Shelter Dog In Texas Found In A Wheelbarrow, Moments Away From Being Put Down
At an overcrowded shelter in Texas, a young golden retriever named Darla was running out of time.
The shelter was past capacity and facing heartbreaking choices. With more dogs than they could care for, they had started the painful process of putting down animals who were considered less likely to be adopted, including Darla.
Darla wasn’t aggressive or sick. She was just painfully shy. So shy, in fact, that when workers came to take her to be euthanized, she was too scared to walk.
Instead, they gently placed her in a wheelbarrow and began pushing her down the hallway.
That’s when everything changed.
By pure chance, a team from Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) happened to be walking through the shelter at that exact moment. They were there trying to help by taking in as many animals as they could, giving the overwhelmed shelter some much-needed relief.
Then they saw Darla.
Huddled in the wheelbarrow, shaking and terrified, Darla broke their hearts. They knew instantly: they couldn’t let her die. Jordana Moerbe, APA’s support direct, explained in an interview:
“We had to pull her, we had to save her. We hope that she’s able to come out of her shell and be the happy puppy she deserves to be. It’s what every one of the pets in the shelter deserves, and that’s what we’re working so hard for.”
Once APA! took Darla in, she was given a full vet checkup. To everyone’s surprise, she was just 8 months old, basically still a puppy, with her whole life ahead of her. She just needed a chance.
APA! reached out to their rescue partners across the country, and soon, Darla had a spot waiting for her with Mile High Lab Rescue in Denver, Colorado.
It wasn’t an instant fix, Darla was still incredibly nervous and unsure of the world around her. But her rescuers knew that with patience, kindness, and time, she could heal. And they were right.
Today, Darla is living with a loving foster family, learning how to just be a dog, something she’d never really had the chance to do before. She’s discovering that people can be kind, that playtime can be fun, and that she’s safe now.
She almost didn’t get that second chance. But thanks to the right people being in the right place at the right time, Darla is alive, and she has a future full of hope and love.
Darla is still looking for her forever home. If you think you could be the one to help this sweet girl continue her journey, reach out to Austin Pets Alive! and find out how to adopt her.
Because every dog deserves a chance to feel safe, loved, and wanted. Darla included.
