August, 2021 – It has been almost 4 years since I wrote the following posts on Facebook, during my time volunteering with Best Friends Animal Society as they were relocating 600 animals to a 150,000 sq ft warehouse space inside the NRG Arena, in Houston after Hurricane Harvey made landfall. The NRG Arena is one of the buildings making up the NRG Park, a 350-acre complex.
The pages you are about to read were never really meant to be documented. I had no intentions whatsoever to tell the world about my journey and what happened. But, in the end, writing about it, and the support from family and friends ended up being my lifeline as I struggled through what would end up being the most challenging, but also the most rewarding time in my life.
I have added photos to the names. After all, I figured you might want to see the little faces you will get to know.
It is kind of ironic as I’m looking back, and reading the very first lines I wrote back then – thinking that would be all I would have time to write for the next few weeks. I was so excited and looking forward to the drive from Gulf Breeze to Houston, completely unprepared for the train wreck that was heading towards me… unaware that the weeks and months following, would come to impact and change my life. This is my story.
September 11, 2017
And so it begins…excited, thrilled…can’t even describe how I feel right now. Can’t wait to get to Houston and help out with the animals that has been found, displaced, lost, or worse – abandoned. I have signed myself up for one four-hour shift each day so I can take care of the business work in the afternoons and evenings, so I probably won’t have much time to write much about this trip.
September 13, 2017
Day 1 – NRG Arena, Houston, Texas
It’s been an emotionally draining day. I’ve seen enough sad stories to last me a lifetime. But I have also had the honor and privilege to spend time with some of the dogs we’ve seen in the images left behind from Harvey.
Just sitting with them in their cages, holding them, talking to them. Trying to reassure them that everything is going to be ok. Like the little guy who was found tied to a post with a sign; R.I.P. What kind of person would do such a thing?! But as sad as their stories might be, I look around and realize that these guys are the lucky ones. There is a happy ending for all the 350-400 dogs that are here right now….and there are another 60 coming tomorrow…they will not be put down and there will be an adoption event in mid-October, for the ones that do not get reunited with their family or find a foster family before then.
It’s heartbreaking to see the moms…dads…kids…coming in with the hope in their hearts that they will find their pet, their family member lost in the storm, right here. For some lucky ones, they do. But for many others, we part with a big hug and tears and I wish them good luck and ask them to please come back tomorrow, and the next day, and the next, and send them home with a sheet of info for other rescue organizations that might have their sweet baby.
So we all have our breaking point. Mine came today as I was on the Dog Care team walking the dogs in the afternoon. There is a system in place to make sure every dog gets to go outside for a little while and we all received proper training prior to the shift start. I had walked 10 or so dogs when I go to get the next one in turn.
I check the cage for any specific info and all is fine except this one is on a high-calorie food 4 times a day. I make my way in so I can sit down and spend some time with her as I put the leash on. I look down and this little lady must be the skinniest thing I have ever seen. I truly didn’t think a dog could be that skinny and still be alive. It’s obvious that she has had way too many litters. She does not respond to gentle touch and hugs and she does not care about treats. I take her outside and she is very uncomfortable walking in the grass so I start to walk into the parking lot where she seems to be at ease. It dawns on me that this poor girl is either from a hoarding situation, or she has lived her whole life in the streets.
That was my breaking point. I sat down and just held her as tears rolled down my cheeks. It’s obvious that she does not know what to do with human touch and love, she’s clearly not used to it and there is no spark in her eyes. It’s like she lost her soul.
I pray that I can do something for her that will make her know a little bit of love in her life.
I have never felt this little and helpless. And I have never felt so happy to be in a place to do whatever little bit I can.
Tomorrow is a new day and it will all start all over again. Maybe one of them will get to go home. If not the rest of us will be here ready to love on them again, and again, and again until they all find their forever home. But one thing is for sure, there is no other place I’d rather be right now.
Thank you, Best Friends for never giving up on any pet, regardless of the circumstances.
It’s been a long day…it’s almost 8pm and I have been here for 12 hours. I’m heading back to my Airbnb to get some work done and a few hours of sleep.
Below is a paragraph from an article published on Best Friends website after Hurricane Harvey had made landfall.
On Monday, September 11, we opened the doors of the rescue and reunion center, dubbed the Pet Reunion Pavilion, to the public. Over the course of the next two months, Best Friends staff and volunteers from across the country quietly accomplished one of the most inspiring achievements in our history.
Recent Comments