Things are now looking up for “Gracie” the pup after a good Samaritan noticed her tied up to a post outside of the old Lubbock Animal Shelter on Tuesday and decided to take action.
“I just kept driving for a second and then I realized this shelter was closed down there, no one was there, and it definitely looked deserted. So I turned back around and drove up to the dog,” said Whitney Turrentine, who says the dog looked malnourished when she got to her.
She says she was shocked by the dog’s condition altogether, but even more so that someone would abandon their pet in such a way and that there were no signs at the old shelter indicating that they had relocated.
That’s when Turrentine took to social media: she immediately posted about the dog’s whereabouts, asking what the City could do, and seeing if anyone would want to give the dog a good home. Her post reached more than two thousand shares in 24 hours.
“This is the first time I’ve ever done something like this via social media and the response was really great and very positive,” said Turrentine.
Now, not only has the old sign been taken down by the city of Lubbock, but there are now notices around the old facility with the new address posted.
“Yes. By this afternoon I did receive an email informing me that these signs had been removed, all exterior signs had been removed, at 401 N. Ash,” said George Torres, the director of Animal Services for the City of Lubbock, who says he hopes that more people follow Turrentine’s example.
“The lady who found the dog did the right thing by bringing the animal to a safe location, and turning it over to a human to make sure the animal would get the care and the proper care that it needed.”
A dog mother of four, Turrentine says she’s deciding to look beyond the mistake made by the person abandoned Gracie.
“You know you can’t stop humans doing from what they want but you can help guide them in the right direction.”
On Wednesday evening Gracie was picked up by the Saving Grace Pit Bull Rescue organization who will help her find her forever home.
If you would like to make donations to the Saving Grace Pit Bull Rescue organization, you can visit their site for more information to help more dogs like Gracie.