About
A rescue built in an empty kennel, named for a dog who almost ran out of time
Pearl's Place is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Temple, Texas. We focus on the dogs that are hardest to place: skin and coat cases, seniors, special needs dogs, long term shelter residents, and strays.
Pearl's story
One day before she ran out of time
Pearl was a 12 year old yellow lab at the Harker Heights shelter in Texas. She was scheduled to be euthanized the next day. Nobody was coming for her.
She came home instead. Pearl lived four more years, and she proved something simple: old dogs are not finished. They just need someone to notice them.
Her name is on the door because she is the reason the door is open.
How it started
A grooming business, then a rescue
Pearl's Place grew out of a grooming business of more than 25 years and a childhood on a farm. It started when COVID emptied the boarding kennels.
When COVID shut the grooming business down, the boarding kennels sat empty. Instead of waiting it out, Lisa and Deb filled them with dogs who had nowhere to go. Pearl's Place was registered as a 501(c)(3) in February 2021.
That grooming background is the whole advantage. Skin work is slow, physical, daily work, and they already knew how to do it.
Our approach
How we treat skin and coat cases
Other rescues turn these dogs down because treatment takes months and costs real money. Here is what we actually do.
Iv San Bernard, from Italy
A professional skin and coat line. We match the product to the dog's specific condition instead of using one shampoo for everything.
Hydro-massage ozone baths
Ozone therapy baths calm inflamed skin, reduce itching, and support healing between veterinary visits.
Veterinary guidance
Dr. Faver and Suzanne Marchetti guide our protocols, so every case has medical oversight rather than guesswork.
A qualified pet aesthetician
Coat and skin care handled by someone trained for it, on a schedule the dog can actually tolerate.
Every dog in our care is vaccinated, microchipped, spayed or neutered, and housed in temperature controlled space.
The dogs
From the kennels and the yard
Photos from the kennels, the yard, and the days dogs go home.
What comes next
A permanent boarding and rehabilitation center
Fully fenced run space, a dedicated senior dog area, a treatment room built for skin cases, and a visitor center. The city is taking our current property for a water tower, which makes this plan urgent rather than eventual.
Support the work
Every dog here got a second chance because someone said yes
Adopt one. Fund a medicated bath. Give monthly. It all keeps the kennels open.