Herding Home Animal Rescue - HHAR

09/13/2024

This 20 lb Pocket Heeler is a survivor!

Teddy’s organs are back to where they belong, and he’s on his way to a full recovery.

He won’t be available for adoption for another couple weeks, but now would be a great time to apply for preapproval.

Background: Teddy was hit by a car, which caused his diaphragm to tear open. His liver, spleen, small intestines, and part of his stomach made its way to his chest cavity!

He needed quite an extensive (and expensive) surgery to correct this: his tab is over $7600! We’re still fundraising for his medical bills, but the surgery couldn’t wait.

Teddy is 1 year old, and has a shy and sweet personality. He’s quite snuggly, loves attention, and has the cutest awoo. He’s been neutral or playful with other dogs, even intact males (though he will tell them when they’re being too obnoxious).

At the shelter, when he was freshly injured, he was scared, snappy, and insecure. The first few days with us, he was completely shut down and wouldn’t even leave his carrier. He’s feeling a lot better now, and has so much more confidence. He’s now happy to be the center of attention.

09/11/2024

Today, we light a candle in honor of our sweet boy 🕯️

Otis was part of our buried alive litter, brother to 7 rambunctious siblings.

He was a clumsy, he was barky, but most of all: He was very, very loved.

ER vets couldn’t explain what happened to him; he declined quickly, and coded unexpectedly while they were drawing blood. He had no sign of disease, and nothing remarkable on his tests or ultrasound. His stomach was firm; their best guess without knowing for sure is bloat.

Our hearts are broken, and this comes to a shock to us all… Please be patient as we process adoption applications for the rest of his litter.

We wish this sweet baby had more time with us, but he’s so lucky to have experienced puppyhood in a home where he was comfortable and loved 🌈

09/04/2024

Why is his liver up by his lungs??!

Teddy is a Pocket Heeler with the most unfortunate luck. He was hit by a car, and wound up at the shelter.

While undergoing his routine neuter, vets noticed he was having trouble staying oxygenated, which prompted them to take chest x-rays. What they found wasn’t good.

His diaphragm tore open, and his abdominal contents (liver, spleen, small intestines, gallbladder, and part of his stomach) spilled into his chest cavity.

His organs were in all the wrong places. He was struggling to breathe since his abdominal organs were pressed up against his lungs and heart.

A specialist put humpty-dumpy back together again, but not without some obstacles. Teddy had trouble coming out of anesthesia and needs to be hospitalized overnight to monitor his lung reexpansion.

We’re not out of the woods yet; if we can get past these next 24-48 hours, he’s likely to make a total recovery. Can you help with Teddy’s care?

08/21/2024

Almost buried alive? 😱 Rescuers had to dig this puppy out with their bare hands.

These 8 puppies (and mama) were dumped on a ranch in the middle of nowhere, in the heat of a Texas summer. If that weren’t bad enough, one of the wandering, unsupervised puppies fell into a pit underneath a pole barn, and was trapped there for over 12 HOURS!

When help finally arrived, they had to dig the puppy out with their bare hands.

The puppies had fleas and ringworm; Mom had skin-deep matting and was covered in ticks. We knew we had to help them.

Mama is a tiny little girl, weighing just 31 lbs at 1-2 years old. She is a snuggler and loves kids. 4 puppies are boys, and 4 are girls.

The puppies are currently 4-5 weeks old and little, with the smallest being under 4 lbs and the largest being almost 5 lbs. Despite their size, they are mighty! These are some playful, spicy heelers, full of energy, grit, and drive. Now that they’re in our care, they’ll be raised with Puppy Culture.

If you would like to apply for preadoption, please email [email protected] — they’ll be ready to go home end of September at very earliest.

08/13/2024

Congrats to Taylor and HHAR Alumni Milo (now Draco), for earning 3 AKC titles today!

-AKC Canine Good Citizens
-Advanced Canine Good Citizens
-Urban Canine Good Citizens

Just a few months earlier, Milo was surrendered to our rescue as an adolescent, overstimulated, bitey Aussie.

