From Shelter to Soulmate: Harper Finds Her Family
The Street Dog Project rescued Harper, a three-legged street dog with a heart of gold in April 2023. Her loving adoptive family tells her story:
How We Found Harper
We first came across Harper through an Instagram post back in November 2023.
At the time, our family of three, two humans and one adopted Belgian Malinois, decided we were ready to welcome another furry addition. After the holiday season, we reached out to Harper’s foster parents through The Street Dog Project to arrange a meet-and-greet. We learned Harper had been in foster care for nearly 10 months and, before that, spent over a month in the shelter. She was a young, hyper, talkative pup missing her front right leg.
Harper at the shelter
Love at First Sight
When we first met Harper, we knew she was special. At just 2(ish) years old, she had already survived life on the streets and the loss of a leg, but you’d never know it from the way she lives today.
Harper is pure joy in motion. She doesn’t just walk into a room; she bounds, wiggles, and talks (a lot!) making sure everyone feels her presence. We officially adopted her on January 21, 2024, and she’s since earned the nickname “Hurricane Harper”.
The Road to Thriving
Early on, we realized Harper needed calming techniques and possibly a medication reevaluation to help with her overall anxious energy.
With the support of a trainer provided by The Street Dog Project, and later a referral to Dr. Amanda Florsheim at Veterinary Behavior Solutions, we built the consistent routine Harper needed to feel safe and trust her new family. With patience, love, guidance, and plenty of treats, she is now thriving. She loves fetch, practicing “place”, and playing with her sister pup, Piper.
We are so grateful to Dallas Animal Services for rescuing her off the streets, and to The Street Dog Project for connecting her with a wonderful foster family who shared her story so she could find her way to us.
Why Adopt a Rescue/Street Dog?
There are countless other dogs like Harper still waiting for their forever homes. If you’ve ever thought about adopting, we can promise you this: a street dog is worth it and will change your life in the best way. Harper has given us a piece of our hearts we never knew was missing.
