The Pup Who Was Taken In A Wheelbarrow To Be Put Down Gets Rescued…

Although the mere thought of animal euthanasia terrifies all dog owners, it is a sad reality of many animals who end up in shelters.

According to a report in 2022, Texas had the highest number of shelter animals who were put down for the second year in a row. (1)

The intake rates have risen and the adoption rates have declined. (2)

Shelters became overcrowded. It’s heartbreaking to see that dogs who are sick and those who are considered less desirable find themselves on a euthanasia list in order to make room for other dogs.

Darla was one of the pups whose name was on that list. She was one of the lucky ones who got rescued at the last minute. Let’s see how it happened.

Darla, an adorable Golden Retriever, was a resident at Laredo Animal Care Services, a shelter in Laredo, Texas. The shelter employees described her as a very shy pup. She couldn’t get used to life in a shelter.

Due to overcrowding, the shelter made the difficult decision to put some animals to sleep. The pups who had lower chances of getting adopted ended up on the euthanasia list.

Sweet Darla was one of them.

In July 2023, the shelter staff tried to take Darla to a euthanasia room. When she realized where she was going, she got frightened. Her legs failed and she couldn’t walk.

The shelter staff carried her and put her in a wheelbarrow.

That day, members of Austin Pets Alive!, a non-profit organization that saves animals from euthanasia, were visiting the shelter. They came to the shelter to take some dogs with them and save their lives.

Clare Callison, the director of national operations at Austin Pets Alive!, was there that day, too.

“I knew it was around the time of day when the shelter does routine euthanasia for opening up kennel space,” she said.

As they walked down the hallway, a frightened Golden Retriever crouching in a blue wheelbarrow caught their eye. They learned that the scared pup was on her way to be put down.

Rescued At The Last Moment