Injured and Deaf Dog Rescued From the Streets: 'Welcome to Your New Life'

A deaf boxer mix called Regina has been rescued from the streets of Houston suffering from numerous injuries, some of them down to having been hit by a vehicle.

Sylvia Lopez, founder of Houston Dog Rescue, told Newsweek that the two-year-old was found in an impoverished area of the city and weighed only 29 pounds.

Regina's grim ordeal was highlighted in a heartbreaking November 9 video that gave a harrowing insight into the lives of the thousands of strays who live on Houston's streets.

When she was admitted to Houston Dog Rescue, staff noticed that Regina was shaking her head, leading them to think she had an ear infection, but it was much worse—she was deaf.

"I tried to just loop her with a leash but she was very nervous and afraid," Lopez told Newsweek. "She had to be trapped. Once trapped I took her to our facility to assess her. And that is when I discovered she was not only suffering from a head injury and leg injury, she was also deaf.

"I quickly took her to our vet, where it was determined Regina's obvious head wound and leg injury were due from being hit by a vehicle."

Lopez added that Regina's deafness was caused by her suffering repeated ear infections during her time as a stray.

Thankfully, Regina is finally doing well, having had time to "heal and flourish" with a special needs foster. While she remains at her foster home, she is adoptable at the K9 Angels Rescue-Houston. "Welcome to your new life," a caption on the video said.

But Regina's plight of living a life on the streets of Houston is not unusual in the Lone Star State.

BARC Animal Shelter and Adoptions classed the city as having a critical lack of space for dogs in its shelters.

In a bid to alleviate the pressure, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner tasked BARC with implementing several pilot initiatives that will continue through the year.

The measures include approving funding to allow BARC to begin extending adoption hours every Wednesday and Thursday, paying overtime to employees who foster bottle baby puppies and kittens, and entering a contract with an offsite kenneling facility to house animals for rescues needing more time.

Each year, 6.3 million pets are surrendered to U.S. shelters, an average of 17,260 a day, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The number of dogs and cats taken in by pet shelters hit 46,807 during January 2023, an increase of 1,744 compared with January 2022, the 24Pet Shelter Watch Report found.

Around 920,000 surrendered animals are euthanized every year. Shelters are striving to minimize euthanasia rates by promoting adoption campaigns, spaying and neutering programs, and behavior rehabilitation.