Living Grace Canine Ranch

In 2015, Rhonda Minardi‘s mother turned to her and asked “what will happen to Lucy?“

Rhonda‘s mother had just been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, with very little time left on this earth. Her mother’s first concern, the first thing that lay heavy on her heart when receiving this news…what would happen to Lucy? Her canine companion, her dog.

That day a seed was planted in Rhonda’s spirit, a seed that in three years would become the vision for Living Grace Canine Ranch.

In 2018, Rhonda and her family moved to Texas where she had taken a position with Baylor Scott & White. Rhonda’s background is in massage and rehab therapy, and also has experience running an emergency facility.

That year at Christmas, she pulled several ornaments from a giving tree at her grandson’s daycare, each of which had the name of an animal residing at the Williamson County Animal Shelter, and many of them were seniors. Rhonda went on to learn that over 70% of the dogs at the shelter were seniors, 64% of whom would never be adopted. In that moment she discovered her purpose to provide senior dogs a home where they would receive the care and attention they deserve for the last years of their lives. More specifically, her mission began to care for dogs left behind as their people passed away, giving their people-parents the peace of knowing that when they can no longer care for their canine companion, and when they pass to the next world, their beloved pet will have a loving home.

One week later, she purchased a piece of land in rural Bertram Texas, about 30 minutes west of Georgetown. Since then, one step of faith at a time, not knowing what would come next or where her support would come from, she has been following her calling and God has been providing the people and resources needed to make her mission and vision a reality.

I met Rhonda at a Georgetown Chamber of Commerce meeting. Of all the tables in the room, of all the Chambers in Central Texas, she sat at mine. While most of the attendees were dressed in business casual jacket and slacks, typical attire for local business people networking with other local business people, across the round luncheon table from me sat Rhonda. A spitfire of a woman smaller than myself, she defied the norm with her long sleeve Living Grace T-shirt that I’m pretty sure she had been wearing all morning working on the ranch. Of course, she and I started talking about dogs. I mentioned our book, My Beautiful Bellissima: Stories of Love and Heeling, and a bit of our journey having integrated a feral heeler into our home and family. As the Chamber program began, Rhonda got my attention by holding up a little note that said “I need your help.” 

Since opening Living Grace as a sanctuary for senior dogs, Rhonda has found many more needs in the community. Today, in addition to the smaller older dogs that arrive at Living Grace upon their parents passing, she is also providing what she calls “roadside assistance,” taking in dogs that have been hit by cars, abandoned by their families, or dumped in the local cemetery. One of these dogs she named Berkeley; a feral heeler mix, about one year old, roughly the same age Bella was when we adopted her from Williamson County Animal Shelter. Rhonda trapped Berkeley the day before in a local cemetery and brought her to Living Grace. Now she wasn’t quite sure what to do with her.

By the end of the Chamber meeting, we planned for my visit to the ranch, just to see what it is like and what is going on there. I am by no means an expert in feral dog behavior, but I wanted to meet Berkeley, and get to know both Rhonda and the ranch she spoke of so passionately. 

I arrived at the ranch on this windy Saturday and was greeted at the gate by Rhonda wearing the same long sleeve Living Grace T-shirt, with jeans, rubber work boots, and a smile as wide as her beautiful face.

We chatted a bit, exchanged pleasantries in the Texan way, then got down to business.

What started as a single building called the Small House where older dogs reside, has grown to include a Salon building where the dogs are groomed and a Veterinary Clinic where the animals receive basic health checks, vaccinations, cold therapy, and spay and neuter procedures when needed. None of the veterinary services are donated, all are paid services, and it is the largest operational expense for running the ranch. That said, there are ample opportunities to lend a helping hand. Volunteers support the ranch by bathing the dogs, helping with property upkeep, and of course, giving affection to and playing with the canine residents. During my visit a group of over 30 students from Northpoint Church’s Highlife program came out to help at the Ranch. They spent an hour picking weeds on the property, and another hour playing with the dogs and giving them attention. Thanks to numerous volunteers and seven on site staff, the facility is incredibly clean, no small feat with over 80 dogs living there.  

Between the Small House and the Veterinarian Clinic is the Large House, also known as the Gary Big House, named after the man who provided a significant donation to help fund the building. The Large House currently has 27 larger dogs who were abandoned, injured, or slated to be euthanized even though they had treatable health conditions.

