

I had just found Buddy Lee

Dolly welcomed him with glee, Dolly.

Dolly liked to sniff the snow

We'd first called her "Dolly NO"

Changed with time to Dolly Joe, Dolly.

Some would say she's just a dog.

Watch her run and chase that frog.

Stubborn as a mother hog, Dolly.

Brother gave me his best tip.

Always keep stiff upper lip.

Never let emotions slip, Dolly

First night here she shared our bed

Hard to fathom that she's dead.

She'll live on within my head, Dolly.

I'm collecting Dolly tears.

May I have a tear of yours?

She was with us 14 years, Dolly.

Buddy Lee mourned the passing of his best friend for nearly 6 months. Then, he also passed away after a fall which left him unable to walk.

Cookie was an only dog for four months before we found a companion for her. It was a black Lab puppy we adopted from the McKinney SPCA.

Tony came to us as a tiny puppy around 8 weeks old. The moment he got into the car, he fell asleep in my lap. He loved his foster sister, Cookie, and enjoyed protecting her. They were together 5 years before she came down with Cushing's disease.

She was a trooper, steadfast and loyal, but succumbed to the disease when she was almost 15 years old.

Tony turned 13 years old in February 2023 and we're hoping to keep him around for another few years, Lord willing.

Indy came from the same shelter as Tony did 5 years later. He'd been found abandoned in a horse trailer with other siblings with no food or water. The shelter gave him medical attention and we adopted him his first day on the floor after his recovery.

Even into our golden years, we're still finding pups that need a loving home. Last January 2022, we adopted a 10-pound white ball of fur who's since become the boss of the household.

Princess Fiona lives up to her name and royal heritage as she keeps Tony and Indy in check and makes sure we get up bright and early every day.

Under Tony and Indy's supervision, she has become a contributing household member of our family, a genuine smile-maker, trouble-maker and best friend to Indiana (Indy) her now, much smaller, little brother.

No matter where you find them, dogs are ever-grateful for a kind hand, a loving touch and a happy home where they can live out their short lives.

Losing them never gets any easier, but eventually, fond memories out-shadow the sadness of their short time here on earth.

There were so many others I would love to have rescued. Hopefully, they found a happy home and a loving family.