Who knows how long Sawyer had been stranded on the Texas road, watching cars rush past and wondering if anyone would ever stop?
When animal advocate Zully Vasquez Ventura spotted him, her heart sank. Sawyer was stretched out in the middle of the street, looking defeated. He didn’t even flinch when vehicles approached. It seemed he had surrendered.
Ventura placed food out for him and the other strays nearby.
As Sawyer hobbled toward the food, Ventura noticed his limp. He was hurt.
Sadly, the other dogs blocked him from eating.
Hoping someone could help, Ventura shared a desperate plea on Facebook, asking for a rescue to intervene.
Help Arrives Just In Time
Laura Forma, founder and executive director of ThisIsHousto, a rescue for sick and injured dogs, saw Ventura’s post and immediately contacted her team to find someone who could step in.
Tara Hall, a board member and volunteer, responded and headed straight to the location.
She gently secured the sweet pup, who allowed her to take him, and drove him to the vet for evaluation.
Sawyer was covered in fleas, suffering from ear infections in both ears, and had an abscess on a front paw.
X-rays revealed both back legs had been broken. One had healed properly, but the other had not.
The vet initially recommended amputation.
Hall brought Sawyer home, agreeing to return in two weeks so vets could reassess whether amputation was needed.
Sawyer was relieved to settle in, quickly revealing his true personality. Hall was amazed to see his back leg caused him no trouble.
“He runs up and down the stairs, jumps on the bed, jumps on the couch, runs around and plays with other dogs in the house,” Hall told The Dodo.
Since Sawyer had no accidents in his kennel, Hall believed he had once lived in a family home. Stray dogs often take time to adjust to outdoor potty routines.
When Bobbie Nolen, an Austin resident, saw ThisIsHouston’s post, she felt an immediate connection and applied to adopt him.
“I saw the video that they posted and was like, ‘That’s my dog. I’m gonna do whatever I can to get that dog,’” Nolen told The Dodo.
A Life-Changing Meeting
Nolen drove to Houston to meet Sawyer in person.
The moment he saw her, the pup ran into her arms and sat on her lap. It was love at first sight.
She had to wait for Sawyer to fully heal before bringing him home permanently.
At his next vet check, Hall explained how playful he had been. This time, a different vet determined amputation wasn’t necessary and might never be needed.
The vet estimated him to be around a year and a half old.
After three weeks with Hall, Sawyer healed emotionally and physically and was ready to join his new mom.
Now named Walter, the pup quickly settled into his new home. He loved the toys his mom bought and adored playing fetch in the yard.
Most of all, Walter cherished snuggling with his mom on the couch.
Nolen admitted her heart breaks when she sees Walter forget that he no longer has to fight to survive.
“I have all of his food in a big Tupperware container. When I go to feed him, I open the container, and he very, very gently — and I think he thinks he’s being sneaky — puts his head in and gets a little bite of food and then takes off running,” Nolen added.
Soon, Walter will understand he no longer needs to worry. From now on, he will live a joyful life with his forever human who adores him.