From Floods to Farm Life: Piper’s Journey Home

Last May, when disaster struck San Jacinto County, Texas, the ASPCA quickly jumped into action. At the request of San Jacinto County Animal Control, our National Field Response team assisted with relief efforts in response to severe flooding in the area. We provided boots-on-the-ground emergency response consultation to help assess needs within the community, and provided critical pet supply donations, including food, litter, pet crates and carriers, as well as food and water bowls for community distribution.

ASPCA relocation efforts following the floods in San Jacinto County, Texas.

In addition, on May 11, we evacuated approximately 20 shelters animals from the county shelter to free up space for displaced pets in the community. The animals ­­— who were all unowned — were relocated to one of our recovery facilities. Piper, a one-year-old pup, was one of the animals transported to the ASPCA Cruelty Recovery Center (CRC) in Columbus, Ohio.

When Piper came into our care, she was already a healthy young dog, so we just had to provide her with daily care like walks, enrichment to keep her mind busy and plenty of love. We also were determined to find her the loving home she deserved.

Meeting Her Match

Andrew G. had grown up with dogs on his family farm in Ohio, but having moved into the city, it had been a while since Andrew had had a canine around. When he moved back down the road from his family farm, he decided he could use a companion and running buddy and decided to look into adoption.

On the hunt for a friendly, confident and active dog, but one that also didn’t mind hanging out on the couch, Andrew began searching PetFinder, a website that features local adoptables. When he came across Piper, he thought she fit the bill.

Andrew set up a meet-and-greet at the CRC where he finally got to meet Piper in person.

“She had a lot of energy, that was my first impression,” he recalled. “But she was very friendly. The thing that stuck out to me the most was that they had a pool there at the center and she went up the stairs and jumped onto a float and kind of surfed on that a bit. When I saw that I was like, ‘okay, she’s the one!’”

Having been sold on Piper’s positive and playful spirit, Andrew took Piper home that same day.

Life on the Farm

It didn’t take long for Piper to adapt to life in the country. She began sniffing out rabbits, deer and curious coyotes on or near her property almost instantly.

“She’s had verbal arguments with the coyotes — I think she’s won those arguments,” Andrew joked.

While Piper was technically not housetrained when she arrived at her new home, Andrew claims she taught herself.

“The first couple of nights she would let me know when she had to go out,” he said. “She kind of just housetrained herself automatically.”

Clearly very polite in nature, Piper was also respectful of her new home, while still willing to explore.

The exploration continued outside of the home on runs as well. Andrew was most excited to have a new running buddy, and as it turns out, Piper is a great one! The two go out on a bike path near their home in the mornings.

“Only a few miles at a time, but she’s getting stronger,” Andrew mentioned.

Getting Into the Swing of Things

It had been a while since Andrew had a dog in his home, and a young one at that, so finding ways to deal with her energy, and just having a dog in general, took some getting used to on his end.

“She’s basically just a big puppy at this point still so keeping up with her energy has been interesting,” he said. “On Sunday, I played with her for about an hour, running around and with the rope toy and throwing the ball and all that but she was still ready to go. I was like, ‘Piper, I’m tired! We’re done.’”

Andrew has also been working with Piper on her fear of getting into vehicles.

“Once she’s in there, she’s great and getting out of one she’s fine,” he explained. “I’m sure she had a tumultuous upbringing with the various disaster events and moving around to a bunch of different places so being able to give her a more consistent environment is really great.”

But it’s Piper’s quirks, fun-loving personality and kind heart that Andrew adores — and her one floppy ear, of course!

“She is just always ready to play and always excited. She plays by herself, keeps herself occupied, is super friendly,” Andrew told us. “Sometimes when I’m on the computer working and she’s on the floor next to me, she’ll be sleeping and running and chasing something in her sleep. It’s pretty cute.”

“‘Joyous’ is the word my mom used to describe her. I think that’s a really good description.”