Taylor (of Proper Paws Dog Training LLC) adopted Milo as her demo dog, and mastered countless skills within 8 short weeks. If you'd like to make similar achievements with your own dog, follow their training videos on social media, and book a virtual coaching session with Taylor directly.

Thank you Taylor, for trusting us with your out-of-state adoption! You two were meant for each other.

08/12/2024

AVAILABLE - The shelter was going to euthanize Ollie for space, so meet our newest intake!

Ollie is a 1-2 year old fun-loving border collie mix. He's housebroken, kennel trained, and loves to go for walks. He loves playing chase with other dogs, and has befriended both males and females of all sizes.

Ollie is a snuggler and has loved every person he's met. He loves to play fetch, and he lived with both cats and kids in his previous home with no reported issues. He hasn't been child and cat-tested with us yet, but his reason for surrender was housing instability.

He's an excitable, adolescent herding breed working through basic manners like jumping and leash reactivity, but once properly introduced to other dogs, he truly wants nothing more than to play. We're still learning more about him since he's only been with us for 2 weeks, but we know he loves laying in the kiddie pool, was a gentleman with the vet handling his blood-clotted 🥜, and does well in the car.

He is neutered, and current on vaccines and heartworm prevention.

To foster (or foster-to-adopt), please email [email protected] with the subject like "[Your Last Name] foster Ollie". Fosters get first right to adopt.

08/05/2024

Thank you for the feature, Newsweek!

Click the article to read about how we built a nonprofit animal shelter from scratch.

"It takes a lot of sacrifice, physically, mentally, and financially. But I'm not doing it for me, I'm doing it for them," AmberLynn told Newsweek.

07/16/2024

2 weeks ago, he was an electrocuted, poisoned neglect case. Today, he is a taco.

It’s amazing what donations and vetmed can do. It transformed this tortured, dying puppy into a happy corn tortilla, with all the fixins’ 🌮

All jokes aside: We’re so grateful the community stepped up, after so many people failed him. As promised, any leftover donations will be used to save the lives of other urgent dogs. Everyone at HHAR is an UNPAID volunteer, so 100% of your donation will go directly to dogs in need, not oversight.

We had our Instagram followers vote on an official name for him, and the results are in! The top voted name was “Marvel” - due to the extraordinary feats he and his brothers overcame throughout their recovery.

07/07/2024

What a transformation! 🐾

In just 7 days, he went from knocking on death’s door, to a happy, playful puppy.

It’s hard to believe just a few days ago, he was receiving countless blood transfusions and bleeding out from all over his body.

We haven’t received the final bill yet, but it’s in the ballpark of $15,000! He’ll likely need his broken leg corrected, but for now we’re celebrating the fact he pulled through the worst of it.

His littermates were also rescued from that situation and given emergency care, courtesy of Poso Dog Rescue and NYC Second Chance Rescue. The puppies were so anemic (PCVs at 6 & 9%), they risked multi-organ failure or death. But like our kiddo, they both pulled through and are now in foster care. His brothers are being transported to POSO Rescue for the rest of their recovery.

Thank you to everyone that donated towards these puppies. They were very expensive, and took 3 different rescues spearheading this case. All of us drained our reserves, but you donors really stepped up to the plate. Thank you for believing in them, and believing in us to do what we do.

Our puppy has a really good prognosis going forward, but still needs several weeks of pampering before he’s ready for adoption. He still has a body condition score of 2/9 (meaning he is very, very underweight). We’re going to fatten him up a bit, deworm, and get him caught up to date on normal vetting.

Once he’s cleared for adoption, we’ll make an announcement. For those who already submitted an application, just comment on his future post letting us know you’re still interested, and that you already submitted an app.

If you would like to submit an app early, email [email protected], and download the adoption application linked in our automated welcome email. We are so busy with extreme medical cases right now, we do not have the time to respond to each individual message/comment/email like usual.

