For 8 months, Tex, his sister and his mother lived a lonely and dangerous life on the streets of a
small town in Texas. They were afraid of other animals and did not know how to get their next
meal, but they stuck together and were eventually discovered and rescued. A rescue
organization in Texas arranged for the three pups to be sent to a rescue group in New Jersey.
Tex’s sister and mom were immediately adopted by loving families. But no one inquired about
Tex. Despite his extremely friendly and loving nature, no one wanted him – he just did not have
the good looks of a purebred puppy and was not cute and small like his sister and mom. So
Tex was in jeopardy, and the rescue group called my daughter, Tracy, to see if she would foster
him until they could find a permanent home. Not surprisingly, she agreed, assuming Tex would
be adopted within a few more weeks like the other pups she had fostered.
Tex had not been socialized, did not respond to any name and, most importantly, was not potty-trained, so these were the first lessons to be taught. He was NOT the ideal addition to the
household, especially in such a scary time, but he was a good student and learned willingly and
quickly. Having shelter, being fed daily and playing ball was his cup of tea! He got
along with the entire family, including the cat and two other dogs. Over the next couple of
weeks, Tex’s confidence grew and his love for his foster family flourished. It wasn’t long before
Tex was living the good life of napping on the chaise lounge, playing with newly discovered dog
toys, and becoming the focus of many funny family pictures.
What Tex could not have understood was that my daughter and her family were able to be home 100% of the time because of the COVID-19 global pandemic, which is affecting over a million people worldwide. Quarantined was not in his vocabulary, but he understood love and kindness for the first time. He began to smile, really smile, all the time. Tex was a new focus, a new cause and a perfect distraction from the daily isolation and growing fear surrounding my daughter and her family. Tex had brought new energy and love into the household at a time of crisis. After six weeks, Tracy realized that while she did not want to live in quarantine for much longer, she did want Tex forever.
Being confined to our home is something all of us never expected to be the norm. In that boredom, Tracy decided to have a DNA done on Tex and was surprised at the results. Tex, at 40 pounds is 24.9% American Pit Bull Terrier, 16.9% Pomeranian, 16.6% Chihuahua, 10.2 % Perro de Pressa Canario, 8.6% American Staffordshire Terrier, 8.1% Catahoula Leopard Dog, and finally 6.3% Miniature Pinscher. Obviously, Tex has an extended family tree. Somehow Tex got the best of a lot of breeds and now is considered a “Super Mutt”. He is also the animal that has helped a family going through this health crisis. Maybe a shelter animal would do wonders for each of us.
At this time, we need to appreciate all the essential workers that are jeopardizing their safety to provide everything we have always expected to be around. Stay at home, hug a dog, reach out via phone to your loved ones, and please take care of yourself. Yes, I know my picture is an improvement from past articles.
