We got our dog, Stella, from BARC a little over a year ago. She’s amazing. The love of our life. And the sweetest pup in the whole world. What’s funny, all the time, people want to know what kind of dog she is, why she’s so well behaved, where to get a dog like her.

We tell people: “She’s a shelter mutt! Adopt don’t shop :).”

Thank you, BARC.

We love “happy tales!”

Lisa H. adopted Roxy from BARC in 2006 and Roxy was a part of her family for 10 years. “She was the biggest lap dog we ever had – a great protector and friend!” After Roxy crossed the Rainbow Bridge, Lisa and her family adopted Scout from BARC. They think he is a Golden Retriever and German Shepherd mix. “He is a big, goofy dog… Scout just started obedience training and is a smart pooch!”

Thank you, Lisa and Family, for adopting your fur-ever friends from BARC!

We hope you will consider adopting a dog or cat from BARC to round out your family, too!

Another “Happy Tails” Success! – A loyal BARC Foundation supporter recently adopted Coconut, a male kitty from the BARC Shelter. This is the Family’s 4th BARC pet to find a happy, safe home with them. Little Coconut is the star of the household and is loved and protected by his new Pet family! We love Happy Tails!

Another “Happy Tails” Success! – Miss Sarah (formerly Sparkie) is a lucky dog… She found a “forever home” at the Donald Pliner Shoe & Adoption Event last week. Miss Sarah has new doggie friends and lives on a farm outside of Houston with horses and other animals. She’s now at home in the country!

I was born early this year in Houston, but I do not remember my mother or birth home because when I weighed only two pounds, someone threw me away in a Walmart parking lot.  A kind person rescued me and took me to the BARC Shelter which is located at 3200 Carr Street.

Because I was so tiny and could not eat very well, they put me in a kennel in a special puppy nursery full of other puppies and doggie Mothers. The BARC people fed me a lot and cleaned my cage and loved me often, but there were too many puppies there, and we all cried a lot for attention because we were so lonely.

One busy day, while my kennel was being washed, they put me in a temporary plastic box, and I was crying a lot to get out. Some ladies walked by, saw me, and picked me up.

I heard the lady that picked me up say, “This puppy will be adorable to the TV cameras on the Latina Voices Show. I want to pick this one.”

After that, I was put back in my kennel, but I knew something important was going to happen to me very soon.

A few days after I saw the lady, she came back with a brand new kennel and put me in her car with another BARC doggie who was very nice and did not bark much in the car.

We both went into a dark room with many big machines and people working and running all around us.  We sat in the laps of 2 ladies and kept quite still – since we dogs were afraid of all the commotion.  After a while, everything went quiet, and only the ladies talked to the big cameras while they looked at us and smiled.

We had to go back to BARC after the TV Show and felt very sad to lose our human friends from the TV Show. To our happy surprise and joy, the TV lady came back to get me, and another Family took my other doggie friend.

After I had gone to my “human” home, I got very sick with pneumonia and had to go to the doggie hospital to spend the night.  Many good doggie doctors and their helpers fed me and gave me water and took my temperature all night until I felt better.  I had to take medicine every day out of a tiny syringe – but I did not mind at all since it stopped my bad cough.

Today – look at me now! – I am healthy, weigh eight pounds, and run, play and eat a whole lot every day. I live with 2 Westie brothers who love me very much, and my human family always fusses over me and takes my picture.

It is not easy being so beautiful and popular! But I work hard at making my new Family happy.

So that is how BARC “saved my life”! Please help the many other puppies and kittens that are waiting at BARC for their happy homes and families!