Adopter Name

Kerry Powell

Rescue Dog’s Name

Gracie

Where Did You Find Your Dog?

I first saw Gracie on Facebook. A local rescue group had shared her intake photo from one of Houston’s shelters. Her photo was haunting; her stats even more. She weighed 31 lbs & was heartworm positive. How she got to the shelter is even more heartbreaking. Locals had called in to report a deceased dog on the side of the road. When Animal Control officers responded to remove the body, they discovered she was in fact alive. To say Gracie was skinny was a serious understatement. She couldn’t stand on her own, she had fur missing due to malnutrition, every bone visible. Her poor head was a fur covered shell. She was scheduled to be euthanized at the end of Friday & it was already Friday morning. The rescue group urgently needed a foster to pull her before she was euthanized. My husband & I decided to try fostering for the first time with Gracie. She was pulled that Friday & on Sunday we brought her home.

Tell Us About the Moment When You Knew that You Two Were Meant for Each Other.

Due to Gracie’s lack of nutrition, she needed to eat several small meals throughout the day. I decided the best way to fatten her up was to start cooking for her. Even though she’d clearly been deprived of food, she wasn’t food aggressive. She willingly let our Dachshunds push her out of her food bowl. Just as Gracie began to get her sparkle back in her eyes, we were informed by our landlord that we couldn’t have three dogs. Thankfully, Gracie went to another amazing family to continue the fostering process & regain her health. I kept in close contact with the foster family & loved watching her blossom. The rescue would share her photos showing her progress & a few people showed interest in adopting her. We knew that she was the final piece in our family puzzle, so once she was healthy enough to be spayed & recovered, we decided to make it official & adopt her.

How Has Your Hero Changed Your Life?

Gracie’s seen & been through things that I couldn’t even imagine going through. Pitbulls get a bad rap, but Gracie has always shown such grace & happiness when at the dog park, at the pet stores. She’s come full circle. She’s taught patience & forgiveness. She’s always got a tail wag to give & kisses to plant. Her zoomies are legendary & she’s a total bed hog. Gracie has accepted her past & is living in the present, eyes on the future. Through her, perceptions have been changed, fears conquered. She’s created advocates for rescue & underdogs. She’s our biggest child & she saved us as much as we saved her.