Just as the Barbers were waving goodbye to a little schnauzer they rescued several weeks prior that was headed to her new home, Kris got a call from the patio contractor. He remembered their chat about rescues and didn’t know where else to turn. He was deeply concerned about a mama dog and her puppies that frequently visited the construction site where he worked. He had seen local kids throwing rocks and harassing the mama dog and her puppies. He feared they’d get hurt or the puppies would be separated from their mama when his company would lock the gate that surrounded the parking lot at night. The mama dog would often leave them inside the gated construction site to keep them safe and in the shade while she went out to forage for food. There was a shaded area in the back of the building with a dripping faucet nearby. He and his coworkers kept an eye on the cute pups, lounging on their backs, trying to stay cool in the heat of summer (June) in Houston. It was a dangerous situation for the little family, and he wasn’t sure how to help, so he called Kris.

Without a concrete plan, Kris and Hailey jumped in the car and went to see what they could do to help rescue the little family. The first trip to the location was unsuccessful. They didn’t see the dogs and the folks at the construction site hadn’t seen them that day, either. Kris told the guy who originally contacted her to call if he saw them, and they’d try again.

It didn’t take long! Early the next morning, Kris got the call, and she and Hailey jumped back in the car and drove to the site about 45 minutes away. There they were! The mama was quite friendly and seemed to know they were there to help. She watched as Kris and Hailey loaded her hot, panting puppies into the back of the car. Once they were secured, she jumped in behind them. The car was cool with the AC blasting, and all of the dogs curled up and went to sleep after a big drink of cool water! They knew they were safe! Kris had been told there were only three puppies with the mama, but there were actually four! Perhaps the mama dog’s guardian angel was watching over her and led them back when all four puppies were with her; otherwise, they might have missed one. After they were loaded up, Kris and Hailey talked about where they would put them and how best to start networking them for homes. Kris had found homes for several puppies rescued from an abandoned house recently and felt confident she could easily find homes for these pups, too. The mama dog - soon named Goldie - and her pups went to the Barber’s house. Hailey and Kris cleaned them up and settled them into the laundry/mudroom, with a cool floor for them to lounge on. The next order of business was finding homes for the little family.

The puppies were energetic and around 3–4 months old, far too old to still be nursing on their mama. Goldie, still a young dog herself (estimated to be about 6 months when she got pregnant), continued to produce milk since the puppies (and their sharp little teeth) were still nursing on her. To give her relief and begin weaning the puppies off of Goldie’s milk and onto solid food, they were separated. Goldie and her pups could still see each other when they went outside because the backyard had been divided into two dog runs for prior rescues, which worked out perfectly! Goldie finally had space to rest without all of the little wild ones constantly nudging at her, trying to get a drink! It took some adjustment for the Barbers, going from five dogs to ten dogs in the blink of an eye, but Kris was still sure she could find homes for the pups and eventually Goldie. The puppies learned some manners, like “wait,” before taking a treat or eating and they were leash trained and housebroken quickly. They were all very quick to learn and eager to please, especially if there was a treat involved!

Kris asked everyone she knew if they were interested in the pups… no takers! Days turned into weeks, weeks into months and then finally, as the Barbers were having a pool constructed, one of the contractors fell in love with one of the little males – Dougie. Because the fence was down for the pool construction, Kris and Hailey stayed outside with the puppies regularly for their exercise and he would take his breaks to play with the puppies. After a few weeks, the construction worker told Kris he had been working on his wife to adopt one of the puppies to grow up with their young son. He had a dog when he was growing up, and he wanted the same for his son. She finally agreed and he was ready to take Dougie home! Fantastic!! They had three more puppies and Goldie to find homes for.

Muffin, Louie, and Rascal were still pretty young – maybe 6-7 months old – when Kris mentioned to the receptionist at her kids’ eye doctor that she was looking for a home for the remaining three pups. She seemed to fall for Louie from the flyer Kris gave her. He was a handsome black pup with a white chest and lighter green eyes; she said wanted to adopt him. She came to the Barber’s house to pick Louie up. Kris gave her a big bag of his food, a bag of his treats, his bed and toys, and even the crate he had been using, along with all of his vet records. He had been neutered recently and was up to date on all of his puppy shots. Only two more to get adopted!

