When a staff member at the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter in Texas walked into the kennel room recently, they stopped in their tracks.
There was Judy — a sweet, spunky shelter dog — calmly strolling around outside her kennel like she owned the place. None of the kennel doors were open. The walls stood a solid 6 feet high. How on earth had she gotten out?
Then they checked the security footage — and their jaws dropped.
The video showed Judy scaling the 6-foot metal kennel door with surprising skill. She used the horizontal crossbars like a ladder, climbed straight up, then balanced herself on the narrow doorframe like a circus performer before hopping safely to the ground.
“She really used those bars to get footing,” said April Peiffer, the shelter’s Community Engagement Coordinator. “We were stunned. She was determined!”
This wasn’t Judy’s first escape attempt, just the most successful one. A couple of weeks earlier, she had tried to scale the fence of the play yard while staff were cleaning.
“She definitely has a little wanderlust,” Peiffer said with a laugh. “She loves to go on her own adventures — she’s our little jailbreak queen.”
Judy, a 2-year-old, 57-pound pup with beautiful mismatched eyes, came to the shelter in May as a stray — or “lost dog,” as the staff prefers to say. She was in good physical shape but tested positive for heartworm and clearly wasn’t a fan of being confined.
After her daring climb, shelter staff moved Judy to a kennel with a secure cover to prevent another escape. But Judy’s free spirit couldn’t be caged for long — and thankfully, she wouldn’t need to be.
Just days later, Judy’s “jailbreak” became permanent. On June 3, she was adopted by a loving family who’s ready to give her the space, freedom, and companionship she craves.
“We’re thrilled that her days of scaling kennel doors are behind her,” Peiffer said. “She’s finally got the forever home she deserves.”
To see more incredible animals like Judy looking for homes, visit the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter website.
