For three long years Will’s life was spent caged inside a 5 by 4 ft. pen. His small area also contained a run-down dog house made of cheap wood. Grace, a second dog living on the same Crosbyton, Texas, property, was chained to a broken shed 50 feet away.

When Kathi Elam Norris first saw Will she immediately reported the dog’s horrific living conditions to authorities, but nothing was done.

“I called the police in Crosbyton, but they refused to do anything,” said Norris. “Day in and day out, [Will] sat miserable while people in this town drove by and did absolutely nothing to help him. The only exercise he got was digging a huge hole between his dog house and the pen. He had to actually get on top of his dog house to be able to stretch out.”

The state of Texas does have laws against tethering and penning dogs, but Norris was told the town had its own ordinance and did not have to comply with State laws.

Feeling that her hands were tight, Norris took it upon herself to help the dogs by feeding them.

“I would just go by when the owner wasn’t home, and give them food & treats,” said Norris. “I could actually touch Will’s nose through the pen. [Grace] was in a backyard with a 4 foot chain link fence and couldn’t get close to the fence, so I had to throw food at her and she [would] eat it off the ground. They never even got to play together unless she was in heat.”

This past January Norris realized that Grace was pregnant and right then Norris knew something had to be done to change the fate of these gentle dogs. A pregnant dog and a tied-up animal couldn’t continue living in those abusive and inhumane conditions.

Norris took pictures and posted them on Facebook along the Sheriff’s phone number.

“People were so outraged that they blew up the phones demanding the dogs be seized,” said Norris. “Two days later, I met with the Chief of Police and he promised he would uphold the law. He gave the owner seven days to bring them inside or re-home them. He did neither and on January 29th, law enforcement seized them.”

City officials gave Norris five days to collect the dogs from the town’s shelter, if she didn’t, Will and Grace would be euthanized. Norris owns two Pit Bulls and can’t keep Will and Grace. For now the dogs are boarded at Acres North Veterinary Hospital. Norris is able to pay the boarding and medical costs thanks to the generous donations she has received from community members, but living in kennels forever is not an ideal situation. Will and Grace deserve a foster or forever home.

“Rescues are not interested in them because they are not in danger of being euthanized,” said Norris. “They are a bonded pair and need to stay together, and I am finding out that it is incredibly difficult to even find fosters. I want them to be with someone that will show them love and attention. They have never known the freedom of even running and playing in a backyard.”

Norris wants to make sure Will and Grace find the right home. She wants to do the home visit and meet the family herself.

“I prefer to keep them in Texas, simply because I don’t feel comfortable sending them to another state,” said Norris.

Will is approximately 3 or 4-years-old. Grace is 2-years-old with arthritis in both of her hind legs. Her ACLs were damaged but surgery was done in early June to repair them. Both dogs have been microchipped, spayed and neutered. They are loving, playful dogs and friendly with other dogs and cats.

If you are interested in making a donation to help Will and Grace, you can do so directly by contacting the veterinary hospital and donating towards the “Will & Grace Fund,” the account is under Norris’s name.

Contact:

Acres North Veterinary Hospital, Lubbock

5205 13th Street

Lubbock, TX 79416

806-329-0832

If you are interested in fostering or adopting the Will and Grace, contact Kathi Elam Norris through the dogs’ Facebook page.