Embracing the Underdogs

How Jody French turned an unimaginable loss into a sanctuary where senior dogs are given the ending they deserve

Every morning at 4:30, long before most of Central Texas begins to stir, Jody French gets to work. There are dogs to walk. Bowls to fill. Medications and supplements to administer. Potty pads to replace and special diets to prepare. One dog needs to be hand-fed. Another is blind. Jameson relies on a K-9 cart to get around. Several residents are receiving palliative or hospice care.

Before Jody leaves for her full-time job as a teacher, she makes sure there is time for some loving attention, too. A scratch behind the ears. A reassuring touch. A few quiet moments that tell each dog, you are safe here.

This is life at Ant’s Happy Endings Senior Dog Sanctuary, a place built out of both extraordinary love and unimaginable loss.

In 2020, Jody’s son, Anthony“Ant,” was killed by a drunk driver. Anthony was loving, generous and armed with what his mother describes as a “wicked sense of humor.” After his death, Jody discovered something she hadn’t known. For his last living birthday, Anthony had been collecting donations on Facebook for a senior dog rescue. Inspired, that discovery became a calling.

Jody created Ant’s Happy Endings in her son’s honor, rescuing senior dogs at risk of euthanasia and giving them something every animal deserves: a chance to spend whatever time remains surrounded by comfort, dignity and love.

“This work helps me feel close to my son and to honor his memory,” she says.

A Soft Place to Land

Many of the dogs who arrive at Ant’s have stories that are difficult to hear. Some have endured severe neglect or abuse. Others are elderly, disabled or medically fragile—the kinds of dogs who can be easily overlooked in crowded shelters, but at Ant’s, they become family.

After teaching all day, Jody returns home to a welcoming committee of senior pups. The evening routine begins: walks, dinner, medications, and cleanup. Two dogs insist on their evening drive. Then comes cuddle time, followed by washing bowls, laundry, sweeping, mopping and one last trip outside before bed. Sleep is often interrupted once or twice by a senior who needs to go out.

Then, at 4:30 the next morning, it begins again.

Weekends bring the good stuff: pup cups, parks, leisurely drives, baths at Tomlinson’s and community events.

There are also moments that make Jody giggle.

Jameson, the sanctuary’s resident “wheelie boy,” apparently has strong opinions about when a walk should end. When Jody turns toward the driveway, he speeds up and crosses the street as if to say, Absolutely not. We’re still going home yet.

Lola has developed her own alarm clock system: standing directly on Jody’s chest and growling until she opens her eyes.

And then there’s Nick... It took seven weeks before Jody could touch the once-feral dog. Today, he rarely leaves her side. Naturally, he has earned the name “Sidekick Nick.”

These transformations are part of what keeps Jody moving through the exhaustion, financial pressures, and heartbreak that accompany sanctuary work.

“My love for each of these deserving babies and the excruciating pain of losing my son and the depth of love I have for him keeps me going.”

Turning Grief Into a Place for Healing

Jody’s work extends beyond the sanctuary. She's a mother, grandmother, teacher, and animal activist, also certified in yoga and Reiki, and recently became a certified Pet Death Doula, supporting people as they navigate the profound grief that can accompany losing an animal. But her vision is even bigger.

One day, Jody hopes to create a healing center offering free support to at-risk youth and young adults, unhoused people, survivors of sexual violence and abuse, and veterans, with the sanctuary dogs becoming part of the healing space.

Dogs do not ask people to explain their grief before offering comfort. They do not need the right words. They simply sit beside us in the middle of it.

Perhaps that is the heart of Ant’s Happy Endings. It isn't a place that pretends loss can be erased. Jody knows better than most that some absences remain with us.

Instead, it is a place built on the idea that grief and love can occupy the same space, and that sometimes, the love we can no longer give to the person we lost finds somewhere else to go.

Anthony cared about the underdogs, so Jody is making sure they are still cared for.

And somewhere between a senior dog arriving frightened and unwanted and that same dog learning to sleep peacefully in a safe home, Ant’s story continues through love.

What’s Next at Ant’s

This fall, special-needs residents Jameson and Big Freedia will participate in the Violet Crown Veterinary Specialists Para-Pet Games for dogs with disabilities in Austin on October 24.

Ant’s Happy Endings has also launched Forever Fosters, a program matching senior dogs with people who have plenty of time and love to give but may not have the financial resources to take on the cost of a dog. The sanctuary provides food, supplies, medications and veterinary care while foster families provide the home.

The organization is also expanding its outreach efforts to provide pet food and veterinary assistance to unhoused people with dogs.

Ant’s Happy Endings needs volunteers, fosters, donations and community support to continue giving senior and special-needs dogs the endings—and lives—they deserve.

To get connected with Ant's Happy Endings, visit their website for more information.