Dog who ‘swam through a hurricane’ struggled at NC shelter. Now, a fresh start
A resilient dog “swam through a hurricane” — then struggled at a North Carolina shelter.
Now, Tex the pup is getting a fresh start in a new home.
“We’re over the moon,” Danielle Deschamps, communications coordinator for the Watauga Humane Society, told McClatchy News in a June 27 email. “She’s headed to a 30-acre fenced-in farm where she’ll have four dog siblings, tons of space to explore, and most importantly, get to live inside again.”
The 3-year-old dog was adopted after experiencing a rough patch. Tex was living with her previous owners when Hurricane Helene slammed parts of the Southeast in late September.
“When their home flooded, they swam to safety — pets included,” Deschamps wrote in a separate email. “Before that, she loved water. Afterwards, she wouldn’t go near it. It’s like the storm stole something from her.”
Tex’s family had to move, and she kept escaping from the yard of their new home.
“Her family made the painful decision to surrender her, knowing they couldn’t keep her safe anymore,” Deschamps wrote while Tex waited for another home. “She was adopted once, but returned. Too much energy, they said. But the truth is, Tex isn’t wild — she’s just spirited, searching, and ready to live again.”
For about two months, the “gentle-hearted survivor” was in and out of the shelter in the mountain town of Boone, a roughly 85-mile drive west from Winston-Salem. The humane society hoped her next owner would help her find a sense of peace, according to the emails and a Facebook post.
“She trembles in her kennel, flinches at loud sounds,” Deschamps wrote. “But outside, she softens. She runs with purpose. She leans into you. She still believes in people.”
Then on June 27, the shelter shared the news of Tex’s heartwarming adoption.
“It’s truly a wonderful situation, and we’re feeling incredibly hopeful that this is the perfect fit for her,” Deschamps wrote.
This story was originally published June 27, 2025 at 3:55 PM with the headline "Dog who ‘swam through a hurricane’ struggled at NC shelter. Now, a fresh start."
