Paws Unite People member Rachel in Texas rescued 4 puppies from an empty field in an industrial area. This fundrazr is to cover their care, vetting and recovery. 

From Rachel:

No kidding, so there I was, up to my waist in a cow pond, covered in mud, slime and some very questionable yellow substance. But I was sooooo close. Close enough I could almost get the leash over her head. And then we were in the water all the way...

But let me go back to the beginning.

Kenedy Animal Shelter Dogs had posted about 4 lab puppies wandering in the back fields of Kenedy. They were being fed by a local resident (we will call her Janet). We were full here on the Paws Unite People side of the house. But I watched and I watched. Once the dogs we already had started going to their forever homes there was potential for 3 vacancies. But only 3. How do you choose? After seeing the pictures and the videos and knowing what I know about the strays chances around here I decided to get involved for all 4. After the original comments that Justice For Toby (Paws Unite People) was getting involved there were a lot of emails and texts coordinating the logistics and timing of everyone's schedule. Finally a time was set and a plan was in motion. So, armed with 4 leashes, 2 boxes of drive through chicken strips with macaroni & cheese, and 1 very enthusiastic volunteer we were off to a point on a map somewhere in the back fields on the outskirts of Kenedy. Did I mention it was raining and getting dark?

When we arrived at the feeding spot on the side of the road and got situated, Janet called them like every night. One was brave enough to come over. But only far as the tall brush on the side of the road. We tried everything - the trail of savory chicken bits that led to the leash, coaxing with treats and maneuvering her into a boxed in position. After 30 minutes of coaxing she was as close as she was going to get. It was time to go in! We all maneuvered around and took the plunge. Luckily the enthusiastic volunteer got there before she could get through the barbed wire fence. Immediately I rushed in to get the leash over her head....right through the cactus and sand burs. But she (we will call her Emma since she was so sweet) was safe and secure. Did I mention I was wearing capris? Bad idea. Lesson learned - NEVER wear capris when rescuing in fields in Texas. My legs look like I got in a small box with a very angry cat. 1 down. 3 to go.

The enthusiastic volunteer decided to track down the other 3, who had seen what we were about and taken off. Janet and I stayed at the roadside in case they circled back around for the food. Wishful thinking that. After 45 minutes of nothing we set off in search of not only 3 dogs, but also our volunteer? An acre away we found him at the top of a hill with a puppy heading our way. Once again the coaxing and the treats with no luck. She bolted into a poorly fenced cow pond pasture. My first thought was "yes, this makes is easy." Famous last words. She went in the water after realizing there was a fence on all sides and the hole was blocked by Janet. After 20 more minutes of trying to convince this puppy to come out of the water it was time to make a decision - give up or go in. Seeing as I had my yard shoes on I got the short straw to get wet. Did I mention dogs are wily and swim very well? She managed to maneuver herself into the tall water grass just out of reach from the shore on all sides. It was time to commit and take the plunge, literally. As I traveled closer through what I thought was mid-calf high water, she swam deeper into the tall grass. I followed, oh so blindly. And then there I was, waist high in the mud and slime trying to extract a very wet, very scared, very wiggly lab puppy (we will call her Lola because boy was she hard to get!). After a couple minutes of trying SUCCESS!!! The leash was on and we could go back to shore. Did I mention the puppy was soaking wet, covered in bits of pond scum and muddy as can be? This made both of us muddier and wetter as I was now 25 pounds heavier and a lot less balanced; what with all the wriggling. 2 down. 2 to go.

Not to be discouraged that we were now 2 hours into this rescue and we had covered acres of ground we set off in search of the last 2. One of us was very wet and dirty, and the other two (Janet and the volunteer) were in receipt of 2 scared puppies; one of them very wet, dirty and cold. After wandering in a generally south direction of their last known siting we came to a natural gas extraction site. Natural gas! Just guess where the other 2 puppies were? Under a grating, under a natural gas storage tank. This looked like it. How were we possible going to get them out of there? As wiling as we were to get ALL of them, who wants to risk that? So we stood, and we stared, and we pondered our options. There didn't seem to be any until a break...the black one (we will call her Maryanne) bolted out to make a break for it. This one was more a game of cat-and-mouse than a chase. There was some dodging, some weaving, some swift directions changes as we moved around this natural gas site but eventually we had her cornered. But then right as our still very enthusiastic volunteer was putting the leash over her head, she bolted and was free! And right back under that grate, under the natural gas tank. Which meant we were back to staring and pondering. By now it was almost 9pm and a decision had to be made. Call it good with the two or make one last attempt. Again all eyes were on me. I was the only one with arms long enough and a frame small enough to fit and make a grab for them. So there I am contemplating my fate (or imminent demise) and thinking I don't want my last moments in life to covered in macaroni & cheese. I oh-so-cautiously approached the grate with the one opening I could access and laid my wet and muddy self on the rocky ground. Did I mention the site was covered in very sharp gravel? I can tell you I never felt so fat in my life. I didn't want to touch a thing. But lo and behold I was able to reach in, not touch a thing, and fish out a red puppy? Where was the black one? This was a surprise. All things considered it was a win. The red one (we will call her Ginger) was safe and secure. But now to find the black one. Hmmmm...... one more fishing expedition into a hole in the ground. Yeeeesh! Suffice it to say that on the second grab I got her nape. My luck was up!

So, after three plus hours, a swim and some calculated flirting with disaster all 4 were secured in my car for the ride home. And that is how I spent my night rescuing the 4 Kenedy Field Furries. .

Stay tuned for the fundraizr link because after all that, these girls are going to be getting some top notch love and much needed medical care. Photos in this post are of them safe, clean and in a home for the first time ever. Did I mention they are actually very friendly once they relax and realize you aren't a threat. Cause they are :)

- Rachel

And YES, we had permission to be where we were. There was no trespassing involved. Just a lot of tomfoolery and Monty Python-esque moments.