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From Homeless Pet to Adopted: Peggy's Story At Grapevine's Animal Shelter

Quarantine, is where no dog wants to be.


But for strays at the Grapevine Animal Shelter in North Texas, their time at the shelter often starts in quarantine, which is also the first step to getting help.

“We try to give every animal the opportunity to be healthy and then find, you know, a great family,” Kristina Valentine said.

Peggy, a 3-year-old terrier mix, is one of those animals. 

The small fluffy dog with a sweet demeanor faces a painful reality: The lower half of Peggy’s right-front leg is missing.


"It may have been stuck in something, and it's trying to heal on its own," Valentine said, noting an infection on the dog's wound that the shelter needed to care for before Peggy could be placed for adoption. 

Dr. Jason Steinle of Northwest Animal Hospital said Peggy's leg may have been caught in a fence or wire, "something that would have cut through that or a trap potentially."

“The body’s been trying to deal with this for a little while, it didn’t just happen yesterday,” Steinle said.

Valentine explained that medical care for homeless animals like Peggy isn't cheap, and shelters work on a limited budget. Thanks to donations and the team of vets at Northwest Animal Hospital in Grapevine, Peggy received the surgery she needed — including getting spayed. 

“She’s strong, she’s happy and healthy, and she’s already adjusted to the absence of this limb," Dr. Steinle said. "She's a pretty remarkable dog."

After healing from her surgery, Peggy was treated for heartworms before she was finally adopted into a forever home. 

Peggy is just one example of the lengths shelters will go to save the life of an animal.

“What makes me happy is knowing that we have the ability to make a difference for them,” Valentine said.

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