07/01/2024

⚡️Electrocuted, hit by a car, and starved ⁉️

This puppy has suffered such extreme trauma in his short life, it’s hard to even talk about.

We’ve already spent roughly $8000 on this poor boy, and he’s still in the ER. We’re running low on funds, but he’s still fighting with the will to live. We don’t want to give up on him, but we absolutely need donations to keep on going.

Since he was an owner-surrender, we had no pledges for him. No donors. No shelter funding. This is all from our savings, and after 48 hours, we’re going to run out.

At just 4 months old, he deserves to pull through and live a long, happy life. He deserves to experience a real family. Our fundraising goal is high, but after multiple blood transfusions, 3 separate ER visits, and consults with 6 different doctors, we need it.

We rarely take in owner surrenders, but his condition was just too poor to let him keep suffering. He had been like this for days, without receiving vet care. When he was hit by a car more than 2 months ago, he broke his leg, and his owners “left it in God’s hands and prayed” instead of bringing him to a hospital. Their second puppy hit by a car did not make it.

They still have 2 of his littermates, one of which has similar injuries and needs emergency care. We are struggling to afford saving this puppy alone, so we either need to fundraise twice as much, or have another rescue take them in.

This morning he receives his second transfusion. If his CBCs improve, then we’ll have an oral exam done under anesthesia to better assess the tongue swelling. For now, he’s medicated and being made comfortable; his tongue swelling is down 20% from yesterday.

06/26/2024

ADOPTED - Cooper the Cowboy Corgi is ready to find a home!

This little pup was an outdoor-only ranch dog that kept escaping his fencing. When his last family tried privately rehoming him, they noticed much of the interest was coming from breeders. They decided it’d be in his best interest to surrender him to a rescue that would neuter him prior to placement.

So that’s what we did! He’s since been snipped, and ready for his next adventure.

Cooper is laid back for a herding dog, and really just wants to hang out with his people. He needs slow intros to new dogs, but loves playing with them once he warms up.

He’s neutral to cats and has lived with livestock such as horses, cattle, and sheep. He LOVES children, and is glad to have attention even from strangers.

His perfect home is one that is breed-knowledge, has secure fencing, and has someone that is regularly home to give him companionship. He hasn’t had separation anxiety and settles in his kennel, but is so happy when showered with attention. He is housebroken, but still getting out of the habit of marking. Since his neuter, this has improved tremendously, but may regress when changing environments.

We are starting to review preapproved applications for him, so if you’re interested, now would be the time to get your app in. Just email [email protected] and follow the instructions detailed in the automated welcome message.

06/25/2024

Need something fun (and air conditioned) to do this Saturday?

Join us for PUPPY YOGA at Inner Diva Studios!

Enjoy an hour of relaxing gentle yoga (suitable for all skill levels) while playing with adoptable puppies! Mats are provided, just bring comfortable clothes.

Tickets are $25 and benefit our organization. Come on by — it’s the best therapy!

From puppy yoga to new cabana clubs, here's the scoop on what's happening in the city.

06/17/2024

Bored and live in Austin? Come cuddle puppies!

Whether you’re looking for your next best friend, or just need some puppy therapy, we have 3 adoption events lined up.

Stop by and meet our adoptable baby shepherds!

06/08/2024

Yesterday 6 week old Mouse was at the shelter, scheduled for euthanasia. He was hypoglycemic and his white blood cell count was plummeting.

We had to give him a fighting chance, and immediately rushed him to the ER.

He had an overnight hospitalization, but despite trying every treatment possible, he was continuing to decline.

For the first time ever, we’ve made the decision to put a dog to sleep.

We’ve taken in hundreds of death row dogs (some of which were EXTREME medical cases), and we’ve always gotten lucky. The 4 deaths we’ve had were all natural.

But today our luck ran dry. After speaking with Mouse’s medical team, we collectively agreed it was in his best interest to let him go. He was in distress, treatment was only making him more uncomfortable, and there was a high risk of cardiac arrest if we continued on.

