Winston is a 6-8 year old stray dog that we found in Corridor of Cruelty (59 and Crosstimbers area) when we were out filming content for the 2020 Fierce & Fabulous Soiree at the end of May. We encountered Winston as he was roaming the street, and he immediately came towards us when we set out food for him on the ground. We then struggled for upwards of 20 minutes to try and get a slip lead around his neck so we could rescue him from the mean streets of Houston.
Once we finally snagged him, he sat in our Marketing & Events Manager Jill’s back seat and she watched as bugs and fleas crawled up and down his back. Imagine being him and having your teeth whittled down to the gums because all your life you gnawed at yourself to try and get relief from the horrors you were experiencing.
We then drove Winston to our emergency vet partner, Dr. Amy Crum of Laurel’s House. She evaluated Winston and informed us that he was suffering from scabies, demodex, eye infections, skin infections and end-stage heartworm disease. With nowhere to bring this unexpected new addition to the Houston PetSet family, our friends at Special Pals stepped up to take him in and keep him safe.
After a week or so, we transferred Winston to Westbury Animal Hospital so that Houston PetSet board member Dr. Cooper could properly treat Winston’s ailments. After spending a month and a half at Westbury, we finally found an amazing foster who was willing to show Winston what the comforts of a real home are.
Winston and his new foster brother, Rambo, hit it off instantly. His foster parents even went out to get Winston his very own dog bed the night that we delivered Winston to their house. Later, we received a photo of Winston softly resting his head on the arm of his new bed.
Winston’s story is proof that the hundreds of thousands of stray animals in Houston are just like our own pets that we cherish so dearly. They are worth the time, money and effort it takes to alleviate their suffering. #ForWinston #ForTheAnimals