Sep 24, 2021
When Hurricane Harvey devastated a lot of Texas and Louisiana in 2017, the APA! group leaped into motion with the aim of evacuating and saving as many lives as potential.
Due to the wonderful help that we obtained from donors, fosters, volunteers, and the APA! group each close to and much – you! – we have been in a position to transport over 5,000 animals to security, get up three momentary shelters, gratefully settle for truckloads of donations, and document almost 30,000 volunteer hours.
However the affect of Harvey didn’t finish in 2017. It solely simply started for the hundreds of adopters that added new additions to their households. This included Patrick and Lauren. Only recently engaged, the couple took the chance to develop their household whereas serving to pets in want.
“It was my birthday,” stated Lauren. “He [Patrick] has this behavior of sending me photos with no explanations after which I’ve to guess why he’s sending it to me. On my birthday he despatched me an image of a canine in a crate and it obtained me actually excited. I believed he had gotten me a canine for my birthday. After I discovered he was simply sending an image of a cute canine, I obtained actually upset.”
However when Lauren talked about that APA! was rescuing hundreds of cats and canines from Houston and surrounding areas previous to and following Hurricane Harvey, the following day Patrick snuck out of the home and headed to APA!.
That’s when Patrick first laid eyes on Wren.
“I’m afraid she might have been in a hoarding state of affairs or with somebody who was making an attempt to show her right into a searching canine…going by means of that course of and perhaps she didn’t take. Possibly they noticed the hurricane as a chance to ditch her,” Patrick stated.
For Patrick and Lauren, saving Wren was additionally about beginning a household.
“I like Wrennie,” stated Joey, Patrick and Lauren’s two-year-old daughter, with a hiccup. Joey gave Wren that identify as quickly as she might speak. They have been finest pals because the begin.
“It has been attention-grabbing as a result of once we first adopted Wren, she was our solely household,” stated Patrick. “She was all of our consideration and spare time. It’s been actually attention-grabbing to see the household develop round her, see the dynamics change and see how she’s tailored and adjusted to not being the boss of the whole lot, although she nonetheless thinks she is. She’s at all times been very maternal. She’s been good with children.”
From being stranded among the many floodwater from Harvey to a loving house full with a younger buddy to play with, Wren is simply one of many hundreds of lives which were saved by on a regular basis individuals seeking to make a distinction.
“I understood the necessity to undertake as a result of there are such a lot of canines on the market that want rehoming. I don’t suppose I might ever do something in another way now,” Lauren stated.
“I at all times thought that if I obtained a canine, I might get a shelter canine. I don’t like the concept of spending tons of or hundreds of {dollars} on one thing that comes from a pet mill or breeding facility,” stated Patrick. “When Harvey got here alongside it felt good to attempt to assist a trigger. I might do it once more.”
Patrick & Lauren: we’ll be right here, ready for when y’all are able to undertake another time. Adopters like Patrick and Lauren are simply a number of the individuals who have made our #NoKillDecade potential. You possibly can be a part of the No Kill motion by making a present right this moment to make sure one other 10 years of lifesaving. Due to an nameless board member, all presents can be DOUBLED, as much as $10K!
Need to share your expertise with Hurricane Harvey? No matter your APA! story is, we need to hear it. Work together with all of our social posts this week to inform us your story utilizing #NoKillDecade.