Most people won’t to donate to a dog that has already passed on, but please consider it. We’re financially bruised after fronting roughly $2,000 for his care, and there are more who still need us.

Who will Mouse be greeted by at the rainbow bridge? 🌈

05/31/2024

Saved from euthanasia! 🎉

The shelter was going to put down this family of 8, due to overcapacity. We stepped in with only 3 minutes to spare!

The 5 week olds have coccidia and are ridden with fleas, but are otherwise healthy. Their 3 year old mother, Athena, is covered in raw welts, at least 10 lbs underweight, and is missing some hair from malnutrition. She has old scars all over her face and lived a hard life.

Despite this, mama Athena is very sweet-natured, friendly, mellow, and incredibly dog neutral. She loves pets, lounging around, and has no issues with strangers handling her babies. She’s an easygoing gentle giant, even when other dogs were lunging and barking at her. (She does have a prey drive, so no cats, small animals, or probably farm animals. She had very little interest in the deer she saw on leashed walks).

We gave the family vet care, and they’re now on the hunt for a foster home. (Fosters get first choice if adopting!) We are looking for fosters in Central Tx, but will be offering out of state adoption once the puppies are of age.

05/26/2024

ADOPTED - Milo is looking for a home!

This 1 year old purebred Red Merle Aussie has sky blue eyes, a full beautiful tail, and the personality to match!

He is an active boy who loves to play tug-o-war, splash in the water, shred cardboard, and run around with other pups whenever he gets the chance. His intelligence is remarkable and he loves to show it off whenever there are treats involved. He has been through private obedience classes, loves going on adventures, and knows many commands and marker words.

He has entered his teen years and as a herding breed prefers everything and everyone to be in proper order, often times leading to undesirable behaviors. This includes demand barking, blocking your path, target fixating, and biting at your feet or forearms. He can easily become over stimulated amplifying the behaviors. Milo lacks bite inhibition during play, which often leads to bruises and less often to broken skin. He is not destructive, but will dig at couch cushions for attention. He has occasionally dug holes in the yard to save his chewy treats for a later time.

Milo is a timid boy and is shy during new experiences. He is not a fan of bath time, nail trims, or when hairdryers are on in the house. He does however, enjoy being brushed regularly and having his paws cleaned after a muddy walk.

Milo sleeps in a kennel in his owner’s bedroom and will go to “bed” willingly for naps and bedtime. He does not like to be in a kennel when people are around and active, and instead prefers to nap around the house when his owners are home. He is potty trained, but has had accidents in stores and in unfamiliar homes in the past.

Milo eats a weight-based portion of Hills Science Diet. He has had regular health checkups since birth, was neutered in February, and is up to date on all vaccines, flea, tick, and heartworm prevention.

The perfect home will have experienced owners, other dogs for him to play with, and plenty of cardboard ready for shredding! Transport can be arranged for the perfect fit: someone committed, adventurous, kind, and sets boundaries.

05/23/2024

ADOPTED - Abandoned at a gas station at just 4-5 months old… meet Loves.

One of our past adopters was returning from a road trip when she pulled over for (what was meant to be) a quick a pit stop.

In the pet relief area was an a skinny German Shepherd pup, covered in fleas, who had been alone for over an hour unattended. Her leash was tossed outside the park, and witnesses reported seeing a suspicious-looking man in a yellow jacket flee the scene. She was not microchipped.

Loves is a sweet, submissive, shyer puppy who loves to snuggle and play with other dogs. Her mellow temperament and eagerness to please makes her a great first-time shepherd for someone looking to get into herding breeds.

She’s cuddly and focuses on her people. She walks well on her leash and is not interested in strangers. She’s had no accidents, settled in her kennel fairly quick, and slept through the night with no trouble.

She gravitates to people and dogs with a mellow energy. Those with respectful kids over 8 can apply, but she enjoys a calm household.

She’s a picky eater and will bark when someone is at the door, but is otherwise not a barker and plays gently. She has seen a vet and is healthy.

