Lucky Penny Rescue Network (2025)

30/07/2025

Olive Update 🏥🩺

We are delighted to share that, despite her best efforts, Olive is healing perfectly from surgery 🤣.

We knew going into Olive’s spay that she might take us on a journey during her recovery. Firstly, she is desperately afraid of anything around her neck, which rules us out of a cone. Luckily we’ve used surgical recovery suits to great success in the past but we do like to monitor a dog more closely if they have a surgical recovery suit without or instead of a cone, so we knew Olive’s recovery would be time intensive for us. We also know that Olive likes to hide under the couch, so we decided to confine her to a large dog crate so we can keep a close and easy eye on her recovery - at least for the first few days.

And thank goodness we did! Her first day home Olive did great, took her meds, went potty, ate food and rested up - perfect. We couldn’t have asked for a better patient. She had an uneventful first night, ate breakfast, and took her morning meds without any issue. We checked the cameras in the rescue room an hour after giving her breakfast, and discovered Olive had wiggled out of her surgery suit and was licking her incision!

We panicked.

We rushed back into the rescue room, cleaned her up, and took photos of the damage she’d done to show to our vet. We attempted to put a cone on her, but Olive let us know that was absolutely not an option.

So, we took a different approach and instead started trying different designs of surgery suit. This new suit, in addition to having snaps at the back, also has big Velcro panels on either side of Olive’s belly. So far this new design has worked great. By “working,” we mean that this new suit has thwarted every single attempt that Olive has made to get out of it - she has bitten the Velcro panels and attempted to peel them back multiple times, but it’s too grippy for her and she can’t get it open. Which is a huge relief.

And the incision? Luckily our vet also foresaw Olive getting the better of us, and so she added layers and layers of surgical adhesive throughout Olive’s incision. Thus, while Olive did managed to irritate her surgery incision site she didn’t pop anything open - thank goodness. This is one of the many benefits of working with a vet who knows our animals so well - she can anticipate the ways in which they might give us a run for a money in recovery 🤣. Happily, we’re now a few days after this event and Olive hasn’t managed to wiggle out of her suit again and the incision has returned back to normal and healthy healing.

So, little miss Olive will remain on crate rest a little bit longer - at until we know the bulk of her healing is done. She’s handling crate rest quite well so far, we’re keeping her entertained with frozen Kong toys and her meds ensure she takes nice long naps.

Thank you all for your support of our rescue. Later this week we’ll launch our fundraiser for Olive’s surgery but for now please know that your comments and likes are really appreciated. It’s great to see how much Olive is loved 💗🐾🐶

28/07/2025

Olive’s Surgery Update 🏥🩺

Now Olive is all settled in after her surgery, we wanted to take a minute and share with you how her surgery went.

In short, Olive did great - although she was nervous, she didn’t act any more afraid than most dogs do at a vet clinic, especially when they haven’t had breakfast that day; that’s when they know something’s up 😉.

Olive was alert and engaged with the vet and techs and they did all the pre-surgery prep with no issues.

Despite Olive being young we decided to run full pre-surgery bloodwork on her. While she’s never shown us any symptoms to indicate underlying health issues, given the hoarding environment she came from and the fact we have no baseline bloodwork on her, we just wanted to make sure everything is okay. Happily, Olive’s blood work came back perfect - normal ranges for everything! She’s one healthy little dog 💗.

When she was under for her spay her heart rate and breathing did great. She handled the surgery like a champ.

Our vet also discovered that the antibiotics for Olive’s tooth root abscess had cleared it right up so in more great news Olive didn’t need that tooth removed! She did however have a lot of plaque and tartar build up - more than we might expect for a dog just over a year old. But that’s likely due to her previous diet and living environment. So while she was under for her spay our amazing vet and the techs also gave Olive a dental cleaning - her pearly whites are back to being pearly white!

We are so grateful to the wonderful vets and techs over at C & C Veterinary Services for taking such great care of Olive! Thank you!

We’re so happy that Olive is taking these steps towards finding a forever home! Once she’s through her surgery recovery we’ll start the process to transport Olive up to Ohio. Keep following along on our page for updates on Olive as she completes her recovery and starts to look for a new home. In the next few days we’re also going to post a fundraiser to help us cover the cost of Olive’s surgery so please keep your eyes open for that too.

Thank you all for following along with Olive’s journey - we couldn’t do this without you 🐾💗🐶

26/07/2025

She’s Home! 💗🐶🐾

Olive did fantastic through her spay surgery! And she didn’t need any teeth removed!!

We’ll post a bigger update in the next few days but for now we’re just delighted to share that Olive’s surgery was smooth sailing and she’s home and starting her recovery.

