One Texas family thought they were doing a good thing when they gave up their very smart Golden Retriever puppy named Paris to be trained as a service dog so she could help others.
“We thought we were doing something very admirable,” said Brad Galbreath. “It was hard to let go.”
But Brad and his wife Courtney were in for a terrible shock when they received a call 10 years later from SPCA Texas. The humane society told them they had found Paris and she had been rescued from an animal hoarder. SPCA Texas had tracked the Galbreath’s down through the dog’s microchip.
“It was a shock,” Brad said. “Having not heard her name in a decade.”
Paris, along with 72 other animals, were rescued from Maximum K-9 Dog training and boarding facility. According to WFAA News, officials at the sheriff’s department performed a welfare check and discovered 20 dead animals on the property and many of the other dogs were in various states of neglect. 69-year-old Gayle Justice is now charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty.
The Galbreaths had not given Paris to Justice, but to another trainer who it appears may have given her to Gayle temporarily because she had an elderly couple that needed her and wanted to use Paris as they traveled going to hospitals and nursing homes. But somehow along the way Paris ended up back with Gayle.
The Galbreath both started crying when they learned what Paris had endured. They immediately drove to get her and were tearfully reunited with the dog they had said goodbye to so long ago. They are not sure how Paris ended up where she did, but they plan on never letting her go again.
“We will always wonder what her true story is, but honestly a miracle brought her back to us so she could live out her days with true love and we are grateful for that,” wrote Courtney on SPCA Texas’ Facebook page. “We will forever regret what she went through but right now we are blessed. It’s a miracle she’s still alive and about to turn 13 next month!!”
“She’s home with us for good,” said Brad. “She’ll be with us until we ultimately say goodbye forever.”
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