After a night filled with intense thunderstorms in San Antonio, the staff at SA Animal Care Services arrived early the next morning to begin their daily tasks.
As they entered the parking lot, something unusual caught their attention. A green tarp, soaked by the rain, had been left near the entrance. Worried, they moved closer to investigate.
When they lifted the drenched tarp, their hearts sank. Beneath it were three terrified dogs, their eyes filled with confusion and fear.
Three Dogs Found Caged And Left In The Rain
Under the tarp were two German Shepherds and one small Chihuahua, all left in cages, exposed to the harsh weather.
The three dogs had been abandoned during the storm, forced to endure the cold rain and loud thunder without any shelter or comfort.
Lisa Norwood, public relations manager for the City of San Antonio Animal Care Services, shared her thoughts on the heartbreaking discovery with The Dodo.
“Anytime something like this happens, we’re sad and a little frustrated. We had been experiencing strong thunderstorms, and I can only imagine their fear with the traffic going by and the heavy rain and thunder,” she said.
Upon realizing the situation, the team quickly called for assistance and brought the wet, shivering dogs into the shelter.
The dogs were moved to a warm, dry space where they were provided with food and water. The two German Shepherds were named Peaches and Cyrus, while the Chihuahua was given the name Gabby.
Trauma And Adjustment Inside The Shelter
Norwood explained, “Both Peaches and Gabby seemed a little calmer and were easier to handle. Cyrus, however, was very frightened by the whole experience and needed more time to warm up to everybody.”
Clearly affected by the trauma of abandonment, Cyrus needed extra time and care to feel secure.
San Antonio continues to face a significant crisis with stray and abandoned animals, leading to overcrowded shelters.
On their Instagram page, the shelter shared: “Innocent pups abandoned under a tarp in the rain… roaming pets terrorizing neighborhood children… shelter kennels filled to the brim with unwanted pets… This is just a taste of what Animal Care Services struggles with every day. This is the reality of our municipal shelter.”
With limited space and rising numbers of animals being brought in, the shelter staff knew they couldn’t keep the dogs for long.
Fortunately, Peaches and Gabby were adopted quickly, finding homes where they could start fresh lives.
Cyrus, needing more emotional healing, was transferred to the German Shepherd Rescue of NY, Inc, a nonprofit dedicated to rescuing German Shepherds from euthanasia lists.
According to a post from GSRNY’s Facebook page, Cyrus was adopted shortly after arriving at the rescue.
In the end, all three dogs found loving homes.
Their days of fear and abandonment were behind them, and it’s hoped they will never face such hardships again.
