Justin Couple’s Love of Adopting Dogs Saves Puppy

Still grieving the sudden death of his beloved beagle Jack, Justin resident David Stokes saw a post on a Ponder Facebook page about a young construction worker who found a puppy on a dirt road near Krum.

“Dave came in and said ‘Carrie, we could give this dog a really good home,’ ” his wife said. “I said ‘okay.’ The reason he was dumped was he had Parvo which causes severe diarrhea and sheds the inside lining of their stomachs. Most adults don’t survive Parvo.”

The dog – named MacDubh, Celtic for the son of the black tied to the Outlander television series – spent a day and a half in the veterinarian’s hospital and was on IVs for a week at home. But he survived that and the three days without electricity during the February 2021 snow/cold storm.

“He’s the most expensive free dog ever,” Carrie said. “Getting him through that was close to $2,000 which is crazy but once you get one, our feeling is you have to see it through. When we first got him, he was at 6-8 pounds and he’s now 87 pounds. He’s a big boy.”

“Mac knows we saved his life and gave him a home,” David said.

MacDubh joined Boo, a pound puppy the Stokes’ picked up about eight years ago. Their first dog was a lab mix Carrie adopted before they met 17 years ago.

Married for 11 years, the couple has lived in Justin for seven. She grew up in Hereford, Texas and he grew up in San Diego before moving to Texas in 1995. Their combined family includes three adult sons.

While MacDubh’s breed is unknown, David and Carrie say he does look like Scooby Do.

“He’s just a big old sweetheart,” said Carrie, who just retired as a science teacher after 28 years in the Lewisville and Coppell systems.

“He’s very loving,” said David, who promotes database products. “He’s kind of shy around people when you first meet him. He’s a little timid until he warms up to you and then he’s a lot of puppy and a lot of dog.”