CLEVELAND – A dog is fighting for his life at an emergency pet hospital in Spring after a gruesome attack over the weekend.
“It really affected us. I mean, we were at a point where we weren’t going to take any more dogs for a while, especially big ones,” explained Founding Board Member of This Is Houston, Tom Heller.
Heller and Laura Forma are the founding members of This Is Houston, an organization dedicated to shining a light on the animal welfare problem in Houston. Their mission is to spread awareness, promote compassion, and inspire change. They help rescue dogs and get them the care they need while ultimately helping them find a forever home.
“Sadly, we’re all too familiar with dogs abused and injured,” said Forma.
“Houston is bad, really bad,” noted Heller. “Cleveland, Texas is the worst we’ve seen. The area is so bad you can’t drive around without seeing stray dogs as well as dogs getting hit by cars. It happens a lot.”
They got a call over the weekend about a dog named Steve in Cleveland that stopped them in their tracks.
“It looks like a saw cut his head down to his jaw and cut into his jaw and filleted this whole side of his face open. It’s horrible. I mean it’s heart-wrenching,” said Heller.
The local dog rescue group in Liberty County is working to find the person responsible and report him to authorities.
They have reason to believe he was intentionally injured by a man threatening dogs around the neighborhood he lived in.
When the volunteers at This Is Houston initially saw the photos of Steve, they didn’t think he could survive his injuries but knew they had to step in to do something. They said when doctors first saw him, they too did not think he would make it through the weekend.
“The doctors said, ‘We can’t repair this and will probably have to euthanize him,’” explained Heller.
Steve suffered for three days before the local rescue group was notified about him and contacted This Is Houston for help. He had an owner who had to surrender him because of financial reasons.
But according to Heller and Forma, Steve is part of a much bigger story.
“We can’t rescue our way out of this,” said Heller.
The two say that the amount of stray dogs in Houston who are untimely injured and even killed is incredibly concerning. There is something Heller says needs to be addressed and done to help with this ongoing problem.
“We need spay and neuter laws. This is the most important thing,” said Heller.
But for now, they will continue to save dogs and spread awareness.
“You have to be pretty messed up to do something like that.”
Tom says the surgeons said they will have to do multiple surgeries on Steve. He’s been resting comfortably on pain medication at Blue Pearl Emergency. A surgeon is evaluating him and has seen his photos. They say there’s enough skin left that if they can get the tissue healthy, they can get the wound closed without reconstruction.
And as Steve embarks on a long road to recovery, Heller and Forma are just grateful for the incredibly giving community we call Houston.
“It takes a lot of commitment for a big medical case like this, but we’re glad to be able to commit to these dogs who desperately need us. Your support allows us to transform these dogs, so thank you,” noted Heller.