Living Grace Canine Ranch

Living Grace Canine Ranch LGCR is a 501(c)(3) charity saving, serving, and valuing adoption-disadvantaged TX senior dogs. https://linktr.ee/LivingGraceCanineRanch
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🚨98 Degrees Outside. Two frantic dogs are trapped in a car.📍 Buc-ee's /Central TexasYesterday, our founder, Rhonda Minar...
07/01/2025

🚨98 Degrees Outside. Two frantic dogs are trapped in a car.
📍 Buc-ee's /Central Texas

Yesterday, our founder, Rhonda Minardi, witnessed a heart-stopping scene:
Two frantic dogs panting inside a parked car—windows barely cracked, sun blazing, and temperatures soaring to 98°.

With no time to lose, Rhonda:
💧 Offered water through the small window
📞 Called 911 when Buc-ee’s management refused to page the owner
💔 Stayed with the dogs until help—or hope—arrived

The outcome?
The owner eventually returned, shocked to learn how fast heatstroke can kill.
She thanked Rhonda, saying, 'They’re my babies—I had no idea how quickly this could happen.'

💡Let this be a wake-up call.
Even a few minutes in a hot car can be a death sentence for dogs—cracked windows don’t cut it.

🔔What to do if you see a dog in distress:
Call 911 or animal control
Try to locate the owner
Stay with the vehicle

👉Texas heat kills. Don’t leave your pets, the elderly, or children behind. Not even for a minute.

Take it from St. Nick, our dignified Great Pyrenees and third-year sanctuary resident.He came to LGCR from a rural road,...
07/01/2025

Take it from St. Nick, our dignified Great Pyrenees and third-year sanctuary resident.
He came to LGCR from a rural road, staying faithfully beside his injured life partner, Noel — unwilling to leave her side until help arrived.

Since then, he’s taught us what love without conditions looks like. Quiet. Steady. Unwavering.

Here, St. Nick asks for nothing more than rest, respect, and the freedom to be exactly who he is — no expectations, no pressure.

💙 That’s the kind of love our seniors give. And the kind they deserve in return.

06/30/2025

At LGCR, we’ve spent the past five years listening to what senior dogs are trying to tell us, especially those who have been misunderstood.

👉 The #1 reason we hear from families looking to rehome a senior dog?
Concern about how the dog responds to babies or toddlers.

And you know what? We understand. But here’s the nuance:
Many senior dogs aren’t aggressive — they’re reactive, and often for good reasons:

*Trauma from past handling or abuse
*Physical pain (like arthritis) makes a surprise touch intolerable.
*Reduced vision and hearing or interrupted sleep can magnify a startled reaction. In animals, including humans, the startle response is a largely unconscious defensive response to sudden or threatening stimuli, such as a loud noise or a sharp movement, and is often associated with negative affect.
*A high need for personal space — something curious toddlers can’t always respect

⚠️ It’s not “bad behavior.” It’s communication.
And it’s our job to listen without judgment.

At LGCR, we distinguish between reactive behavior and more serious aggression. We create safe environments where boundaries are respected, not punished, and where senior dogs are honored for who they are, not just who people hoped they’d be.

💙 Sometimes love comes with teeth. And that’s okay.

06/29/2025

🐾 Roadside to Rescued—Now Ready for Home! 🐾

Found abandoned along a rural Texas road, these 9-week-old Blue Heeler puppies have traded uncertainty for belly rubs and biscuits. 💙

Now healthy, happy, and full of heel-kicking energy, they’re ready for their forever homes.

✔️ Smart
✔️ Spirited
✔️ Born to bond

If you’ve got time, love, and enjoy nonstop gratitude, these pups are ready to be your loyal sidekick. 🐶

📍Available now at Living Grace Canine Ranch
📩 Schedule a meet~n~greet: email/[email protected]

Elder Wisdom – "You can wrap it in cheese, but I know.”Zephyr, senior resident and professional pill detective.At LGCR, ...
06/29/2025

Elder Wisdom – "You can wrap it in cheese, but I know.”
Zephyr, senior resident and professional pill detective.

At LGCR, we’ve learned that with age comes wisdom… and an uncanny ability to detect anything suspicious tucked inside a treat. 🧀💊

Some call it picky — we call it discerning.

~Mrs. Wiggles Remembered~With full hearts and misty eyes, we bid farewell to our beloved Mrs. Wiggles, who crossed the R...
06/28/2025

~Mrs. Wiggles Remembered~
With full hearts and misty eyes, we bid farewell to our beloved Mrs. Wiggles, who crossed the Rainbow Bridge at the age of seventeen. Our Pembroke Welsh Corgi possessed a spirit far mightier than her petite frame and embodied the very essence of Living Grace Canine Ranch: resilience, joy, and unconditional love.

Her journey with us began in 2022, when LGCR rescued her from a shelter in Dallas, Texas. Surrendered by her owner and marked for euthanasia due to her struggles with balance and a large, bleeding lipoma on her chest, Mrs. Wiggles was labeled as "too far gone." But to us, she was just getting started.

In 2023, she was definitively diagnosed with Degenerative Myelopathy (DM)—a progressive neurological condition similar to ALS in humans. Although her prognosis was just 12 months, no one conveyed that to Mrs. Wiggles. She had other plans.

She went on to celebrate two additional birthdays, enjoy two Christmas morning brunches, and proudly wiggle her way into the Golden Years Club Parade three times. True to her name, she refused to let her condition define her, only her signature wiggle, which remained strong in spirit even as her body gradually slowed.

