This Rescued Puppy's Strange Fur Color Has An Unexpected And Heartbreaking Meaning
Every rescue dog has its own story. Some pups are rescued after just a couple of days, while others suffer for much longer before help comes along. Sadly, a small Texas dog fell into the latter category. Montgomery Animal Control found her in desperate need of veterinary care and brought her to an animal shelter.
In addition to having severe mange, a dog condition that can't be treated with home remedies, being emaciated, and losing most of her hair, she had large chunks of bright purple fur. The unusual appearance inspired her new name: Violet. Her foster mom suspects the discoloration stemmed from her body's reaction to a type of medicinal substance intended for livestock that her previous owner applied to her.
@bristexastails Welcome to the good life, Violet 💜 Violets rescue: ThisIsHouston #adoptdontshop #rescuedog #houstontx #houston #fosteringsaveslives #violet #puppytiktok
When the shelter posted a photo of Violet on its Facebook page with a request for a foster, a woman named Magana immediately replied. Magana is an experienced foster carer with a nonprofit animal rescue organization called ThisIsHouston. Before Violet could go home with her, however, she had to be hospitalized for two days, due to the severity of her condition. Even with so many unknown details about her past, it was obvious that her previous owners failed to care for her properly, but thanks to Magana, she got a second chance at life.
The next chapter: Violet's recovery and current status
Magana brought Violet home on March 22, 2025, and shared an update on her condition on TikTok two days later. She placed her on a strict feeding and medication schedule and bathed her regularly with a medicated shampoo. In early April, she told Newsweek the purple color had started to fade and would likely be completely gone after a few more baths. Turns out, she was right; a TikTok from April 26 shows the pup with her original white and brown coat growing back, sans purple fur, and much-improved skin.
@bristexastails Violet boarded her flight to New York this morning and I'm a mess 😭 Every time a foster leaves a huge wave of emotions hits me right in the face. I always cry but not because I'm sad but because I instantly replay every single moment I shared with them from the day they entered my house. Fostering can be so stressful, I won't lie. Some days I get so overwhelmed and I ask myself "why did I commit to another foster" but all the stress is worth it when the ending is like this. Violet came to me after I saw her intake photo on Facebook at a local shelter and I immediately commented "I will foster!". If you've followed her progress you know she's practically a completely different dog now. She was in such bad shape we couldn't even tell her breed or if she was an adult or puppy. Thank you Forrest with Southwest Animal Transport Team for being her flight angel @Southwest Airlines ✈️ Thank you @ThisisHouston for choosing me to be Violet's foster mom ❤️ & thank you to her adopter for choosing to adopt a Texas baby in need of a good home! Thank you @tallysranch for the quality food making our dogs happy and healthy! 🐾✈️About SWATT : (from their website) Southwest Animal Transport Team (SWATT) is a 100% volunteer, service-based independent organization. We are a team of passionate, animal LUVing volunteers who dedicate their time and benefits to transport small, rescued animals across the continental United States, Puerto Rico, and the interislands of Hawaii. Volunteer transporters, better known as Flight Angels, fly on standby, escorting animals in need in the cabin of the airplane.
Just as the sight of Violet on social media tugged at Magana's heartstrings to foster her, it piqued someone else's desire to adopt her: A woman named Jennifer from New York. Magana shared the "emotional farewell" update on May 14. She packed up Violet's belongings and took her to the airport in Houston, where a volunteer named Forrest with Southwest Animal Transport served as "her flight angel" on her voyage to the Big Apple.
The pup arrived safely at her destination and later met her new family, including another rescue from Texas named Isla. Jennifer describes her as "the sweetest, spunkiest little thing ever" that's adjusting nicely to her new abode. In her most recent update, she revealed Violet's Embark DNA results, along with a photo of her remarkable transformation. She's a mix of seven breeds, including Australian cattle dog, also known as a blue heeler or red heeler, feisty Chihuahua, and shih tzu, but she's 100% Violet in her loving forever home.