A North Texas woman risked her life to save a dog. Now she's made lifelong friends. She's this week's KRLD Difference Maker.
One year ago, Lety Mendez was driving to work when she saw cars in front of her braking and swerving. What she thought was a black trash bag, was actually a dog that had been hit. It was just sitting on the highway, injured and unable to move.
Lety said she didn't even really think about it, she just turned around, pulled over to the side of the road and knew she had to pick up the dog to get him some help.
Lety usually carries blankets in her to pass to homeless people so she had a blanket to use to pick up the injured dog.
"I just happened to have [a blanket.] I went and tried to keep an eye on any cars coming and I went to grab him and that's when I knew he had been hit. He tried to get up and run away but his back legs didn't cooperate," Lety said.
The dog had multiple broken bones, including a broken pelvis and needed several surgeries. Most veterinarians wouldn't not treat the dog without someone taking financial responsibility for the injured dog. Lety spent the day trying to find people to help her. Lety launched a gofundme page and found a veterinarian that would work with her to get the dog back on his feet.
With the help from the gofundme page and donations made directly to the veterinarian's office, the dog got the surgeries he needed. Through Westside Animal League, a Fort Worth rescue group, Lety was able to find a foster mom for the dog, Karen Langston.
Three weeks after his surgeries, the dog, which had been named Blue, was already walking and gaining more energy. Lety believes it's because of the care and love that Karen gave him.
"It's a miracle to me to be able to see that. It's the best thing in the world," Lety said.
Meanwhile, Fort Worth resident Kevin Kiley saw a flier about the dog's story at a doggie daycare. He and his wife, Gladys Tse, had been thinking about getting a second dog and knew they could give Blue a good home and they happily adopted him. This will be their first year celebrating Christmas with Blue. A year after his rehab began, he is a funny, energetic, normal dog.
"Lety is an angel through and through. Blue has no chance at all if Lety isn't there that morning, sees him and not only sees him but takes on the personal responsibility to go out there and put her own well-being at risk and pick up a dog off the highway," Kevin said. "Then getting him to a vet, getting him care, raising money for his care and making sure he was passed off to good people to make sure his rehab continued. To me, Lety is a true angel."
Lety is an angel to others too.
"I was adopted as a kid by my aunt. We went through hard times and I always told myself there are people who need more help than me so anytime that I can do anything, even if it's just giving someone a blanket. or giving them a bag of food for their dog, that makes me feel really good," she said.
We're proud to call Lety Mendez this week's KRLD DIfference Maker.
If you know someone making a difference in the community, send us an email at differencemaker@krld.com.
Related
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Tell your Smart Speaker to "PLAY 1080 KRLD"
Sign Up and Follow NewsRadio 1080 KRLD