Terlingua
Over the weekend, concerned citizens in South Brewster County rescued 37 puppies from extreme neglect at a private residence on Terlingua Ranch. Their owner, Rique Rivera, has been arrested.
Elena Harris, a local resident, reached out to Tamara Drilling from the High Sierra Bar and Grill about 10 puppies in need of help on Friday night. Drilling is a well-known dog advocate. By Saturday morning, 37 puppies arrived in town on the back of a flatbed truck. They were carried in a garden trough by Cali Rader and two of his sons, and accompanied by Harris. Rader had been granted permission by Rivera to visit the property with Harris and check on the dogs. Rivera had left his home several days prior, following a child welfare visit by officials that determined the home was not fit for children to live in.
What Rader found was appalling.
“There was no dog food in the place, and the water was dirty,” he said, describing how puppies spilled out of a trailer that contained at least nine other adult dogs, many of whom were walking on countertops and appliances to avoid the feces-covered floor. One of the mothers was found dead inside the home, underneath a mattress. Several of the puppies were severely underweight. Rader contacted the sheriff’s office and took all of the puppies and the two surviving mothers to Terlingua.
“I’m overwhelmed, but my husband has a huge heart, my kids have huge hearts,” Amy Rader, Cali’s wife, said as she cradled three tiny puppies in her overalls while adjusting a blanket for the others. Their family, along with Drilling and other local residents, hastily built a makeshift dog run to accommodate the puppies on Saturday night. It is believed that there are at least three litters involved, ranging from 7 weeks to perhaps 3 months old.
On Monday, Brewster County Sheriff Ronny Dodson executed a search warrant for the property and arrested Rique Rivera on charges of child endangerment based on the condition of the property and the amount of animal waste present. His children are currently out of state with their mother.
“It’s the worst I’ve ever seen—I don’t know how a grown person can live like this,” Dodson said. The nine remaining adult dogs were also rescued on Monday and taken to Terlingua. Rivera is being held in Brewster County Jail, with more charges expected in coming days. In 2023, Rivera and his wife, Ashley Cromarty, were warned by the sheriff’s department to contain their dogs after allegations that they killed a woman’s pet Schnauzer and had rushed at a woman at a nearby short-term rental—forcing her to flee inside her car until the dogs left. At that time, the sheriff’s office determined that there was not enough cause to intervene without positive proof that it was Rivera’s dogs to blame.
Locals and rescue organizations acknowledged that this type of neglect situation found at Rivera’s, while extreme, is not unheard of. Population growth in Brewster County and more tourism to the tri-county area has been accompanied by more dogs. With limited resources for animals, many people find it difficult to get proper care for their pets.
Rivera and Comarty were known to Mary Ann Vega, the executive director of Alpine Humane Society. She had reached out to the couple on multiple prior occasions to offer assistance for spay and neuter services and vaccines. She says that they never accepted the help.
The Humane Society, along with One Tail at a Time and other rescue organizations, facilitate mobile clinics, financial support for spay and neuters, and transfers north to other agencies that can host abandoned pets. At least two vans full of animals in need leave the area every month. The sheriff’s office encourages citizens to report mistreatment to dispatch for investigation.
Even then, official intervention can be limited. Brewster County is the largest county in Texas and yet does not have a facility to host dogs and other animals in need that are found outside the Alpine city limits, which has a shelter. Alpine has a town ordinance that limits five dogs per residence, while unincorporated areas like Terlingua do not have such rules.
“The real young puppies are the most critical,” Vega said. “My concern with this really young litter is that if you don’t keep their core temperature up, they won’t be able to digest food. If they have been starved, you have to give tiny meals to start.” The Humane Society is sending an emergency care package with puppy food, formula, meds and dog beds that will be delivered to Drilling early this week.
The smallest six puppies were taken by volunteer Kaci Koffman to a vet in Menard, who confirmed they were suffering from malnutrition but showed no other signs of illness. The rescued puppies will be evaluated, de-wormed, spayed, neutered and vaccinated by One Tail at a Time and the Alpine Humane Society. They are currently being cared for by the Rader family, Drilling, and Koffman.
“We really need people to foster the puppies in pairs,” Drilling said. Sandy Smith, a One Tail at a Time West Texas board member, will be coordinating volunteers to foster. Anyone interested is encouraged to fill out an application on the organization’s website. A GoFundMe will be set up by Drilling to support the Terlingua rescued puppies. A fundraiser to support the Alpine Humane Society’s next pet clinic will be held in February in Terlingua at Venga.
“Theres no reason that all of us together can’t build something to help out dogs like that,” said Rader. “It’s disappointing, and it’s sad.”
As of Monday afternoon, two puppies had died.