Thank you all for holding Olive in your thoughts today - we really felt the love!

25/07/2025

Today’s the day!!

Today Olive will have her spay surgery as she moves one step closer to her forever home! While under anesthesia her vet will also take a look at the abscessed tooth to evaluate whether the course of antibiotics was enough to resolve the issue or if the tooth needs to be removed.

Olive was understandably a little nervous this morning as we loaded her into the car.

We’ll post an update when she’s back home after surgery. Thank you all for following along with our rescue - stay tuned for updates! 💗🐾🐶

23/07/2025

The DNA is in!!

Pistachio’s wonderful family ran DNA on him, and guess what? That little mini-Shepherd looking kiddo is actually 51% Chihuahua!!! And no Jack Russel DNA at all!!! Surprised? So were we!

His full DNA results are below, and they’re amazing! We’re not going to pretend to know enough about genetics to be able to figure out which came from Olive and which came from Pistachio’s Dad. However, we have been asking Olive if she’s actually a Chihuahua - so far she has refused to answer our questions!! 🤣

We do still strongly suspect that each puppy had a different father, given the hoarding situation Olive came from and the fact we know there were at least 40 other dogs on the property, which means this mix of DNA is not necessarily going to be found in all of the puppies.

This does also make us question Olive’s breed make-up. She looks like a Jack Russel mix but maybe she’s not a Jack Russel? Maybe she’s a mix-breed combo that together looks like a Jack Russel? Or maybe her Jack Russel percentage just didn’t get passed on to Pistachio, but would be present in a different puppy? At close to $100 a DNA test is out of the range for us to run as a small rescue, that’s the same cost as vaccines and food for a month. So, we’ll just keep guessing and asking Olive some very direct questions about what breed she is.

The 2% Chinese Crested is also so interesting! 🤣

Massive thank you to Pistachio’s family for not only giving him an amazing home, but also sharing his DNA results with us - we still can’t believe there’s no Jack Russel in there!!!

18/07/2025

Olive’s Unexpected Trip to the Vet 🩺🏥

Earlier this week we had to take Olive to the vet. We discovered she had an abscess on her gum after Olive started dropping her treats like they were hot potatoes.

This was our first real test to see how far Olive has come in building her confidence, and we are delighted to share that she did GREAT!

We managed to get her into a harness successfully at home - she didn’t react with fear or by freezing, and she was pretty calm about the whole thing. She then wore her harness for over an hour with no issues. This was a huge moment for Olive 💗.

While Olive was clearly nervous at the vet and during her exam, she was still alert. The last few times we’ve been at the vet clinic with Olive she has completely frozen, pressing herself flat out to the floor as if she wanted it to envelope her. She would turn her head away from everyone who handled her, not wanting to look at them or engage. This time was different, Olive still shook from head to toe and froze when being handled, but she was sitting, she was brave enough to watch all the things, and she even sniffed at the vet and the tech and took a very small treat.

We are so happy!

Now to the medical side - Olive does indeed have a tooth root abscess. She recieved some antibiotics and pain meds but ultimately she’s very likely to need the tooth removed so it won’t cause her any future issues. The good news is that the affected tooth is rather small, so it only has one root, making its removal fairly straight forward; and in the greater scheme of things it’s not a tooth she’ll miss.

But, this has changed things up for us a bit. Since Olive likely needs to have the tooth removed, we’ve decided to schedule her spay surgery down here in Laredo next week. While Olive is under anesthesia, our vet will also assess the affected tooth and remove it if it needs to be removed.

We’ll need to run a fundraiser for Olive’s spay and tooth removal, but we’ll wait until we know the cost of her procedure. So, please do keep your eyes open for that.

In the meantime, thank you all for your support of our rescue - it means the world to us and to dogs like Olive 💗🐾🐶

15/07/2025

What is TnR and Why is it Important?

🐈 TnR are Trap-Neuter-Return programs for community cats - cats who live outside and often have not become socialized to humans. Many cat colonies have cat caretakers - humans who feed them, monitor them for signs of illness or injury, and work hard to ensure the cats get sterilized to prevent the colony from growing larger.

This is where TnR programs come in - TnR programs are often run by animal rescues and local governments to help control community cat populations. In many TnR programs an additional step of “vaccinate” is included to vaccinate cats against FeLV, FIV, and Rabies.

🐈‍⬛ What happens during TnR? The cat will need to be trapped - this is often safest if the cat is trapped in a humane live animal trap. Once trapped the cat is taken to a participating TnR organization, who transport them to a vet clinic. Once at the vet clinic the cat is sedated and given an overall exam to check for health concerns. The cat is then sterilized by either spay procedure for female cats, or a neuter for male cats. As part of the procedure the cat is often given medication to help prevent infection and manage pain, aiding in recovery from their surgery. The cat is also ear tipped, meaning that very tip of their ear is removed - this acts as a signal to animal control that the cat is part of a managed colony and does not need to be picked up as a stray. The cat will also be vaccinated if the program also offers vaccines.

