BY LUPA JERNIGAN
Van Horn is a dog friendly town. You don’t need to spend much time here to see that dog owners are in the majority. We are also a town small in number and distant from big city resources like veterinary care, rescue organizations and other pet-related services.
I arrived in town a little over six months ago and you may have seen me around, taking photos for the paper or talking about knitting or pet grooming. I have a long history of bringing strays home and that hasn’t changed here. We’ve adopted one big puppy who is going to be a permanent resident and now there’s Zoey.
Zoey is a dog whose owners apparently had to move away and couldn’t take her. It appears that they tried to find a home for her but couldn’t and so with none of the resources for pet rescue you might find in a larger area, she was left to fend for herself. Kind people in town have tried to help but she hadn’t found quite the right situation so she will be a temporary guest here in my home until the perfect home comes along.
Zoe appears to be just under a year old and is most certainly a heeler ( cattle dog) mix. What she might be mixed with is anyone’s guess. She is not a large dog. I would estimate her weight at around 35 lbs. at most. She is friendly with everyone she meets, dog and human alike and although she has a great deal of energy when it’s time to play, she can relax and hang out in the house without any trouble. She does not like being alone and is a talented escape artist, so when she is ready for her new home she is going to need humans and/or dogs to hang out with most of the time and a secure fence.
First, she needs vet care. She will be spayed before being placed in a permanent home, and microchipped as well as caught up to date on her vaccinations. To that end, I have set up a fundraising campaign. You can find it by going to www.gofundme.com/crossroadsdogs. There you will see updates on her progress and news as well as pictures of our little rescue star.
If you are interested in joining a conversation about improving the lives of our beloved dogs in our crossroads Texas town, please feel free to contact me at [email protected] or call 678-927-8017. I am particularly interested in hearing from those of you who have worked with spay and neuter or rescue programs here or in other areas in the past and those who would like to help me establish an ongoing set of resources for our pet owners who may be struggling to do the best for their pets.
