Mom Pulls Over For Every Stray Dog She Sees — And Ends Up Saving More Than 5,000 Lives
When Zully Vasquez Ventura and her family moved to Cleveland, Texas, in 2019, their goal was simple.
They wanted a better life for their beloved dog, Bella.
After living in a Houston apartment, Ventura dreamed of a home with a backyard and open land where Bella could run freely.
“We wanted space for her,” Ventura told The Dodo. “Somewhere she could really enjoy life.”
But not long after moving into their new neighborhood, Ventura began noticing something heartbreaking.
Every time she stepped outside or drove down the road, she saw the same thing.
Dogs.
Everywhere.
A Community Full Of Stray Dogs
Some dogs wandered alone down dusty roads.
Others slept in empty lots.
Many were painfully thin, covered in wounds, or missing patches of fur.
The deeper Ventura looked, the worse it seemed.
“I saw dogs on every corner,” she said. “Some were emaciated, some had no hair. I kept asking myself, ‘What is happening here? Where are all these dogs coming from?’”
The answer soon became clear.
Ventura lives in the Colony Ridge community, about an hour northeast of Houston in Liberty County.
And the area had a serious problem.
There was no animal control program.
No officers.
No local shelter.
Many dogs were abandoned or dumped, while others were left to roam because owners knew no laws were being enforced.
She Couldn’t Look Away
For Ventura, ignoring the problem was impossible.
While many people simply drove past the suffering animals, she started doing something different.
She stopped.
“I couldn’t let them starve,” she said.
Ventura began keeping bags of dog food in her car.
Whenever she spotted a dog that looked hungry or sick, she would pull over and feed them.
At first, it felt like a small gesture.
But one day, everything changed.
The Dog That Started Everything
In 2022, Ventura noticed a tired-looking red Labrador mix wandering near the road.
When she got closer, she realized something was terribly wrong.
The dog had burns along his back.
A neighbor later told her that someone had thrown hot oil on the dog to chase him away while he was begging for food.
Ventura was devastated.
She took photos of the injured dog and posted them online, hoping someone would help.
At first, the response was discouraging.
“I got two likes and no help,” Ventura said.
But she refused to give up.
She posted again.
And this time, someone saw it.
A rescue group called ThisIsHouston offered to help and asked Ventura to foster the dog overnight.
The injured dog, later named Rusty, finally received medical treatment.
Over time, his burns healed.
And eventually, Rusty found a loving home.
For Ventura, that moment changed everything.
“I thought, ‘I did it. I can’t believe I did it,’” she said.
“Then I realized — if I could do it once, I could do it again.”
One Rescue After Another
From that day forward, Ventura made it her mission to help as many dogs as possible.
She drove through her community every day, armed with:
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Dog food
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Water
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Her phone to take photos and videos
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And the determination to find help
She began sharing the stories of the dogs she found online.
Sometimes it was a lonely puppy.
Sometimes a mother dog struggling to keep her babies alive.
One day, she rescued a puppy but had to spend days gaining the trust of the terrified mother dog, feeding her patiently until she could finally bring her to safety.
Little by little, rescue groups began responding.
And Ventura kept going.
5,000 Lives Saved
Today, Ventura has helped rescue more than 5,000 dogs.
And she’s not slowing down.
In fact, shortly after giving birth to her daughter last year, she returned to helping dogs just two months postpartum.
Ventura and a friend also started a nonprofit organization called The Daily Kibble of Cleveland, TX.
The group works to:
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Feed stray dogs
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Provide vaccinations
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Rescue animals in urgent need
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Promote affordable spay and neuter programs
Ventura even built a small kennel at her home so she could foster dogs until rescues found space for them.
The Ones She Couldn’t Save
Despite rescuing thousands of dogs, Ventura says the work still weighs heavily on her heart.
Because there are still many animals she hasn’t been able to help.
“I cry for them,” she said.
“It hurts so much. Even though it’s not technically my responsibility, I feel responsible for saving their lives.”
She worries the number of stray dogs may continue to grow.
Many families in the community are immigrants, and when some are detained or deported, their pets are left behind with no one to care for them.
Hoping For A Better Future
Ventura hopes her work will bring attention to the crisis in her community.
She dreams of the day when she can drive down the street without seeing abandoned animals.
“If I didn’t have to rescue dogs anymore, that would be a dream come true,” she said.
“I dream of waking up one day and there are no dogs struggling to survive on the streets.”
But until that day comes, Ventura will keep doing what she’s always done.
Stopping the car.
Opening a bag of dog food.
And giving one more animal a chance to survive.
🐾❤️
