In April 2023, after a night of heavy storms in San Antonio, staff of SA Animal Care Services arrived early to work and noticed a green tarp mysteriously placed in their parking lot.
Worried, they approached the tarp to investigate. When they lifted the wet covering and saw what was underneath, their hearts sank.
Six fearful eyes stared back at them in complete confusion and terror.
Three Dogs Left Behind In Harsh Weather
Under the tarp, two German Shepherds and a small Chihuahua were abandoned in cages and left in the rain.
The trio of innocent pups had been heartlessly dumped in terrible weather, frightened and confused about why someone they likely considered family would leave them like this.
Lisa Norwood, public relations manager for the City of San Antonio Animal Care Services, told The Dodo:
“Anytime something like this happens, we’re sad and a little frustrated. We had been experiencing a spate of strong thunderstorms, and I can only imagine their fear with the traffic going by coupled with the heavy rain and thunder.”
Once the staff realized the dogs were beneath the tarp, they quickly called for help and brought the three soaked, scared dogs into the shelter.
They were moved to a warm area and given food and water.
The German Shepherds were named Peaches and Cyrus, while the tiny Chihuahua was named Gabby.
Adjusting To Shelter Life
Norwood told The Dodo, “Both Peaches and Gabby seemed a little more calm and were easier to handle. Cyrus was very frightened by the whole experience and took some time to warm up to everybody.”
Cyrus was deeply traumatized by the abandonment and needed extra time to feel safe and adjust.
San Antonio’s stray animal problem is growing, and local shelters are often overcrowded with abandoned pets.
They wrote on their Instagram profile:
“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 day after day. This is the reality of our municipal animal shelter.”
With shelter space limited and overpopulation an ongoing challenge, staff knew the dogs couldn’t stay long.
Thankfully, Peaches and Gabby were quickly adopted.
Cyrus, needed more time to heal and find his forever home, so he was transferred to the German Shepherd Rescue of NY, Inc, a non-profit that rescues GSDs from euthanasia lists.
According to the GSRNY’s Facebook page, Cyrus was adopted shortly afterward.
All three dogs finally found loving homes, and we hope they will never face abandonment or fear like that again.