Each dog in the Large House has a sizable indoor pen, a bed, and a dog door that exits to their own personal fenced-in “patio.” Each day they get walks and playtime as well. The ranch provides a consistent daily schedule which includes nap time. Nine o’clock is time for bed, when each gets an animal cookie, the dog doors are shut for the night, the lights go down, and soft spa music comes up.

I met two If I Could dogs, meaning “if I could take one home, this would be it!” One was a Pyrenees mix, so sweet, who stays in a pen with his brother. The two were taken in when the brother was going to be euthanized. Rhonda received a call and brought them both to the ranch. 

Those of us living in Travis and Williamson Counties may not realize just how fortunate we are to have high-quality animal shelter facilities serving our areas. Not only are they no-kill shelters, with their positive reputation they are able to win grants and awards that further their missions. In 2023 Williamson County received an award for Excellence in No Kill from Best Friends Animal Society, and a $100,000 grant from Petco Love. Our neighbor counties aren’t able to provide the same level of service. With limited staff and space, many dogs in these areas are euthanized or remain homeless even though they are either healthy or could be successfully rehabilitated. 

In addition to my big, fluffy Pyrenees friends, I met a few of the other dogs in the Large House, including two pit mixes, Gidget and her brother Duke. Gidget and Duke were also rescued from being euthanized. Duke was trained to fight and lost one of his legs in a dog fight. He was brought into a shelter to be euthanized but he ended up at the ranch. Today, Duke is a smiley, happy guy who receives lots of love from people, but cannot have any interaction with the other dogs. His sister Gidget was used as fighting bait, and has over 100 wound marks on her body, including a piece of flesh missing from her head. Like her brother, she is now happy and healthy, living in a place where she’s treated with love and care.

Our next stop was the Small House, the first building on the ranch, the home for seniors and small dogs left behind when their owners passed. Some of the dogs are blind, some are deaf, some are both. Others are wiggly little busy bodies scurrying from one visitor to another jumping up on legs and laps for pets and pats. This little sin verguenza (meaning “shameless” in Spanish, what we at home call our spoiled little dogs) immediately dropped to the “rub my belly” position when I leaned down to pet her - and remained frozen until receiving her just reward! So cute…

Many of the dogs in the Small House live two to a stall, snuggled up together napping in their oversized beds. What a blessing it is to know there is a resource like Living Grace to provide comfort to our aging adults - the comfort of knowing their canine companions will be cared for; while also providing comfort and love to God’s creatures that bring us so much fulfillment, joy, and purpose through their lives, their warm and furry lap-loving bodies, their sin verguenza smiles, and their companionship.

Living Grace will adopt out dogs that come in from the street, but they will not adopt out the little ones they committed to caring for. They will foster the little ones for periods of time, but they maintain a relationship with the foster families, so Living Grace always knows the animal is cared for.

When touring the Large House, I also got to meet Berkeley. As would be expected for a dog that was recently picked up as a feral, brought to an unfamiliar place and introduced to a new and different lifestyle, Berkeley is still pretty touchy. She is the only dog in the Large House with a towel draped over the bars on the front of her door, as little is known about her and how she may behave. But looking into her eyes, you can see she is afraid, and her low growl indicates emotional discomfort and uncertainty. Today, as we expect temperatures in the low teens to come rolling into Central Texas, our feral friend is sheltered and fed. Tomorrow? We don’t know what her path will be, but God is in control, and I am sure that He will guide Rhonda and the Living Grace staff to help Berkeley achieve her best possible outcome.

Thank you, Rhonda, for having the courage to walk in step with the Spirit, for your dedication to provide care and comfort to senior adults and the canines they have loved and been loved by in return, and for expanding your mission to include abandoned and mistreated animals that now receive the love and care God intended for them.

Rhonda’s request for us on the day of our tour was to spread the word! Please help me in doing so by sharing this blog, her story, her website, and her mission with others!

And reach out to Living Grace to schedule a tour for yourself, a few friends, a classroom, your women's/men's group, your family… you get it :-)

Click the link below to learn more and schedule your visit to Living Grace, and go to the bottom of this page to share this blog on your social media!

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Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” - Isaiah 30:21