A touching picture of a homeless dog clinging to a discarded teddy bear captivated the hearts of the country but also left animal lovers split on the dog’s destiny.
Yvette Holzbach, the photographer wrote: “here is a stray dog getting solace in a worn out, abandoned toy. How many of the dogs that we see are likewise tossed out on the street after they have fulfilled their purpose? ”
The image went viral as people were profoundly saddened by this sad image and wanted to know what happened to the dog.
But although many people showed great sympathies, others questioned why Yvette didn’t save the dog, instead of simply snapping a photo and walking away.
Her remark demonstrates exactly how many homeless dogs there are in this one location and the severity of the situation nationwide.
Yvette works for an organization called Forgotten Dogs of the 5th Ward, and spends her time to rescuing homeless dogs in one of the most destitute sections in Houston, Texas.
She and her colleagues patrol the region, take photographs of abandoned dogs in order to identify their owners, get them spayed or neutered, medical care if required and most importantly finds some of them foster or forever homes.
But the sheer quantity of homeless dogs on the street is too much for Yvette and her colleagues to handle with and it’s for this reason she posted the following reaction on Facebook to all those who condemned her.
“On one feeding route we may feed up to 50 stray dogs. Of those 50 dogs we are fortunate if we are able to rescue one because the sad reality is, there are not enough foster homes to put these dogs into,” she stated on the Forgotten Dogs of the 5th Ward website.
“It is the toughest thing in the world for us to leave dogs like him behind so please don’t criticize us. We are a tiny group of volunteers who are simply trying to do the very best we can with what we have.”
After the image was posted the dog, named Teddy, was identified as one of several dogs local homeowner Mr Calvin had been feeding.
The 87-year-old had rescued numerous dogs from the streets over the years and at one point had as many as 20 in his back yard, according to Yvette.
“I hope that by uploading the image awareness has been aroused to the suffering of the street dog. We are fighting an uphill battle and we can only hope that there will come a day when no dog will have to struggle to live on the street.”
Yvette posted an update to this tale last year with the sad information that animal hero Mr. Calvin died away in 2018, but his generosity and care toward these poor dogs will never be forgotten due to Yvette and her crew.
We need more individuals like Yvette in the world. Please share to express your support for the essential job she performs to aid our vulnerable animals.
