SHAWANO COUNTY, Wis. (WFRV) – Four dogs from Texas have a chance to find forever homes thanks to the generosity of a local animal shelter.
Local 5’s cameras were rolling as those four dogs arrived at Austin Straubel Airport on Tuesday afternoon. A Montgomery County, Texas-based nonprofit called ‘Operation Pets Alive’ provided foster care for these dogs before they arrived at the Shawano County Humane Society.
The dogs’ names are River Layne, Belle, Ivory, and Blitzen. ‘Operation Pets Alive’ officials tell Local 5 News that all four pooches were having an extremely difficult time finding a forever home in Texas. We’re told some of the dogs had experienced abuse earlier in life, and some are mothers who watched all of their puppies get adopted while they remained behind in the shelter.
Some of the dogs had been in foster care for as many as two years without finding a forever home.
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Nonprofit officials hope this change of scenery from Texas to Northeast Wisconsin could lead to all four dogs finding their forever home.
“It’s so heartwarming, I can’t even explain how excited we are that we could get four of our long-term dogs out of Texas,” said foster coordinator Kris Nishimura. “This is an absolutely phenomenal thing for us, I can’t even explain how exciting it is to get these dogs out of Texas.”
Nishimura told Local 5 News that there’s an unhoused dog and cat crisis in Montgomery County, Texas. The flight to get those four dogs from Texas to Northeast Wisconsin was free of charge thanks to the generosity of George and Rita Turek.
“This is a good day, a good day for all the dogs,” Rita told Local 5 News.
Officials from ‘Operations Pets Alive’ had reached out to over two dozen shelters in Wisconsin before the Shawano County Humane Society stepped up to take in the dogs.
“They are so, so sweet, I’m surprised nobody has taken these babies home because they are fantastic,” said Shawano County Humane Society volunteer Kris Tetting.
Just hours after the dogs arrived in Shawano County, a foster family arrived to take River Layne home temporarily until staff can find her a forever home. Staff members say this is a great development because River Layne was shy and skittish when she arrived at the shelter and may benefit from a quieter environment.
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“I saw her (River Layne) on the Humane Society Facebook, I showed him (her husband) a picture of all the dogs that are coming in from Texas,” said Patricia Benz. “He said I’d like to look at that lab, and here we are.”
For more information about all four dogs, please click here. Staff said they’re thrilled to host all four dogs, but hope that they don’t have to stay at the shelter for too long. Finding forever homes is always the goal.
“We want the dogs to have a fantastic match and we want the families to have a good match,” Tetting told Local 5 News. “Finding people and connecting them with the animal that is best in the whole situation.”
