Celebrating Change a Pet’s Life Day – all week long!
Every day this week, we will be sharing stories of how our Earth Animal pack has changed a pet’s life – and been changed themselves. We are passionate about preserving and enhancing the quality of life for animals and our team lives that commitment every day in their own lives. As you read our stories, we hope that you are reminded of the magic that comes from adopting an animal, and the beautiful bond we share with our best friends.
Pearl’s Story
I will never know what Pearl experienced on the hot streets of Mission, Texas during the first months of her life. Did she wander aimlessly about, maybe finding scraps in the dumpster behind Whataburger. Where did she sleep off her scant meals – tucked in the shrubs that line the Walmart parking lot? Did she shelter from the relentless sun under a mesquite tree at the local luxury RV resort? There were few, if any, natural bodies of water and virtually no rain. How did she, and the thousands of other street dogs survive without? Without water, without care, without love?
Looking at a map of Mission, I wonder where her little mange-riddled body roamed until someone noticed her suffering, and in September, someone did. She found Pearl walking on her tattered paws in a concrete parking lot. Fortunately, she was very ready to be rescued and willing went into the vehicle that took her to get some help. Pearl was covered with mites that had relentlessly eaten away at her skin and fur leaving a raw pink-red covering from the tip of her ears to the cracks in her toes.
Veterinarians cured her mange with regular baths and skin scrapings. They spayed and microchipped her. They made sure she got plenty of love. She spent the next three months rehabilitating in amazing foster care in Austin.
The moment I saw Pearl, I knew she was going to be my next dog. I was able to see images and videos of her playing with other dogs – not a care in the world. And as the months passed, each image showed a healthier, happier dog. Her fur was like new – soft and cottony. Three months later, she leaped on me, smothering me with kisses, in the parking lot of the Holiday Inn in Portsmouth.
Yes, I am the one who spoke for her, but it is the team of people that cared for her during those 3 months that changed her life – the people on the ground. I am glad I don’t know the details of her history beyond her rescue story. I don’t want to hold that weight in my heart. I only want the love and deep respect I have for the people who were integral in changing her life.