If you would like to apply as a foster or adopt, email us at [email protected]

**Loves is on a 72 hour strayhold until Saturday, May 25th in the event she is a stolen dog. Owners would need to come forward with proof of ownership (ie vet records, dog tags, police report, photos, etc.). Abandoning a dog is a Class A Misdemeanor: Dumping a dog can land you in prison for a year and up to $4000 in fines.

04/20/2024

Looking for velcro dog that happy dances and never stops wagging his tail?

2 years old Dots is a Texas Heeler who wants to be with his people at all times. He will ask you to follow him, then look over his shoulder to make sure you’re coming. This includes going outside, or just room-to-room in the house.

He does little happy dances when you come home (or even just walk back into the house), no matter how long you were gone. This dog will always greet you with wiggles and tippy-taps.

Despite being so loyal, he doesn’t have bad separation anxiety, and can be trusted outside of his kennel unsupervised. He will play with toys on his own, never destroying them, and keep himself occupied. He’s completely housebroken, not destructive, and not a barker.

Whining is his main form of communication whether it’s to go outside, to go on a walk, to follow him room-to-room, for food, etc. He isn’t afraid of letting you know what he is thinking.

He’s medium energy, needing at least a mile walk a day, and a 30 minute outdoor session so he isn’t stirring at night. Someone who doing the bare minimum would find him crying and pacing more. He regularly asks for walks, but does have an off switch and ignoring him for 10-15 minutes usually gives him the message.

When comfortable, he will request belly rubs and roll onto his back to sleep. He isn’t a lap dog, but instead prefers to get some pets on the head or back and then go back to his spot on the carpet to sleep. He will put his front paws on your lap if he really wants a treat or some pets. His tail never stops wagging when he is home with his people.

When his fosters gave him a bath, he was unhappy, but tolerated it. He can be mouthy when excited taking treats or toys from your hands.

He is reserved with strangers and it takes him some time to warm up to new people. An all-adult home with less frequent visitors would be perfect for him.

04/08/2024

After 10 months, Topo Chico was finally ADOPTED! 🎉

Thank you to everyone that shared his story across instagram: Because if you, his post racked up over a million views! After going viral, he received countless adoption applications, and was ultimately adopted out to a woman in Florida. From Death Row to Orlando!

Shelters here in Texas are at capacity and euthanize for space every day. It doesn’t matter if they’re a small breed, an 8 week old puppy, a social butterfly, or a flashy purebred… there are simply too many dogs and too few homes.

What else are shelters supposed to do when they run out of kennel space? Many shelters keep dogs in wire cages along the hallways, or keep them in outdoor kennel runs during severe heat and cold. Even THAT isn’t enough.

To stop this practice, in the long-term we need to regulate breeding, require microchips, increase pet-friendly housing, and make spay/neuter clinics more accessible. In the sort-term, we need to get dogs out of Texas.

We can help arrange transport to your state… consider adopting a Texas Death Row Dog!



**Note: Before we transport dogs out of state, they are quarantined, see a vet, and are behaviorally evaluated — they do not go straight from the shelter to your home. We will not use our 501c3 status to tag rescue-only dogs for outside adopters: the only dogs we tag are ones entering our program.

04/03/2024

Nothing to do today?

Come to dog-friendly bar The Stay Put in downtown Austin— meet our adoptable dogs and have a drink!

Every drink you order will be donated towards our rescue! We’ll be here until 9pm!

73 Rainey St.
Austin, TX 78701

04/01/2024

ADOPTED - Meet Benny: a beautiful 27 lb 2 year old goofball.

We saved him from shelter euthanasia 2 weeks ago. Why would they put him down, you may ask? Because he would hide in a corner trembling and wouldn’t accept treats or walk on a leash. He’s HW+ and was ridden with mats and fleas. The shelter staff had to carry him from room to room. No bite history, no signs of aggression… just a scared and confused pup.