After a few weeks, Kris got a call from a very angry lady! “You gave me a dog with parvo! I don’t want it, it has diarrhea and I’m dropping him off at your house TODAY!” Kris wasn’t able to get much of a word in edgewise but informed the lady that the dog did not have parvo when he left, and likely didn’t have parvo then. She was not interested in hearing anything from Kris, as she continued to yell. Louie had been checked out by a vet before Kris handed him over to the lady, and he was given a clean bill of health – at no cost to his adopter for anything. Kris just wanted to find a good home for him. She was not an official rescue but she wanted to do what was right for the dog so she told the lady she would gladly take him back. The lady drove up, dragged the diarrhea-soaked crate out from the back of her vehicle, dropped it on the road and continued to yell at Kris while Louie watched everything, cowering in his crate, standing in the wet mess in the bottom of his crate. Kris was mortified! First, that she had adopted sweet Louie to this crazy lady and second that he was terrified and now ill and covered in the mess from his crate. The lady informed Kris that she was in the process of moving (she never disclosed that in their initial conversation). She never took Louie to the vet but DECIDED he had parvo because her sister told her that was the problem. Kris believed the real issue was that she just didn’t want him or to care for his needs, or perhaps her new place didn’t allow pets. It didn’t really matter, because she should not have agreed to take him in the first place. In between tirades, Kris asked if she had changed food, because that can cause diarrhea. The lady was perturbed at the question and shot back, “that food was too expensive. He’s a dog!”

Kris, feeling dumbfounded and back with another dog, quickly made an appointment with her vet. The vet confirmed Louie’s belly troubles were due to the abrupt food change and likely the stress of the lady’s temperament. If she was willing to scream at a stranger that charged her nothing for a sweet dog, she was willing to scream at anyone, including Louie. Thankfully dogs live in the moment, and Louie was elated to get back with his siblings and play! His belly issues resolved in a day or two.

Eleven years later, Louie is still with the Barbers, along with his siblings, Muffin and Rascal, and their mom, Goldie as well. That situation was really tough for Kris and her efforts to find homes for the dogs became much harder. Kris second guessed everything and started to worry how she would figure out if the homes she was finding were like the crazy lady. She didn’t network as much and didn’t really know how to find loving homes, so she and Chuck decided that Goldie and her pups were there to stay, unless they found just the right place for one or more of them. The thought of any of the pups going through what Louie had gone through was gut wrenching.

So, 2025 rolled around and Goldie is still hopping around at 13-14yrs old! She looks and acts like a 55lb Chihuahua – she is actually a Staffordshire terrier, American Bully, Rottweiler mix – but she does have a little Chihuahua in her too; we did her DNA! Muffin and Louie live together in the gameroom. Muffin is the dominant one of the two, but they have a respect for each other and peacefully coexist. Rascal and Louie got in a serious fight several years ago and the Barbers decided there were too many siblings in the same area causing tension, so the boys were separated by a half door. Problem solved. Rascal has his area in the laundry room/mudroom – the area that all of the puppies stayed when they first arrived at the Barbers’ home back in 2013.

The hardest part of having four dogs that are almost the same age, (Goldie being about a year older than her pups) is how quickly the Barbers will have to say goodbye, one after the other. Rascal has had the hardest time over the last few years. Louie and Muffin are in better health but are showing signs of difficulty getting up and down as well. Rascal has arthritis in his back and neck and suffers from a thyroid issue. It is imperative for the oldest of the Rags To Tags Sanctuary dogs to keep their joint health up. It’s pricey - but worth every penny - watching Racal, at 12yrs old, get a pep in his step and toss a new ball in the air and trot out to the dog run to retrieve it, like a proud, prancing pup! The Barbers realize none of the little family is long for this world, as big dogs at 12-13 years old, but as long as they are healthy and happy, the Barbers will cater to their needs!