“They are hungry …”
Last month, while searching for an abandoned husky, Don Boston — founder of the Abilene Stray Animal Program — came across a very different rescue in need. On a quiet dirt road, he spotted a lone dog wandering aimlessly, ribs showing and eyes pleading for help.
Boston offered her some food, hoping to gain her trust and figure out where she belonged. Once she’d finished eating and started to walk away, he followed her — and what he found around the corner changed everything. Behind a fence in a nearby yard were several tiny puppies, waiting for their mom.
The scene broke his heart. The yard was littered with sharp scrap metal and debris, with no food or clean water anywhere in sight. Several of the dogs had visible flystrike on their ears — a painful sign of neglect.
“They were starving,” Boston said in a video shared to Facebook. “Just hungry, hungry, hungry.”
The mother dog and two of her pups had managed to squeeze through a hole in the fence, likely searching for food. Boston immediately wanted to get them all to safety, but he knew he had to speak with the property owner first.
“It honestly broke my heart,” he told The Dodo.
The man explained that the dogs had belonged to his late brother, and since then, the mother had given birth to several litters on the property. Hearing that, Boston knew he couldn’t leave them behind.
“I just thought, ‘I have to help these guys,’” he said.
After some convincing, the property owner agreed to let Boston rehome the puppies. Thanks to his efforts, the pups are now thriving in loving homes, where they finally have regular meals, fresh water, and a safe place to grow.
Boston also persuaded the owner to let him take the mother dog to be spayed — a crucial step to end the cycle of unwanted litters. But before the procedure could happen, Boston received a call from animal control: the mama dog had escaped again and been picked up by an officer. Since the owner never responded to reclaim her, Boston was granted permission to foster her himself.
Now, she’s on the road to a new life. Once she’s cleared for adoption, Boston plans to bring her home and help her find the forever family she’s always deserved.
“We’re going to make sure she has a happy life,” Boston said.