Witnessing her joy illuminated the beauty of choosing life, even in difficult times. She didn't just survive; she thrived, reminding us all that even in life's final chapters, there can be celebrations, companionship, and countless smiles.

Rest easy, sweet girl. You were never "too far gone." You were waiting to be found.

💜At Living Grace Canine Ranch, we remain devoted to providing hope, health, and happiness to senior dogs like Mrs. Wiggles—because every chapter deserves a graceful ending.

When it’s Texas hot, our seniors stay cool. 😎🐶At LGCR, our sanctuary residents — like wise ol' Hemi — head indoors from ...
06/28/2025

When it’s Texas hot, our seniors stay cool. 😎🐶

At LGCR, our sanctuary residents — like wise ol' Hemi — head indoors from noon to 5pm during the summer months. Why? Because for senior dogs, the heat isn’t just uncomfortable — it can be dangerous.

✅ Here’s what indoor time means for them:
🥗 Midday lunch
🛏️ Much-needed rest
🧠 Gentle enrichment (think snuffle mats, soft toys, and slow tail wags)

Senior dogs are more vulnerable to heatstroke and dehydration, so we keep them cool, calm, and comfy.

💧 Stay in. Stay hydrated. Stay safe.
And remember — you don’t chase what’s meant for you… You wag your cherished tail, and it finds you. 🐾

LGCR Original Series: Napflix and Wisdom**Routine is the spice of Life**The same trail. At the same time. The same gentl...
06/27/2025

LGCR Original Series: Napflix and Wisdom

**Routine is the spice of Life**
The same trail. At the same time. The same gentle glances.
There’s something quietly beautiful about the routines shared between a senior dog and their devoted human.

The same trail. The same time. The same gentle glances.

For our senior dogs, routine isn’t just habit—it’s security, comfort, and connection. In the predictability of shared walks, mealtimes, and gentle care, they find peace. And for us? We find purpose. Gratitude. Love in its most faithful form.

At Living Grace Canine Ranch, these small daily rituals are where hope, health, and happiness take root.

❤️ Because sometimes, the most ordinary moments become the ones we never forget.
👉Do you have a 'just us' routine?

**Eighteen Souls. Three Days. One Mission.**In just the past three days, LGCR’s Roadside Rescue “Help is On The Way” van...
06/27/2025

**Eighteen Souls. Three Days. One Mission.**
In just the past three days, LGCR’s Roadside Rescue “Help is On The Way” van has traveled the 222-mile loop between Bertram, Brady, and Marble Falls, tracking down dogs left behind.

Eighteen dogs, ranging from newborns to senior dogs with gray muzzles, were abandoned along Hill Country roadsides and needed help. All but one old soul did not survive, but we never leave any helpless creature behind.

Every mile we drive is a lifeline.
Every stop is a second chance.

We don’t ask how they got there. We say:
“You’re safe now.”

From country roads to left-behind on driveways, our mission rolls on—powered by compassion and fueled by a community of supporters.

💞Because at LGCR, every rescue begins with hope—and ends with health, happiness, and a home.

Some people may hesitate to love an older dog due to the emotional fear of heartache. We understand that. However, consi...
06/26/2025

Some people may hesitate to love an older dog due to the emotional fear of heartache. We understand that. However, consider this: what if the love you provide during their final chapter is the most meaningful part of their entire story—and possibly yours as well? Senior dogs don't require a lifetime with you; they need someone who can make the rest of their time feel like forever.
💜
At LGCR, we are surrounded by more than one hundred wagging tails, all reminding us daily of what truly matters in life.
👉Over the next month, let's hear from our Elder Wisdom Life Ambassadors—who knows, they might change some people's views on love.

06/25/2025

Touch Heals Emotional Trauma
When dogs learn that human hands bring love, not pain, they begin to heal, trust, and thrive.
Many rescued or neglected dogs have histories of abuse or neglect. Safe, loving touch:
• Can reverse the damage caused by human cruelty,
• Helps rebuild neurological patterns associated with trust and bonding,
• It is often the first step in restoring a dog's faith in humanity.
At Living Grace Canine Ranch, positive touch isn't just affection—it's medicine for the soul.
Have you touched your companion today?

06/24/2025

Babs is too modest to describe herself as a "braveheart," which refers to someone who displays courage, especially in the face of fear or adversity. Yet, here she is at age 14, self-soothing with her Binky Bear while enduring the painful process of eradicating heartworms.

Did you know that up to **1 in 6 shelter dogs** in Central TX test positive for heartworm? Senior dogs living in low-income areas are particularly at risk due to years of exposure.

Resources:
💊 **Low-cost and even free options** are available:
✅ *Emancipet (Austin)* – \$15 heartworm meds, free clinic days
✅ *Save An Angel (Bastrop)* – \$25 tests, \~\$8/month prevention
✅ *TCAP* – \$5/month meds & \$20 tests at vaccine events

📅 Don't wait—test yearly and treat monthly. Protect your companion with love and prevention!

Address

160 Elaina Lane
Bertram, TX
78605

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Getting Ready To Break Ground...

Living Grace Canine Ranch is a permanent home that provides a dignified, loving sanctuary honoring a canine's final years. We open our arms and shout "come". Come to all breeds that are elderly, unwanted, physically, and mentally fragile. Here, at your ranch, you will find security, comfort, nourishment, unconditional love, companionship, and nearly five acres of instinctual-gratifying discovery. We are building this ranch for you.