This was really the first time Kris learned the best way to catch a scared dog by waiting them out: no eye contact. It was clear this dog was fearful of people, so Kris just sat down and waited. The dog made big circles around her, trying to figure out what she was going to do. Eventually, the circles got small enough that the little dog decided Kris was trustworthy and collapsed in her lap. It was extremely hot outside, so she quickly picked up the exhausted dog and walked her back to the front of her mom’s property, put her in the shade, and put some cool water on her belly. The hose water wasn’t cold (it’s never cold in the summer in Houston!), but cool enough for lowering the dog’s temperature. Her tongue was very puffy and she was more than likely on the verge of heat stroke. Kris called Chuck to pick them up so she could put the dog in the pool at their house, to relax.

The pool was like a light switch for this little dog! She laid on the pool shelf for about 10 minutes then popped up like she was raring to go! She jumped in and swam around, got out, grabbed a ball and brought it to Kris & acted like she was home. She had a rabies tag on, so Kris called the vet listed on the tag. It wasn’t long before the owner called her back, elated that her dog was safe. This little dog had been on her own, many miles from her home, for more than two weeks. The owner had adopted this pup when she was about 18 months old from, what she told Kris, was a “shady shelter.” She told her that her boyfriend, in a vindictive move, had stolen all of her property and took the dog and disappeared. She feared he would kill the dog, and she’d never know what happened to her. It turns out he heartlessly dumped her more than 100 miles from home and left her to fend for herself. Her picture was posted on the NextDoor app quite a few times from different neighborhoods, but no one could ever get close to her to help her. But, because she was so far from home, the owner never saw the posts or had any idea what happened to her. She told Kris she had been frantically worried about her safety. She was so relieved to know this sweet pup was safe. Because the dog’s owner had fallen on hard times, she tearfully asked if Kris could keep her and give her a good life. She agreed and hoped that they would stay in touch, but after one or two more texts, there was no additional correspondence.

Hailey named this sweet little cattle dog “Indie,” but a better name for her would be the hall monitor! Nothing and no one gets by without Indie at attention! She monitors every noise in “her” house. She has a particular affection for Chuck and knows all of the sounds he makes as he works from his home office. When he wraps up a Zoom call at lunchtime with “ok, thanks everyone…” she knows he is coming out to get his lunch. She stands at attention outside his door and barks to let all of the other dogs know Chuck is coming out - LOL! She knows EVERY sound – even all the way across the house - and always lets out a specific bark to let everyone know what’s up! Kris says Indie can hear her eyes open in the morning!!

As sweet as Indie is, she suffers from improperly healed injuries that more than likely happened when she was just a puppy. According to her regular vet in 2018, “her hip looks like swiss cheese!” Her front arm was clearly broken and not set properly at some point, so there is a big knot where the bones fused together, improperly. That same front arm has quite a bit of arthritis in the shoulder joint causing swelling when she runs too much. Trying to keep Indie from running is like telling a cat not to meow. The solution? Swimming! Since 2018 (and before), Indie has been swimming as much as she can, giving her the opportunity to avoid surgeries that were recommended. She limps when the weather changes, but with some rest and some anti-inflammatory meds (only if the limping is very pronounced), she always bounces back. In 2021, she was hopping on three legs more frequently, so the Barbers decided to take her to an orthopedic doctor at Texas A&M for a consultation. The doctor indicated that she was shocked that comparing the X-ray from 2018 to the dog in front of her, she couldn’t believe the images came from that dog! Kris explained that they had been using low impact exercise in the pool to keep her muscles strong, healthy food, and joint supplements, monitoring her for any changes. The vet’s reaction was to keep her doing what she was doing because she looked great. She informed Kris and Chuck that she might need surgery in the future, but until that time – let her swim!

Indie has inspired one of the main focuses of the sanctuary – an inside pool for dogs like her to swim year-round. Between Indie, Lacy, and some of the older dogs in the care of the Barbers, water therapy is desperately needed. Rags To Tags Rescue & Sanctuary aims to continue the mission of helping dogs that might be able to avoid costly and difficult surgeries with the healing therapy of water! If you’d like to see Indie in action, visit our social media @ragstotagsrescue to see Indie and the rest of the sanctuary dogs.