When Furby arrived at Austin Pets Alive! (APA!), he was just a month old — and barely clinging to life.
The tiny goldendoodle puppy came in from a local shelter facing multiple medical challenges. Some days, his rescuers feared he wouldn’t survive the night. But despite his fragile body, Furby refused to give up.
Little by little, he fought his way forward.
Though Furby began to stabilize, his struggles weren’t over. Neurological issues left him unable to walk, sit upright or even lift his head on his own. Still, day after day, he tried. His determination was impossible to miss — a tiny body fueled by an enormous will to live.
“Sadly, Furby’s story highlights a bigger issue,” Luis Sanchez, director of public relations and communications at APA!, told The Dodo. “He was surrendered as a sick puppy, part of a litter whose other pups reportedly showed no symptoms. While his exact history is unknown, the demand for designer breeds like goldendoodles too often leads to puppies bred for profit rather than health.”
For Furby, the consequences of that reality nearly cost him his life.
Once he was strong enough, Furby was placed into a foster home — and that’s when everything changed.
Surrounded by gentle foster siblings and patient, loving humans, Furby began to blossom. The constant care, encouragement and companionship seemed to unlock something inside him.
The puppy who once couldn’t lift his head started to sit up. Then he stood. Then, to everyone’s amazement, he began to run.
Before long, Furby was bouncing around the house like a little bunny, playing, exploring and learning how to simply be a puppy — something he’d never truly had the chance to do before.
“[H]e is playing with his foster siblings and learning what love is,” Sanchez said.
Furby’s journey is far from over, and he still has healing left to do. But thanks to the tireless dedication of APA! and a foster family who believed in him, Furby has been given something priceless: a second chance at life.
And one day soon, that second chance will lead him to the forever home he’s always deserved.
If you’d like to help Furby and other animals like him, you can support Austin Pets Alive! with a donation. 🐾💛