🐈 Once they have recovered, the cat will be returned to their colony. They are now sterilized, vaccinated, and healthy enough to go on and live out the rest of their natural lives.

TnR’d cats are great companions to have around as they are a great resource for natural pest control - did you know they can even deter snakes? That’s right, if you’ve got community cats around, then you likely won’t have problems with snakes, rats or mice!!

Way to go community cats!!! 💪🐈🐈‍⬛

Want to learn more about TnR? Follow along on our journey by liking our page ✅👍

10/07/2025

Look at her smile! 🐾💗🐶

Over the last week Olive has made fantastic progress. She’s started asking for belly rubs by laying down rather than sitting, which we’re taking as a sign that her trust in us is growing. We’ve also seen her playing with her toys in the most fun way - she LOVES a yellow duck toy - she’ll jump up on the couch in the rescue room with the toy in her mouth, she’ll fling it as far as she can across the room, bark at it, and then pounce on it before running around with it in her mouth.

Just last night we hit a big moment with Olive - we managed to go from sitting on the floor of the rescue room while giving her belly rubs, to standing and even walking around the room a bit with Olive just sitting there and watching us. Normally, any movement from sitting to standing by us has sent Olive running for the safety of her den under the couch, so this feels like a huge step forward!

All in all, Olive’s confidence is growing.

However, we don’t want to give an unrealistic picture of Olive’s progress either. We still haven’t managed to get her to voluntarily leave the rescue room, and we haven’t managed to do much work with her outside either. She becomes so afraid when she leaves the rescue room that she shuts down and she’s completely unable to process events. She needs more time with those activities, but given the progress she’s made so far we’re confident she’ll get there.

With Olive it’s all about celebrating the small bits of progress, her not running to hide when we move from sitting to standing is a big one, her laying down with us to relax in the evening and playing with toys are other major milestones for coming out of her shell.

Ultimately, Olive will need an understanding home because our guess is that she’ll be coming into a forever home as a “work in progress,” rather than as a dog who has completely recovered from the trauma she has endured in her life.

But, for now, we’re just so proud of her and love all the happiness and joy she’s discovering daily.

Thank you all for your continued support of our rescue, which allows us to give dogs like Olive a second chance.

07/07/2025

Guadalupe River Flood Assistance: Where to Donate

We have watched with heartbreak as tragedy unfolded along the Guadalupe River in the Texas Hill Country this weekend. Although almost 200 miles away from us, the Texas Hill Country is an area where we have spent time as a family, often enjoying traveling there with our personal dogs.

Our hearts ache for everyone affected by this terrible disaster.

The devastation is immense and in moments like these, donating towards relief efforts can make a large impact for the people on the ground; from first responders to families navigating unimaginable loss. Amidst the chaos and emotion of moments like these, however, it can be difficult to feel confident that you’re donating to genuine relief efforts. Therefore we’ve pulled together a list of trusted organizations providing aid directly on the ground in the Hill Country. We’re going to separate these out to Human and Animal welfare organizations.

If you can, please donate to help support the rescue, identification, recovery, and reunification efforts. At this time, officials are asking non-residents to stay away from the area so they can focus on search and rescue efforts. Financial donations are therefore a great way to support the people who need us. We’re going to link the page of each organization so you can quickly and easily find ways to donate and support their work.

Thank you 🐾💗🐶

❤️‍🩹 Human Assistance ❤️‍🩹

🔦 Texas Search and Rescue - TEXSAR- providing on the ground search and rescue efforts in the Hill Country to help locate victims, clear roadways and create access routes.

🏥 American Red Cross - offering shelter, assistance and mental health support to those affected by the disaster.

🍳 Mercy Chefs - proving meals to first responders and all those affected by this disaster.

🍳 World Central Kitchen- providing meals on site to victims, supporting personnel and rescue workers.

🐾 Animal Assistance 🐾

🐶 Austin Pets Alive! - pulling animals from local shelters in the Hill Country to free up space for displaced pets. They are in need of donations to support increased intake.

🐕‍🦺 Kerrville Pets Alive - housing animals displaced by the floods. Providing shelter, food and medical assistance while working to reunite pets with owners.

🐈 Hill Country SPCA - also housing animals displaced by the floods, providing shelter, food and medical assistance while working to reunite pets with owners. Please visit their page for a link to financial donations and an Amazon Wish List of items they desperately need.

