Saving Grace - Help stray dog in El Paso, TX

Grace probably spent her entire life (roughly 2-3 years) with her pack on the streets of El Paso, Texas. A year ago, they found shelter in the crawlspaces of the City's vacant buildings in the historic Duranguito neighborhood.

Grace had two litters of puppies at Duranguito. After tracking Grace (formerly known as Mama “Socks”) and her most recent newborn puppies for months, local rescuers rescued Grace and her puppies. Unfortunately, Animal Services determined the adult dogs were feral and because local rescuers lacked the tools to help rehabilitate them, all of the adults were euthanized, including a pregnant Mama. Grace is the lone survivor of the adults.

A rescuer took Grace and her puppies into her guesthouse, where Grace continues to live almost four months after being captured. After Grace’s puppies were taken from her (one month after being captured), Grace completely withdrew and shutdown toward all humxns — even the wonderful womxn who had taken care of her and her puppies.

Grace now lives alone in Veronica’s guesthouse, where day after day Veronica attempts to rebuild the trust between them. Grace will no longer approach humxns. She is *not* aggressive; rather she is shutdown, fearful and suffering from trauma, anxiety and likely depression.

Everything Grace knew and loved was taken from her, including the father of her puppies — who was euthanized along with the other adults in the pack. Only with time, patience and an abundance of love will Grace be able to heal and trust again.

“When trauma is ignored or invalidated the silent screams continue internally, heard only by the one held captive. It is only when someone enters the pain and hears the screams that healing can begin.”

We believe in the healing powers of a strong, healthy, loving pack. This is one of the reasons we began PackLife Rescue SoCal, because we have seen firsthand how our own pack of pooches and people have helped several canines overcome trauma, behavioral issues — such as severe separation anxiety and fear of people and/or other canines — and the lack of proper socialization and interaction in a pack.

Canines are pack animals. While some may thrive as an only pooch with their people, most need a pack. It’s instinctual; it’s in their DNA. Imagine if a humxn were only able to socialize and interact with a pack of canines. This would not be entirely fulfilling, no matter how much one may love their pack of pooches. We typically need our own species to thrive. Pooches are no different.

Grace’s entire pack — her family — was taken from her. She now lives amongst a new, foreign species who has given her no reason to trust them. Our belief and hope is that, through time, patience and the love of a new pack, Grace will begin to heal and, eventually, trust and thrive again within a new pack.

On March 18th, we at PackLife Rescue SoCal are going to travel with part of our pack to El Paso to begin what is hopefully going to be the start of a new life for Grace. Our Pack (which will include Valentín, the first Juárez Bridge Pup of SoCal, and Lou & Kaya, our Borderland sibling puppies) is going to live with Grace for an undetermined amount of time and fill her sensory world with images of strong, healthy, loving pooches who are thriving in their pack with their humxn leader. They will hopefully begin to give back to Grace a small portion of what she lost, and, perhaps with a bit of divine help from the Angels above, Grace will allow her life to be filled with the love of a new pack and humxns as well

Our goal is to begin Grace’s rehabilitation process and find her a forever home with a new pack of pooches and their humxn(s).

PackLife Rescue chose the name "Grace" because she has handled all of this traumatic change with so much grace. She was a beautiful mother and pack member. Even in captivity, she has not been destructive or angry and is incredibly clean.

Thank you to everyone who has already helped with donations, rescue recommendations and prayers. Please share her story and help us raise funds to see Grace find happiness in a dog pack again.