Each year, tens of thousands of shelter animals are euthanized in Texas, it is the number one state in the country for shelter deaths, according to a recent report.

We know we can't save them all, but doing nothing is never an option.

Last week, I had the opportunity to travel with Path of Hope Rescue and visit some of the animal shelters in Southern Texas. I have been a volunteer with PHR for over three years, so while I have heard all of the stories and have seen the pictures, it is a completely different experience to see it all in person.

I could spend hours recounting what I saw and did in Texas, but instead, I decided to write an essay detailing my travels and share some pictures. It is a bit longer than your average Facebook post, but I implore you to please give it a read below.

No name for this cute husky dog lady but we were told that she was aggressive and would run if anyone opened her kennel. With help from another volunteer we were able to take her on a walk — No name for this sweet lady, but we were told that she was aggressive and would try to run if anyone opened her kennel. (Path of Hope Facebook)

It is often said that a dog's eyes are a window into the soul. In Texas, a dog's eyes are haunting. The Southern United States has a massive, ugly problem with pet overpopulation. The streets of some of the friendliest places in the country are riddled with the forgotten.

The macerated bodies of dead dogs and cats lay in the middle of the street. At the same time, less fortunate, still alive, victims of vehicular assault suffer on the side of the road, sometimes for days, until they finally succumb to the trauma incurred by ignorant drivers. Pregnant dogs escape under houses and trailers from the scorching heat to have their puppies, only to have each newborn fade away into nothingness as ants crawl over their bodies and diseases ravage their delicate immune systems.

Some owned dogs spend their entire lives on a chain no more than 10 feet long. Their only protection from the elements is the tree they are tied to. Sometimes they are fed and watered. When their owners remember, of course. Strays spend their lives scrounging for scraps, taking refuge where they can. They lay beside buildings and ice machines, doing their best to stay cool as the pavement burns their feet.

Some are beaten with poles, purposefully shot, strung up with cable, and maliciously attacked. Shelters are reminiscent of cattle yards, with dogs and puppies packed into 4’x6’ concrete cells layered with excrement and disease. The triple-digit heat is relentless and sucks the life out of the young and most vulnerable, who can do nothing more than lay sprawled out, panting against the hard ground in a desperate attempt to cling to life for another hour.

One of the homeless street dogs we happened upon while driving around Sinton, Texas rescuing stray dogs. He came right up to us asking for water and pet food. He was covered in fleas and dirt — One of the street dogs we happened upon while driving around Sinton. He was covered in fleas. (Path of Hope Facebook)

Maybe another day. Chaos feels as though it is but an exhale away. The silence, sometimes more deafening than the expected sea of barking, growling, and whining, closes in lest one resident sounds the alarm and a cacophony engulfs the entire building, destroying any semblance of peace.

The minds of once sane, even happy dogs crumble like the degrading masonry that confines them over long days, months, and even years. They languish, day in and day out, looking for anything that keeps their brains busy.

The feel of grass under their feet or a real breeze across their fur is a distant memory, a luxury they haven't experienced in a long time, if ever. Cockroaches lounge in warm and slimy water bowls while rats nibble at the kibble left in food dishes. Flies rest on every surface, lazily meandering about in the feces in every kennel run. Filth bakes into the concrete walkways and floors, filling the air with a stagnant foulness that lingers as a constant reminder of the dire and seemingly hopeless fate facing the dogs there.

One of the lucky shelter dogs we met in a crowded animal shelter in Texas on dog rescue trip. Being smaller than 20lbs saved him as a small breed rescue snatched him up and will adopt him out — One of the luckier dogs we met in an overcrowded animal shelter in Texas. (Path of Hope Facebook)

Rescuers and shelter workers, doing their absolute best, feel like they are drowning in a sea of indifference that’ll swallow them up if given a chance. These people, the only individuals that seem to honestly care, who haven’t forgotten the animals of Texas, face verbal and even physical assault by others who wish to exploit their compassion. They work tirelessly, networking for hours in hopes of saving just one life in a facility of more than 1200 others, all just as worthy of freedom and a chance as the next.

Euthanasia is a constant threat on the horizon for all animals that have found their way into the shelter system. The clock starts ticking the moment they walk through the front doors. Death is not picky here, and it spares no one. Pregnant dogs and their unborn puppies are destroyed if a rescue partner can't save them. Their bodies are tossed into black trash bags and frozen until they can be taken to the dump where their memory, their mere existence, is as disposable as the spoiled milk and overripe avocados in the next bag over.

If you made it this far into this post, congrats. You didn't keep scrolling or cringe and look away as your gut twisted in your stomach while reading the words I have written. The truth, in most instances, isn't pretty. It isn't tied up with a bow or repackaged in a way that makes it easier to swallow. The truth is, more often than not, absolutely disgusting.

I understand that the rawness of this experience is typically too much for some people to endure, but I urge you: don't look away, don't back down or try to pretend that you never saw this post. Making a million excuses about why you just aren't cut out to help is by far an easier road, but it is also a guilty one.

Tarragon and her sister Joanie at animal control while producing milk. They likely nursed litters of puppies and were abandoned at animal control when the puppies were old enough to be weaned — Tarragon and her sister Joanie were dumped at animal control. It is believed that she and her sister likely had nursing litters of puppies and were abandoned at animal control when the pups were old enough to be weaned. (Path of Hope Facebook)

We all have something that we can bring to the table. Can't foster or adopt? Volunteer your skills. Join one of our teams. Share this article on your social media. Educate yourself on the best ways to promote animal welfare in our community and participate in a culture that supports spay and neuter. Doing nothing isn't an option. It never has been. We know we can't save them all, that is the reality.

Some of the dogs pictured here may already be dead. But for those we can save, we can change their lives forever. So, do it for all the dogs we had to leave behind, do it for Tarragon and her sister Joanie who were dumped at animal control still producing milk, their puppies nowhere to be seen.

Do it for Crockett, who has spent the last six months of his life locked in a cell. Do it for Brownie, who is so petrified of human interaction, he has never left his kennel run.

Do it for the countless number of unnamed and unwanted dogs and puppies in every overcrowded shelter in the South. They have no one else. So, speak up for them, because their lives depend on it.

Marissa. Project Manager/PHR Foster Mom.

As mentioned in the article, we always need your help. For example, you could foster a puppy. We can only rescue as many dogs as we can foster, so when you become a dog foster, you save lives.

Looking to help out in other ways? You could volunteer with us, and join one of our Many Teams!

Check out our list of Available Dogs up for adoption if you’re around Spokane, Washington. Dogs make our lives whole, so why not give them a loving home in return?

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