(San Benito News/Ray Quiroga)
By RAY QUIROGA
publisher@sbnewspaper
The following was originally published in the 2025-2026 Winter Tourist Guide to the Rio Grande Valley, available everywhere or online at www.sbnewspaper.com.
My family was crushed when Rocket, our beloved Yorkie, died in late October, 2025.
While it’s impossible to replace the irreplaceable, Rocket’s absence in our family created a void in our hearts, even with two other pets in our household.
On a whim one Saturday afternoon, my wife and I decided to visit the Brownsville Animal Shelter, officially known as the Brownsville Animal Regulation and Care Center (BTX BARCC), located at 416 FM 511, Brownsville, TX, hoping that the shelter was housing a Yorkie in need of a forever home.
They didn’t have any Yorkies available for adoption that day, but they had many other great dogs and cats of all sizes, breeds, and ages, including puppies and kittens.
More importantly, I was pleasantly surprised by the organization and professionalism of the shelter’s staff and volunteers. I was even happier to see that the conditions there and at other shelters we visited that day were much better than I had envisioned.
While I’ve proudly adopted all my pets since my youth, those adoptions took place rather spontaneously at special rehoming events rather than directly at shelters.
As a result, it had been decades since I last visited an animal shelter, and I was pleasantly surprised by the improvements in their conditions.
Although shelters are not perfect, the facilities we visited provided plenty of space for the animals, which were kept in air-conditioned and relatively clean conditions.
After visiting the Brownsville shelter, we continued to the Brownsville Animal Defense (BAD) facilities on 1740 Old Port Isabel Rd, Brownsville, TX, then to Cameron County Animal Shelter in San Benito (26981 FM510, San Benito, TX), and the City of Harlingen Animal Shelter (1106 Markowsky Ave, Harlingen, TX).
We also called the Isabel Y. Garcia Animal Shelter in Port Isabel (262 Woodys Ln, Port Isabel, TX) and Friends of Animal Rescue (4908 Padre Blvd, South Padre Island, TX) on the Island (which assisted me with two other past adoptions) to check if a Yorkie was available for adoption, but we had no luck on that front.
By early evening, we reached the far side of Edinburg, where the Palm Valley Humane Society’s Laurie P Andrews Center is located (2451 N US Expressway 281, Edinburg, TX).
The shelter impressed me with its expansive facility and the large number of animals it housed.
One might be amazed not only by the number of animals available (which is actually quite telling and sad) but also by the shelter’s impressive, user-friendly, open-space design.
The experience was completely different from what I’d expect for a Valley shelter 20 or 30 years ago.
Further back, behind swinging doors, is a gymnasium-sized open space filled with rows of kennels, each housing one to three dogs, all available for adoption.
The sight was so overwhelming that my wife stepped away, wiping away tears, especially after hearing that many of these beautiful animals had been surrendered by their owners.
It was here that I spent time with a stunning and charismatic one-year-old Miniature Schnauzer with salt-and-pepper fur who caught my attention, stole my heart, and broke it at the same time, for alas, we were on a mission to find a Yorkie, and the day, unfortunately, yielded no results.
We ultimately left the shelter empty-handed and with heavy hearts.
Regarding the one-year-old Miniature Schnauzer, who was still trembling with fear and trauma in his metal cage as we left, the shelter staff assured me that a family was on its way to adopt him, which eased my worries. Still, I gave the staff my contact information in case the adoption fell through.
Days later, confident that such a beautiful, well-mannered dog had been adopted, I was surprised to see him still listed on the shelter’s website. “It was surely an oversight,” I thought.
Regardless, I called the shelter to check on his status, convinced a loving family had rescued him.
My jaw dropped when volunteers confirmed he was still available, but I was again assured that a family was on its way to adopt him. I had no reason to doubt them, and I again felt relieved that he was going to a good home.
Later that day, I called the shelter to check on the Mini Schnauzer’s status, assuming he had finally been adopted, but I was told once more that he was still at the facility.
At that point, I enlisted my wife and daughter, who were on vacation, to drive the 45-plus miles to the shelter to rescue the dog.
When I returned home from work that evening, he paused to look at me as I walked through the door, then rushed to greet me. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he recognized me from our encounter a few days earlier and was thanking me for rescuing him.
We named him Bucky, and we’ve been inseparable ever since.
Most municipalities have some form of shelter or animal rescue group in need of volunteers, supplies, and monetary donations. Many of these shelters are also nonprofits operating outside municipal jurisdictions.
For our winter visitors looking for a unique way to contribute locally, consider supporting our Valley shelters and rescue organizations.
You might end up returning home with a furry addition to your family.