Happy Beginnings

Patches has truly made my life worth living again. After losing my father (2023), my sister (2025), my dog friend of 11 years (2025), retiring (2025), then seriously injuring my shoulder (2026) - I was really struggling to find a reason to get out of bed every morning. 

My wonderful dog Sheba, who I had had since she was a puppy, died 9/25/25. I was devastated and lonely. After a few months I did begin visiting shelters on and off, had an Adopt-a-Pet account that I "visited" regularly (think scrolling for hours), and even met a couple of dogs in person that I considered adopting. But nothing seemed to click and anyway I was sure there was no way I would ever have another dog as good as Sheba again. She was the best.

Then I saw Patches' profile. 

Patches' description seemed like the perfect match for me. His age, his size, personality, behavior characteristics, everything. Not to mention his pic with those graying eyebrows over chocolate brown eyes melted my heart.

So I went to CAP to meet him. In the meet & greet room he was totally distracted and kept looking out the glass window and door for his caretaker. In fact, he barely acknowledged me and I was actually having second thoughts. Then reason kicked in and I realized this is just not his normal behavior, he is in a shelter environment, he has been moved around a lot, he just needs some time and space to adjust.

And thank heavens I didn't give in to my doubts. Adopting Patches is the best decision I have made in recent years.

Patches and I bonded quickly. He adjusted to my routine practically overnight and is so patient with me when I am moving slow. He is funny and charming and is just as happy chasing a toy at full speed or being my couch buddy. He walks well at the park, isn't bothered by other dogs, and makes sure to water as many trees as possible. He is patient with children, likes most everybody and recently was super well behaved at a pet-friendly restaurant in Bastrop. He really is the perfect dog companion for me. 

Thank you CAP for rescuing him from BARC. Thank you for all that you do! I am totally not sure what I did to deserve such an awesome dog companion but thank you CAP and thank you universe! I am so happy to have Patches in my life. - Gayle G

 Losing my cat to cancer had me mourning for over a year. Due to a lot of mental blocks, I couldn't gravitate towards another cat. When a co-worker gave me the run-down of how she cared for rabbits she adopts from CAP, I became intrigued.

The moment they placed Toffee in my husband's lap he exclaimed how cloudy soft she was. And when passed to me, I was overcome with warmth. She was bright-eyed with curiosity and not scared like I expected rabbits to be. She buried into my sweater and climbed to my husband's shoulder. This is a rabbit?! We brought her home, and she took to the house immediately! She instantly understood where her litterbox was and established her own house rules (like no left socks in her pen).

She's been with us for a year and she has flourished with personality. She loves being in high places like the couch or cat tree (I opened up to adopting one after her, more on that to come!). She watches us like a wise sage, but melts for long petting sessions and isn't beneath doing cute tricks for treats. Every morning she nudges me goodbye and every afternoon she runs out to greet me.

Adopting Toffee has surprised everyone in my life and made them warm up to the idea of adopting rabbits. Toffee has brightened up our lives, educated us, and will be a welcoming warmth in our house for a long time to come. -Marina G

We knew that the kids needed another pet to love since our rescue dog will be turning 14 this year and all the kids have mentioned repeatedly the desire to care for a kitten.

My husband drives past CAP every day and mentioned that we should check it out. I never entertained the idea of adopting a cat because of my allergies. After thorough research I discovered I could manage my allergies with special cat food and a good air purifier. There was nothing holding us back so we went to for our first visit.

We were immediately impressed at how clean CAP was and how well the animals were cared for. We looked at all the dogs (for fun) and cats.

After two days of meeting them, we decided on "Sandy" who has now been renamed "Kwazii" after the character on BBC's The Octonauts. It is a fitting name because Kwazii the kitten is fearless and full of energy. We absolutely adore him.

Thank you to our foster and the CAP staff and volunteers for rescuing him and caring for him! -MySan M

A month ago, my family experienced the loss of two of our senior pups within a few days of one another. One was my mom’s dog, and the other was mine. They were a bonded pair who had lived most of their lives together. While we have one newer boy, Biscuit, whom we adopted from CAP a couple of years ago, when he was away from home with my mom, the loss of the two girls left our home silent, and we decided it was time to welcome a new life into our home.

