Every dog has its day: Tandy exemplifies rescue dog program benefits

Meeting Tandy, a young Australian Shepherd mix, you find a friendly, energetic herding dog.

That wasn’t always her situation—but she is now an example of what can happen through the help of animal rescues.

A story far too often heard, Tandy was dumped on the side of the road to be abandoned. Being thrown out of a truck near Alton Gloor Animal Hospital in Brownsville, people outside of the facility tried to catch Tandy, who was running in and out of traffic, according to Ashley Benavides, Brownsville Animal Defense board member and regular animal foster parent.

B.A.D is a non-profit 501(c0) 3 volunteer dog rescue organization serving the lower Rio Grande Valley with a mission to make the Valley a no-kill community through adoption, working with local animal shelters and educating the public about humane dog care, reducing the overpopulation of dogs through spay and neuter programs according to the organizations website.

“We want to save the abandoned, unwanted or neglected homeless dogs in the Rio Grande Valley, specifically Brownsville and try to give them a second chance at life,” she said.

Scared, exhausted and avoiding capture for about a week, Tandy was eventually caught—and that’s when she started her journey to a forever home with Benavides as her foster.

Benavides and her husband, having two dogs that were rescued, said they usually care for about one or two foster dogs, with four being the most they have fostered at any one time.

What made her want to foster Tandy?

She replied, “ I just saw that she needed somebody.

“We have a very short list of fosters. We do have amazing fosters, but we don’t have enough, and we really didn’t have anywhere to put her, you know, for foster care. So, I decided that, you know, we could try it out and she has ended up being with us for four months.”

The dog was terrified of everything and had a difficult time trusting Benavides and her husband at the beginning.

Yet, she said after about a week, Tandy blossomed into a completely new dog that loved to play with her foster family, get her belly rubbed and receive treats.

Advocacy through presentation

One way B.A.D tries to spread the group’s message is through offering presentations to local area schools to teach students what the organization is about, the importance of animal care, and tackling the problem of pet overpopulation.

“Hopefully we can reach at least one person,” Benavides said. “Even if it’s just one student that, you know, takes this information home and talks to their parents about it and they all can kind of, you know, change their perspective on the way that dogs are being treated.”

B.A.D members also bring rescue dogs to show the audience a real-life example of what can be achieved when dogs are given a second chance.

While visiting Del Castillo Elementary on May 20, Tandy got her first experience to showcase what B.A.D is about.

“She was a little nervous,” Benavides said. “She was a little taken by surprise with all these little kids running around so she was on edge but for the most part she did okay for her first presentation. She was pretty friendly and let people pet her. Everybody thought she was a beautiful dog.”

Benavides said the kids are responsive and will say something like, “I didn’t know all these things about dogs”, “This is happening in my family and I want to change things” or ask questions about preventatives.

“We give them these little informational pamphlets, and for the most part, they seem to be actually very open minded to learning about all of these things,” she said. “Which makes us feel pretty good because that’s the whole goal. It’s to help people see things in a different way.”

Tandy’s next step

Having had Tandy for about four months now, Benavides said she is planning on transferring the dog to a rescue organization in New York that will find her a home.

With a large stray dog population in Brownsville, the chances for adoption here are slim.

“Sending them up to states where the stray issue is not as big of a deal is usually our goal if we can, but we do adopt dogs out here in Brownsville and then whenever we get the opportunity, we’ll send them up north,” she said.

For now, Tandy is undergoing heartworm treatment but is almost ready to go find her forever home in New York.

Because the dog is an Australian shepherd mix with herding in her blood, Benavides said she hopes Tandy finds a family with a big open field or a farm where she can herd and do her natural instincts.

“She tries to herd our dogs,” she said. “So, she’s always trying to round them up and get them to go places. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen how a herding dog is but they nip at the ankles of the animals. She wants to do that all the time with our dogs. They’ve learned to kind of tolerate it.”

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For more information on B.A.D and how to volunteer, foster, adopt or donate visit the organization Facebook page, Brownsville Animal Defense – BAD or it’s Instagram page @brownsvilleanimaldefense_bad.