27/06/2025
Exactly, 1 year ago today, I pulled my first dog from Jax ACPS, Cruz. Cruz' story is one that I can't make a lot of sense of as it seems he came into the shelter at least THREE different times.
Once, when he was a puppy back in 2016 only weighing 17 lbs, and another time in 2021 for several months at around 42 lbs, and his last and final time as a senior dog at 8 years old in, 2023, where he stayed nearly a year until he was 9 years old weighing approximately 50lbs, before being deemed "rescue only," and wasn't going to make it out alive without a rescue stepping up to save him.
Tender Heart enters the chat.
I was contacted by a dear friend, Steve Smedley, who someone had asked if he knew of a rescue that could help. After speaking with multiple volunteers who were desperate to save Cruz without any hope of another rescue stepping up, I contacted the shelter to find out how I could place a hold to save him.
Cruz' story is one for the books. It wasn't easy. The coordination of the rescue pull itself was messy. There were too many people involved. There was at least 9 hours of conversation and coordinating just the first day. This taught me so much. This pull prepared me for what to expect moving forward. It was exhausting and all-consuming. In hindsight this was nothing close to being the hardest one. Matter of fact, it turned out to be the least complicated despite all of the challenges it presented.
Volunteers with good intentions whose hearts were in it, weren't thinking clearly through their emotions. The “do whatever it takes to get him out,” came with deceit, frustration and much stress. Nevertheless, they meant well, and saving Cruz was all that mattered to them, and they made that happen. There were lots of hiccups over the next several weeks, but it all worked out.
Cruz had been deemed to be dog aggressive, and needed to be in an "only dog" home. His foster listened to instructions on proper decompressing, keeping him separated from other dogs at home and in public (muzzle training), and I am happy to report he is thriving in a home with 4 other dogs without incident. Once fully decompressed and while keeping everyone separated, but within sight and smell of each other, the adopter contacted a trainer to work with her to integrate him into her pack.
Cruz was failed over and over again by humans and almost lost his life because of their mistakes and irresponsibility, until reaching rescue. Shelters and rescues have very different abilities. When the 2 of us can work together knowing those differences and playing on each other's positive attributes, more animals WILL be saved and leave the shelter life behind, forever, to become the healthiest and happiest versions of themselves and be placed into loving forever homes. You see, once a shelter transfers ownership over to a rescue, the rescue takes that dog back if ever they find themselves stray or surrendered again. This ensures that the shelter never has to house this dog again, like in so many cases like Cruz’, 3 times for long extended stays adding to the overcrowding and the expenses of their medical and care, not to mention the added stress on the dogs creating negative behavior and at times, additional medical issues.
1 year and 13 dogs later, I am proud to say how impressive the dedication of so many of the ACPS volunteers and many of the shelter employees is. You all are doing some amazing work. Dogs that deserve a chance at a wonderful life after being abandoned or abused are rallied behind and pulled to safety because of you all! You know who all of you are that have been an integral part of getting these 13 dogs out over the last 12 months. I look forward to continuing to work with such a great group to save more of the ones no one else wants or knows how to handle in the future.
Happy 1 year Pet Placement Partnership between Tender Heart Animal Retreat & Refuge, Inc., and Jax ACPS.
