PAWS for a Cause

Once upon a time, in a cozy kennel at the Animal Defense League (ADL), there lived a little puppy named Jackie. With her soft, chocolate and vanilla-colored fur and soulful eyes, she captured the hearts of everyone she met. But beneath her playful exterior lay a secret—a tiny heart struggling to keep up with her boundless, playful energy.

At the end of December 2023, Jackie and her siblings were surrendered to ADL and following her spay surgery, ADL’s medical team quickly realized that Jackie was a bit different from the others; she had a congenital heart defect. This defect caused abnormal blood flow between her heart’s chambers, putting immense strain on her tiny heart.

Despite her condition, Jackie was full of life. She loved goofing around, wagging her tail at every passerby, and cuddling up with her foster family. But time was ticking—the longer the defect remained untreated, the greater the risk of heart failure. Our team rallied around Jackie, as it was clear: Jackie urgently needed life-saving surgery to repair her heart defect.

As a non-profit organization, ADL relies on the generosity of donors to continue our mission of rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming pets in need. As we prepared for Jackie’s surgery, we launched a fundraising campaign called PAWS for a Cause Emergency Medical Fund; in hopes that the community would show their support for Jackie and others in need of medical care. Thankfully, donations began pouring in, which is a testament to all of our amazing supporters. Monetary donations from those unable to adopt, foster, or volunteer are invaluable, giving every pet a second chance at life and love. Visit adltexas.org/pawsforacause today to give!

Jackie’s story touched many hearts – she was featured on KSAT12’s Good Morning San Antonio, graced our social media feeds, and became the ‘spokespup’ for our PAWS for a Cause Emergency Medical Fund. We are happy to share that Jackie’s successful surgery took place in late February and she is happy, healthy, and thriving. In fact, she is officially available for adoption, and we are certain that she will make the hearts of her fur-ever family full of love and joy!