After spending several weeks trying to work with local rescues, jumping through endless hoops without much communication or progress, we took a chance on visiting CAP on 4/19/26, and that’s where I met Nilla. She was new and still on stray hold, so we couldn’t take her out of the kennel to meet her, but just loving on her through the closed kennel door, my heart connected with her. The wonderful CAP staff helped me place her on hold, and once her stray hold was released, we were there that afternoon to meet her, and the adoption was finalized on 4/20/26.

Every single day, she shows me another adorable aspect of her personality, and I have no idea how I got so lucky finding this amazing little soul. She truly is the one who saved me, and I could not be more thankful to CAP for all of the work they do to help these babies find their way into loving homes. They do the work and ask that you show you are willing to do the same, ensuring these beautiful souls find their forever homes and are cared for as they should be.

I renamed Nilla to Zoey, and she is thriving, growing more confident in her new life every single day. We are looking forward to each new day of a long and happy life with her.

Thank you, CAP! -Sandra P

Lady is a basenji mix. I didn't actually trust that until we got her home & the tail began to wag & show that curl. She was over her head at CAP & needed a home and everyone here agrees she has found that home now. She is sweet & loves her walks very much. We all decided we love this Lady! -Michelle Z

From the beginning my kids had always wanted a dog! So I decided to foster so they’re able to see how it is to care for a dog and the responsibilities of coming with a pet! And after fostering, my kids would grow attached to the dogs and as a mom it broke my heart. So I decided that we would adopt a dog! After along search from different adoption centers, I came across Lola and immediately fell in love with her! Once we brought her home she fitted right in with us. She loves the attention, being petted, sleeping next to us for a relaxation day etc. Going to CAP was one of the best experiences I’ve had to adopting Lola! - Samantha Lu

 My husband and I attended a volunteer event for his work where we got to walk the shelter dogs and help organize newspapers. It was a lot of fun and I was so impressed with the way CAP is ran. The first dog we got to walk was Joey, a little two month old puppy who resembles the coloring of my late English Mastiff named Tessa—who we miss dearly. And I couldn’t help falling in love right then. My husband knew there was no stopping me haha. One little walk and we knew she was the one. Joey was too small to walk a proper leash but she was curious of everything and enjoyed army crawling across the grass. I returned the next day to adopt her and changed her name to Margo. She took well to our home and has a nice yard to run around in. We’ve had her for a week now and she’s adjusting well with lots of toys and activities to keep her stimulated and to help her learn. She loves jumping in leaf piles, finding sticks, and curling up in our laps to sleep. I’ve missed having a dog in the house and having Margo here feels like a proper home. I want to thank the shelter for all the wonderful things they do for these animals, keeping them healthy and safe, and want to thank all the workers who helped me in the process of adopting Margo. - Mackenzie C

Beatrice came to me as a foster. I had lost one of my two cats, Zoey, at 11 years old in December due to diabetes. Our other 13 year old cat, Foster, was lonely without her. I fostered Beatrice for a week and her personality seemed like a good fit with our family. We tried letter her have the run of the house, and within three days, the two cat were friends. She dealt with Foster's hissing by giving him a side eye and ignoring him, she knew just how to handle him. We have now gotten past the hissing and they are doing well together. We love Marley very much. -Kari S

 Adopting a third cat was definitely not in the books but my daughter and I fell in love with Lola (formerly Jane) while volunteering at CAP. She completes our family in the best way and loves her big brother Bean. It's a bit more complicated with big sister Mona (CAP alumni) but overall, everybody's happy! - Marion T

I initially visited CAP with the intention of adopting a kitten as an emotional support animal. However, Lovebug had other plans! When he first came home he was severely overweight and suffered from behavioral problems. He has since lost about two pounds and adjusted wonderfully to life with me on a college campus. He makes sure I wake up when my alarm goes off and always greets me at the door when I return from class. I am beyond grateful to have him in my life now. - Emery G