🐈‍⬛ Hill Country Humane Society - also housing displaced animals, providing medical assistance and working to reunite pets with owners.

Can’t donate but want to help? Please spread the word about these organizations who are doing incredible work during extremely difficult times.

Thank you all, as always, for your support 🐾💗🐶

04/07/2025

Have a look at these great tips to keep your pets safe during the holiday 💗🐾🐶

03/07/2025

🆔 July 4th Safety - How to Make A Quick & Easy Pet ID Tag 🆔

With July 4th just around the corner we wanted to share this super helpful information about making an at-home ID tag for your furry kiddos so they have ID ahead of the fireworks.

In our community of Laredo, Texas fireworks start going off a few days before July 4th as folks practice ahead of the big event. Fireworks can be very scary for our furry companions who have hearing that is much better than ours. Even the most home-bound dog or cat can get scared and unexpectedly bolt out of the door.

While we always advocate for pets to have ID tags at all times, we understand that might not always be possible for everyone. And so, we wanted to share this information for making a temporary ID tag using tape that you can fix to your dog or cat’s collar. If possible, we recommend doing this now so your kiddo is all set ahead of the fireworks. Please do not fix tape directly to your animal - only use this method if your dog or cat already has a collar that you can attach the tape to.

✅ DO: Secure a strip of duct-tape with your phone number to your pet’s collar as a temporary ID tag.

❌ DON’T: Do not ever place tape directly on your animal, this can cause serious medical complications as the tape constricts and/or gets stuck in their fur.

💡Did you know that July 5th is one of the busiest days for animal shelters across the country? Dogs and cats with ID tags are much more likely to be reunited with their humans than those without. Making a phone number tag out of tape is a quick, inexpensive and effective way to protect your furry kiddos ahead of July 4th.

30/06/2025

What is Lucky Penny Rescue? 🐶🐾💗

We are an at home, foster based, 501c3 non-profit animal rescue in South Texas. While our main focus is on small dog rescue, we are growing in the area of cat rescue and TnR.

We primarily work with our city shelter here in Laredo, Texas identifying dogs on the pre-euthanasia and euthanasia list who are at immediate risk due to overcrowding or health concerns.

In collaboration with our rescue partner, Companion Pets of Cleveland, we rehabilitate our rescues down here in Laredo before they are adopted out-of-state. When they are ready, our animals ride on our all-volunteer transport network up to Ohio where they are adopted into loving forever homes.

Together with Companion Pets of Cleveland, we have rescued puppies, senior dogs, pregnant dogs, and very sick dogs who have had to be hospitalized immediately upon release. More recently, we have also rescued tiny kittens and blind kittens.

Here are some of the cases where we were able to help out our furry friends:

🐶 Spud was scared, underweight, and came to us with an upper respiratory infection and wounds all over his little body at various stages of healing - some new, some clearly very old. Whatever had happened to him, it was rough. We released him from the euthanasia list, and rebuilt his confidence while healing his injuries. Spud now lives happily in a wonderful home and is loved beyond measure.

🐈 Lucy was surrendered to our vet’s office. She was as a stray kitten with extensive medical issues, and the person who found her couldn’t afford the medical bills to treat her. We scooped Lucy up and hospitalized her. Our vet and techs worked really hard to try and save Lucy’s eyes, but unfortunately they ruptured due to the chronic infection and had to be removed. Lucy’s recovery was far from straight forward, she required multiple surgeries and frequent visits to our vet clinic, but it was all worth it to see her living the good life in her forever home.

🐶 Mama Sweetpea was found at a gas station; she was almost bald and covered in fleas and ticks, with a scar on one eye, a missing claw on one foot, and she was carrying around a 1/2 pound mammary tumor which was horribly infected. Mama Sweetpea made an incredible recovery during her 6 months in rescue and was adopted into a loving home.

🐶 Goose was released from the euthanasia list at our city shelter and bounded into rescue with an overgrown matted coat that was infested with ticks. Unsurprisingly, Goose tested positive for tick fever. Goose made a fast recovery and became a neighborhood favorite of adults and children alike during his daily walks. Goose was adopted into a fantastic home and is living the good life.

🐶 Olive was one of 40 dogs confiscated from a hoarding case and found herself on the pre-euthanasia list at our city shelter. We tagged Olive and in a surprise move she gave birth to puppies the day before we released her from the shelter! Three months later and her babies are all grown and in homes of their own. Olive remains with us while we rebuild her confidence and work on her training.

If you’d like to share in our journey please follow our page, like and share our posts, and if you’re able, please contribute to our rescue.

Thank you all for your support. We appreciate you. 🐾💗🐶🐈

Lucky Penny Rescue Network

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