At times, a single moment of kindness is enough to alter the entire course of a dog’s life.
For Lacy Dagerath, a dog rescuer living in Houston, Texas, that moment arrived when she was tagged in a social media post about a dog seen near a heavily trafficked highway.
She did not pause or hesitate. Late that night, she got into her car and drove clear across the city.
A Devastating Discovery By The Roadside
When Lacy reached the location, she found Titus curled into the grass. He lay pressed against his companion, who had been fatally struck by a passing vehicle.
“I was tagged in this post last night, so at 10:45 we drove to the other side of Houston to find him. We drove past him once. He was curled up sleeping and we didn’t see him. He was close to his friend who had been hit by a car. He didn’t make it,” Lacy wrote in the post.
Titus was so badly emaciated that standing was impossible for him. As Lacy drew closer, he gave a gentle wag of his tail and lifted his eyes toward her, his expression filled with quiet gratitude.
She carefully lifted him into her car, fastening him safely into a seat, and began driving toward a future that would look very different from the night she found him.
Lacy brought Titus home with her, intending to begin searching for his family as soon as morning arrived.
At first light, she and her family reached out to the local humane society, posted flyers, and checked him for a microchip.
No one responded.
Titus stayed with Lacy for several more weeks, slowly settling into life among her large household of rescued dogs and cats. His calm, playful nature quickly endeared him to everyone around him.
Even after continued efforts, no one ever came forward to claim him.
That was when Lacy and her family made their choice. Titus would stay, not temporarily, but forever.
When A Safe Haven Becomes Home
Before long, it was obvious that Titus had found exactly where he belonged.
Lacy and her family were overjoyed to make him an official part of their home. His loving personality charmed everyone, including the cats, and his enthusiasm for life never seemed to fade.
On her Instagram account, Lacy often shares videos of her rescue family, with Titus frequently stealing the spotlight through his silly antics.
He occasionally causes trouble by chewing shoes or barking a little too enthusiastically, but no one would trade him for the world.
“They are worth more than any shoe, any staircase, any sofa… I’d rescue a thousand times and go barefoot forever if I could save them all,” Lacy stated in another post.
After all he survived, Titus finally understands what it feels like to be loved. Lacy feels just as thankful that she was there to offer him that chance.