2 weeks out of the shelter, he’s really come out of his shell. He loves to go for walks and is beautiful on a leash. His favorite thing is hunting for bugs, especially flies. Walks are a great way to build his confidence and bond with him.

He is slow to warm up with new people or animals, but is not reactive. He just needs some space and will come to you when he’s ready. Once he gets comfortable, he’ll come right up to you to ask for pets. He’s housebroken, kennel trained, and tolerant of baths and vets. He’s met both spayed female dogs, intact males, neutered males, and cats; at first he’s very neutral or standoffish, but he plays once he warms up.

We’re currently fundraising for his medical treatment! Any extra funds will go towards our other HW+ death row dogs, like Bear, Dots Juno, Chloe, etc. Heartworms is a death sentence for shelter dogs, and for us to keep saving them, we need to keep fundraising for their care.

If you’re interested in adopting Benny when he’s done with his HW treatment and neuter, email [email protected] with “ Adopt Benny” in the subject line.

03/26/2024

ADOPTED - Topo Chico has been searching for a home for 291 days.

The shelter he came from was bulk euthanizing dogs, and he was on the list at only 1 years old. When tagging herding dogs, our transporter told us she could squeeze in two more dogs as long as they fit in a cat carrier. 12 lb Topo Chico was able to fit, so he lived.

We know we’re a herding dog rescue, and most of you aren’t interested in chihuahuas… but don’t overlook this cool little guy. He plays fetch, loves to go for walks, and is very playful and puppy-like. He’s come so far from being an emaciated, sick, scared little baby.

He’s more than ready for his next adventure. Someone who will be his human and cherish him forever. He has so much love to give, and will gaze at you with his tender, marble-like eyes.

Someone who will take him for walks, and play fetch with his favorite Santa stuffie. He’ll always bring the toy back and drop it right in your lap. He’s very gentle with his toys and doesn’t destroy them. When adopting Topo Chico, you’re also adopting his favorite Santa.

To adopt, please email [email protected] with the subject line “[Your Last Name re: Topo Chico] and fill out the application linked in the automated email.

03/24/2024

ADOPTED - Benny is lucky to be alive. He was going to be behaviorally euthanized, after only 2 days at the shelter, despite having no history of biting or aggression.

His behavioral notes are as follows:

- “Approaching kennel dog has tail tucked, side eyes, when placing leash he stayed stationary. Carried to next kennel”

- “Approaching kennel, tail was tucked, whale eyes, backed up not eating kibble. Tossed kibble towards back of kennel, continued lip licking and began to look away with trembling body”

That’s it!

In his temp foster home, he’s been shy, but a gentleman. He plays with their dogs and started taking treats from his foster’s hand. He even play bowed at his foster this morning, then ensued a game of chase!

He is housebroken and likes to catch bugs 🐛 After having a couple days to relax, his appetite fully came back, and he is currently 27 lbs. He does pretty well in his kennel and sleeps through the night.

He’s HW+ so we are currently fundraising for his treatment and other care.

03/19/2024

How is Juno STILL looking for a home?

Juno is a 2 year old cattle dog that was hit by a car while heavily pregnant, and survived to deliver her litter of puppies at the shelter.

She lost a back leg in that accident, but almost lost her life at the shelter. The shelter almost euthanized her and her babies, but we took the whole family in for rehab. All her pups have since been adopted, but she’s gotten little interest herself. It’s time for Juno to find her forever home!

Juno is undergoing heartworm treatment, which is paid for by us. She is currently in a temporary foster home, and she gets along great with both large and little dogs (despite having a prey drive for cats). She does best with confident dogs that can show her the ropes, and understand her pestering herding play-style.

She is shy around new people but warms up within a day or two. An active but quieter home with no young kids would be perfect for Juno. She’s the kind of dog that will Velcro to you, but wants to come to you vs you coming to her. Despite her fear of strangers, she allows the vet to handle her.

To learn more about Juno, email [email protected] with her name in the subject line.

(Thank you Sam Penner for the beautiful photos)