Echo Lake Park is located just outside of downtown Fort Worth, Texas. It’s such a popular dumping ground for neglected, abused, tortured, and even murdered pets that it inspired Judy Obregon to start The Abandoned Ones (TAO) Animal Rescue to find homes for the lucky dogs she finds who are still alive. Many are not so lucky.
Obregon found her first rescue, an injured Mastiff mix named Buddy, while driving near an Echo Lake Park service road in 2010. She started returning to the area more frequently as more animals kept turning up. She still tours the area as often as twice a day, 6 days a week. She takes photos and videos of any animal she finds, whether or not it’s still alive, in the hopes that the footage may help prosecute the people who dump animals at the park. Live animals are rescued and dead ones are buried or cremated after evidence is turned over to the police.
TAO volunteers provide the dogs with veterinary care, rehabilitation, loving foster homes, and placement into forever families who have passed an application and home visit process and paid a fee that helps offset the costs associated with rescuing injured animals.
Obregon estimates she has saved more than 300 animals from Echo Lake Park since 2010. She also educates individuals and groups about spay and neuter, vaccination needs, and adequately caring for animals. She will help schedule pets for vet appointments and encourages treatment for flea infested animals. Obregon and TAO also rescue dogs at risk of euthanasia from local shelters and focus on educating the neighborhood youth about animal cruelty.
It’s suspected that many of the dogs found abandoned in Echo Lake Park are linked to illegal dog fighting rings. Weaker dogs are often used as bait dogs in fights and then dumped. Obregon works closely with local law enforcement, but so far no charges have been filed.
TAO doesn’t have a facility where they house rescued animals. Instead, every animal is placed with a foster family while they recover from any injuries, get spayed or neutered, receive updated vaccinations, and become socialized with people and other animals.
If you’re interested in learning more about The Abandoned Ones Animal Rescue, check out their Facebook page or website.
