People usually head into their mornings assuming the day will unfold as planned.
That was exactly what one Texas teacher expected when she headed to work, unaware that her routine was about to be turned upside down.
When Yolanda drove into the parking lot at San Marcos High School, she had no clue that five fragile little lives were about to cross her path.
Before she could even step out of her car, a cluster of skinny, exhausted puppies rushed toward her.
They were clearly hungry and worn down, and the look in their small eyes told a story all on its own.
Faced with their obvious need, Yolanda could not bring herself to ignore them.
She quickly went inside the school and sought out her coworker, senior assistant Belinda Peña, hoping she could help figure out what to do next.
A Cardboard Box And A Note
When Peña stepped outside to take a look, she spotted a cardboard box sitting near the school building. It didn’t take long to realize what had happened.
The puppies had been abandoned. They had escaped the box, but inside was a handwritten note that told their sad story:
“Dog shelter didn’t want them. We can’t take care of them. The original owner wanted to throw them. I’m sure you can do something. I’m sorry,” the message read.
The staff felt heartbroken. Without wasting a moment, they gathered the puppies, gave them water, and made sure they were safe from the hot summer sun.
Peña later admitted that it was pure luck that staff were on campus that day.
“If not, who knows what would have happened?” Peña told The Dodo.
They quickly contacted animal control to ensure the pups would be safely taken in. In the meantime, they comforted the little dogs as they wagged their tails and nuzzled up to their rescuers.
“They were the cutest things. They had big old ears … Just happy little puppies,” Peña said.
Before long, one of the teachers fell completely in love with one of the pups and decided to adopt her on the spot.
New Names, New Hope
That left four puppies still in need of care. School counselor Kay Lynn Dodd couldn’t bear to let them go to an uncertain fate.
“The officer was like, ‘Well, it is the end of the day, I can’t guarantee somebody’s going to be able to be there at the shelter to intake them. And I [was] like, ‘I can’t have that on my conscience,’” Dodd told The Dodo.
Instead of sending them away, she brought the remaining four home herself, determined to give them love and stability.
She named them Rotund, Buttercup, Bandit, and Snickers.
In her home, the little pups blossomed. They played, snuggled, and soaked up affection from their foster mom.
Though they were thriving, they still longed for families of their own. Thanks to the compassion of a few kind teachers, their futures finally looked bright.
