Original Article: https://www.austinpetsalive.org/blog/growing-the-family-after-hurricane-harvey
Sep 24, 2021
When Hurricane Harvey devastated much of Texas and Louisiana in 2017, the APA! community leaped into action with the goal of evacuating and saving as many lives as possible.
Thanks to the amazing support that we received from donors, fosters, volunteers, and the APA! community both near and far – you! – we were able to transport over 5,000 animals to safety, stand up three temporary shelters, gratefully accept truckloads of donations, and record nearly 30,000 volunteer hours.
But the impact of Harvey didn’t end in 2017. It only just began for the thousands of adopters that added new additions to their families. This included Patrick and Lauren. Just recently engaged, the couple took the opportunity to grow their family while helping pets in need.
“It was my birthday,” said Lauren. “He [Patrick] has this habit of sending me pictures with no explanations and then I have to guess why he’s sending it to me. On my birthday he sent me a picture of a dog in a crate and it got me really excited. I thought he had gotten me a dog for my birthday. When I found out he was just sending a picture of a cute dog, I got really upset.”
But when Lauren mentioned that APA! was rescuing thousands of cats and dogs from Houston and surrounding areas prior to and following Hurricane Harvey, the next day Patrick snuck out of the house and headed to APA!.
That’s when Patrick first laid eyes on Wren.
“I’m afraid she may have been in a hoarding situation or with someone who was trying to turn her into a hunting dog…going through that process and maybe she didn’t take. Maybe they saw the hurricane as an opportunity to ditch her,” Patrick said.
For Patrick and Lauren, saving Wren was also about starting a family.
“I love Wrennie,” said Joey, Patrick and Lauren’s two-year-old daughter, with a hiccup. Joey gave Wren that name as soon as she could talk. They’ve been best friends since the start.
“It’s been interesting because when we first adopted Wren, she was our only family,” said Patrick. “She was all of our attention and spare time. It’s been really interesting to see the family grow around her, see the dynamics change and see how she’s adapted and adjusted to not being the boss of everything, even though she still thinks she is. She’s always been very maternal. She’s been good with kids.”
From being stranded among the floodwater from Harvey to a loving home complete with a young friend to play with, Wren is just one of the thousands of lives that have been saved by everyday people looking to make a difference.
“I understood the need to adopt because there are so many dogs out there that need rehoming. I don’t think I would ever do anything differently now,” Lauren said.
“I always thought that if I got a dog, I would get a shelter dog. I don’t like the idea of spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on something that comes from a puppy mill or breeding facility,” said Patrick. “When Harvey came along it felt good to try to help a cause. I would do it again.”
Patrick & Lauren: we’ll be here, waiting for when y’all are ready to adopt all over again. Adopters like Patrick and Lauren are just some of the people who have made our #NoKillDecade possible. You can join the No Kill movement by making a gift today to ensure another 10 years of lifesaving. Thanks to an anonymous board member, all gifts will be DOUBLED, up to $10K!
Want to share your experience with Hurricane Harvey? Whatever your APA! story is, we want to hear it. Interact with all of our social posts this week to tell us your story using #NoKillDecade.
Source: Austin Pets Alive
