Terrier Finds Forever Home After Vet Refuses Euthanasia. When Rescued, He Does the Sweetest Thing
When 13-year-old Jack Russell terrier Tex was surrendered to a rescue organization in January 2022, he was frighteningly close to death. His previous owners had taken him to a vet to be euthanized simply because they “did not love him.” After the vet refused, they crated Tex in their garage without food, allowing his teeth to rot out of his mouth.
Vet Refuses To Euthanize Healthy Dog
A concerned neighbor who heard the constant barking in the garage called the son of the older parents who lived in the house. The son thankfully did the right thing and contacted the rescue group Russell Rescue who in turn reached out to foster Julie Devlin to help.
When they called me to foster the skinny dog, “Of course I said YES!” Devlin recalled, already mom to three senior dogs. He was “a very frightened, skinny boy” with rotting teeth “literally falling out of his mouth,” she recaled.
He Lost All 29 Teeth
“When he came to our house, there was a lot of work to be done,” Devlin says. He underwent lifesaving dental surgery, losing all 29 remaining teeth. Timid with severe stranger anxiety, Tex needed coaxing to trust he was finally safe. “With patience he slowly learned that he was safe and loved,” Devlin explains.
A Sign From The Beyond
She hadn’t intended to adopt Tex permanently, but fate intervened through what Devlin calls “Wilburisms.” The family’s last rescued Jack Russell, Wilbur, had passed away months earlier, leaving playful pawprints on their hearts. Remarkably, as Tex grew comfortable in his foster home, he began exhibiting Wilbur’s exact quirky behaviors – rubbing his body enthusiastically on hanging clothes or napping “with his paws straight up.”
On July 4, 2022 after fostering Tex for six months, the Devlin family officially made him one of their pack. “Deep down, from the day I met him, I knew he was meant to be with us,” says Devlin. Though ongoing medical needs like heart medication for his murmur persist, Tex relishes tasty food, romping happily with canine siblings Bruno, Chip and Olive.
Nearly stolen by death and cruelty, Tex is a walking miracle. “We knew Wilbur was watching over Tex and approved.” Thanks to a compassionate rescue and second-chance saviors, this senior Jack Russell proves no dog is beyond saving.
A Higher Purpose Was At Work
This sense of a higher purpose at work, of Tex being watched over and ultimately placed right where he belonged, makes his survival all the more poignant. He now enjoys all the comforts and affection denied him before.
Stories like Tex’s remind us of the power of compassion. When dogs like him can recover to happily bound around after tasting man’s cruelty, it speaks to hope, empathy and our shared duty to aid vulnerable creatures great and small. Devlin’s family personifies these virtues in taking Tex in; theirs is the spirit we should all aspire to. For dogs like Tex, and people like the Devlin family who open their hearts and homes, even the most damaged lives can still know peace, joy and unlimited belly rubs.
Related Posts:
- Watch The Heartwarming Moment A Terrified Malamute Is Comforted by His Sister In Shelter Kennel
- Woman Opens Her Home to 2 Shelter Dogs, What Happens Next Is Pure Joy
- Abandoned Breeding Dog, Injured & Scared, Stumbles Into the Arms of a Guardian Angel