Unbelievable!

So, last night Joe and I went to my brothers house to watch fireworks with the niece and nephews. We set out with plans of relaxing, eating some food, enjoying watching the kids have fun but NOOOOOOOOOO, that's not how it worked! We all walked over to their neighbors house and we were only there for about 3 minutes when Joe sees a dog limping by. This dog was the saddest thing I have ever seen.....pretty close to the condition my beloved Crosby was in when I found him. The dog is a poodle/Maltese mix, COVERED in giant mats, we couldn't tell where the dogs ears ended because about 4 inches of matted hair was hanging off of them. She had hair covering one eye...it was actually stuck to her eyeball. She smelled HORRIBLE and had a back leg that was dangling. For those who know me well, you know I was not leaving without helping that poor baby. The neighbors don't know who she belongs to so Joe and I decide to take her home and see what we can do. Surely this dog is an abandoned animal...no collar, dangling leg, disgusting condition.

We get home, Joe puts her in a bucket and bathes her...bless his heart. We cut some mats out, brushed her...she's still awful. She gobbles up turkey like she hasn't eaten in days and paces the yard for hours. Finally, she sits down on the bath mat I put out for her and relaxes. Throughout this ordeal, I sob a few times because of her condition and what may happen to her the next day. Joe is upset, disgusted that someone would let their dog get to this point...it was very stressful.

Well, today Joe drives her all over the North side of Houston trying to find a place that will take her...again, bless his heart...I am so lucky that he cares about animals like I do. he ends up at MC Animal Control and they say they will probably have to put her down. While he is there I call Noah's Ark Animal Sanctuary and the sweetest girl named Stephanie did everything she could to help me. While we were talking some ladies walked in to the shelter, she told them the story, they called their friend who is a vet and the vet agreed to take the dog and do what she can to heal her and find her a home...WHAT ARE THE CHANCES OF THAT???? I swear God puts the animals in my path for a reason and those ladies walked into the shelter for a reason. I am so thankful for them, for Stephanie, for the vet and for all the no kill shelters....oh, and again, for Joe :-)

I finish this story with something that is so frustrating to me. My brothers other neighbor has claimed that she was their dog and she got loose during the fireworks. Well, I don't think anyone that treats their animal that way deserves to get them back but apparently, by law, I have to let them know where she is. It amazes me that no signs were put up in the neighborhood, that I didn't get a call till 6:30 the next day.....I am so mad! They claim that they found her 3 years ago and her leg was like that....well, why have they not bothered to BRUSH her or BATHE her...or get the eye infection cleared up, put a collar on her???!!!!! So, the story ends with my brother leaving the owners a message with the vets info and Joe and I are upset by our happy ending's not so happy ending. I am hoping that these people don't even bother going to get her and the vet can take care of her...we'll see.