How far would you go to rescue a family member? Across town? Across the state? As far as it took?
For Friends For Life staff, retrieving a friend meant a 21-hour drive and over 1,400 miles.
Reggie entered the Friends For Life family in 2015 after he was found wandering the streets here in Houston. He lacked proper socialization, so our behavior team worked with him on his fears: fear of strangers, fear of other animals, and fear of thunderstorms. Reggie was learning quickly, so our team was thrilled when his behavior improved and he was adopted.
Fast-forward to July 2017
One day, we got a call from the Fairfax County Animal Shelter. They had a dog, and after scanning his microchip, they saw that it was registered under Friends For Life. It was Reggie!
We take the “for life” commitment seriously – and it was obvious we were getting Reggie back. The Fairfax staff agreed to hold the dog for the week, if we could drive up there to pick him up. Behavior Specialist Atalie and Adoption Manager Pam loaded up the car, and set out. Per Pam: “The challenging part wasn’t so much the drive as the fact that we were travelling with a storm-phobic dog right along a line of thunderstorms. Atalie got no rest on that trip, but thank god she was there!”
Over the next 5 days, they drove through 5 states, twice, finally bringing Reggie back to Houston and under our care.
At Friends For Life we believe in second chances. And third chances.
Frankly, we don’t even keep track.
Reggie is still wary of strangers, but our team is so proud of the progress he’s made. He is ready for a loving forever home.
His sunny attitude wins hearts. As Atalie wrote on her personal Facebook:
“It’s Reggie! He’s up for adoption at Friends For Life. He’s afraid of strangers, but after you prove you’re a good dude, he’s the snuggliest, sweetest, mutt you’ve ever met. Searching for: a home where not alot of people visit, wants to be an only child, and allows him to sleep on the bed – no negotiating on that last one (; lol”
