Rescue work is exhausting for staff and volunteers alike. In the hardest of days, it’s normal for folks to desire a break or some sort of lull in the neverending stream of work. However, after a member of Reggie’s Friends of Hoston Texas received an alarming text, staff and volunteers alike immediately leapt into action — they’d be happy to skip breaktime.

What they found was the skinniest, saddest looking dog. Reggie’s Friends volunteers were shocked by her appearance, specifically because this dog had a family that had been provided a free doghouse, food, and medication to care for her. The rescue quickly found a way to bring her into their care, knowing her current situation was no good. She was given the name Rey in reference to the Star Wars heroine.

They began by bathing her mange encrusted skin and providing sustenance to nourish her frail frame. Unfortunately, her meager condition took a turn for the worse. The team was horrified to find that Rey had a blockage and that said blockage was likely caused by eating the only thing available to her... garbage. This perforated her intestinal wall, leaking fluid into her abdomen. It was determined that she’d been suffering from this for a long time. After carefully analyzing what her quality of life might be with surgery, the difficult decision was made to let her go. Our brave heroine was held in loving arms and kissed gently as she slipped away.

Days later, she returned, in a wooden box with her name engraved. On looking into whether prosecution would be levied against those who should have protected her, we were told that this is just the way things are in Houston, and due to circumstances, charges would not be filed. Reggie's Friends says that of the ten dog cruelty cases they have presented to officials, none have been deemed as criminal by the authorities.

As a country, how long must we sit by, while our dogs waste away to nothing on the end of chains, with no laws to protect them? Share our survey with professionals that witness these dogs — dogs like Rey — so America can speak out to help change this! No dog or living being anywhere should be made so desperate and deprived that they need to resort to eating trash.