HOUSTON — There was much more than you'd expect hiding in a trench next to a major south Houston road.
While you might expect to find trash on the side of the road, a group of strangers found a different kind of litter.
“It was just a miracle rescue, really, for these dogs," Judy Hausler said.
Hausler is an independent rescuer and transporter. She got the call to find a black and white dog who she said she realized was a mom.
“We started thinking, like, she must have babies. So we started looking in the culverts," she said.
It quickly turned into a cry for help.
Nine puppies were found in a drainage pipe.
“We need more hands," Hausler remembers thinking.
They needed more than that -- rakes, hoes -- anything to reach into that drainage pipe. Luckily, Ramon and his wife Ashlee Acosta live around the corner.
“I told my wife, ‘Hey, should I go help them?" he said. “I got down on my belly. And we started looking in there to see how many were in there, how deep, they were inside," Ramon Acosta said.
One-by-one, with the help of other good Samaritans, they pulled the puppies to safety. Independent street rescue and dog trapper Tina Stone was in the middle of everything.
“Dogs don't have a voice. They can't say, you know, a child can say, ‘Mom, I'm hungry,’ or ‘Mister, I'm hungry.’ Dogs can't do that," Stone said.
All nine puppies are safe and the dogs are up for adoption.
"It really came together," Hausler said.
All thanks to strangers who chose to do more than just pass by.
“It takes a village and yesterday we had a village that came together for these dogs,” Hausler said.
To adopt one of the dogs, or for more information, call Hausler at 713-854-1708.