Imagine how frightened a dog must be when one day it’s at a warm home with food to eat, then the next day it’s suddenly abandoned in the dark, no food, no water, no family anymore.
Not all dogs have happy homes. Some face starvation and abuse. But being loose on the streets is unsafe, too.
Animal lover Destiny Vasquez, 18, was in the drive-thru at a fast-food restaurant in Brownsville, Texas, one night when she laid eyes on the most gutwrenching, heartbreaking sight.
There were two starving and frightened dogs who were approaching every single vehicle in the drive-thru, begging the occupants to take them home.
This apparently had been going on for weeks, she learned. She spotted the forlorn dogs, took out her cell phone and recorded them.
“I was in the drive-thru, I saw one of the dogs and said, ‘Oh my gosh! This dog has no home. I was crying and crying. I called my mom, and I said, ‘Mom, I have to get this dog.’ I didn’t know there were two dogs at the time.”
Destiny’s mom, Jessica Marin, who has saved many stray dogs from the streets of South Texas herself, drove to the eatery to help her daughter save the pups.
No one had any idea where the dogs had come from.
“I spoke to an employee who said the dogs had been here a long time.”
Jessica reached out to Leslie Ysuhuaylas Hennings who helps increase awareness of animals in need of rescuing, fostering and adoption on social media platforms.
She posted on Facebook about the pooches’ plight, hoping to help them find a permanent home.
“They literally begged to be taken, but they weren’t. They go up to every car that passes by in hopes to find a home. It’s been weeks. Tonight it will be another night in the parking lot. It will be another night in the streets. These two only have each other and desperately need rescue together! Please help network them for rescue and foster!”
When Ana Teran, a volunteer with Animal Aid Brigade in Houston, saw Leslie’s post, she was flabbergasted. She couldn’t let these poor babies who desperately sought a home stay alone on the streets one more night.
The looks on their faces as they gazed up at people in their warm cars, pleading with them to take them home, was just too much for her to bear.
“As soon as I saw it, I just couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t let it go. I just said, ‘How can I get these dogs? If I have to rent a car, I will, to get them.'”
It turns out, that’s exactly what Ana did. She rented a car and drove from her home in Houston to South Texas to rescue the two dogs. In her heart, she knew their story would have a happy ending.
While waiting for Ana to arrive, Jessica established a relationship with the dogs and coaxed them into her car. She was able to shave some time off Ana’s hours’ long drive by meeting her with the dogs in tow.
“I cried. I called my daughter and said, ‘Guess what pups I got?’”
Ana didn’t know what to expect when she first met the dogs. They wanted affection so badly that they were the best doggos the second she walked up to them.
“I was so excited to see them! They were just the cutest. They wanted love so desperately. They were so friendly. They were not fearful or timid. They had big smiles; they were so excited. They had no idea what was going on, but they were so happy.”
While in South Texas, Ana arranged to pick up nine other stray dogs that she transported back to the rescue in Houston. To calm their nerves on their trip, Ana played soothing music and spoke to them the entire ride back home.
“I told them, ‘I want to show you life can be fun, and I want you to know everything will be fine. The pair fell asleep so soundly and relaxed for the first time in a very long time.”
Ana just couldn’t part with the pair from the fast-food parking lot, so she fostered them both herself.
“They are so bonded, they really stick together. Their demeanor is very sweet. They are always looking at every detail.”
The dogs, both female, are estimated to be approximately one year old. Ana named them Patty and Pepper and even participated in an adorable photoshoot with them.
Ana will struggle when the dogs go to their forever home, she admitted. But she also knows there are so many more dogs that need her to rescue them, too.
“This is just the beginning of their journey and their adventures. I’m just really excited for them. It feels so good to know they’re in good hands and off the street.”
We are so happy for Patty and Pepper that they’re off the streets and safe in Ana’s home for now until they’re adopted into the loving family they deserve!
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