Animal Rescue Stories

Brothers Forever

Baxter on the left was only 3 months old when he showed up in the field behind my office. Everyone tried to catch him but he was too fast. Three weeks went by and after work one evening I went out and he crawled out from under the dumpster and collapsed at my feet. He was starved and only weighed 1lb. 3 oz. He was so sick the vet didn't think he would make it. Three years later he is my baby and follows me everywhere, sleeps on my pillow with me and has such a loving nature. We adopted Boswell from the shelter at 7months and they got along immediately. They are best friends, playing and napping together in their bed. They bring me such joy and happiness. I am so glad Baxter chose me to be his mom.

Gina
Ellisville, MO

The man in my life

Someone literally tossed Max out of a car into a friend of mine's yard. She brought him into work the next day, and I fell in love with him as soon as I saw him. He has been such a sweet loving dog. I feel truly blessed to have him in my life. I joke and tell everyone that he is the man in my life!

Daniele
Bartow, FL

Mattie's Story

My brother worked as a telephone line man and ran across stray animals all the time. Being animal lovers all our lives, he always carried treats and food in his vehicle. It was mid December in Ohio and he saw what he thought was a dirty raggedy tee-shirt, until it moved. He went up to it and saw that it was a little dog. She had been living under a dumpster eating garbage. He gave her some food and treats and opened his car door for her. She could barely jump in, but she did. He then brought her over to my house to hold her until he could complete his job and get her to a shelter. When he returned, I couldn't part with her. She was so dirty and covered in matts, it took us two hours to snip all the matts off of her to bathe her. When we were finished, we found that she was a sweet, beautiful little Shitz-tzu girl with big brown eyes that just said "thank you". She made herself at home in one of the cat's beds. I knew instantly what I should name her....Mattie. She has brought so much joy and love to my life, I'll never let her go.

Sue
Cleveland, OH

Tripod Puppy Needed Help; Now Brings Joy to Others!

July 4, 2007 I received a phone call from our local Humane Society to foster a young pup who was in surgery getting his hind leg amputated. It was broken and he'd dragged it around a month before someone took him in, so the bone was infected, necessitating the amputation.

The pup had a high fever and various intestinal parasites among other maladies. Within one day, I was in love with his resiliency, sweetness and gentleness even while I was 'hurting' him while caring for his wounds. Twelve weeks later he was well enough to go up for adoption, and I asked if I could keep him. He filled a huge void left in my life by the passing of our 2 beloved 14-year old chow chows the prior year.

Today, "Roo" (short for "Kangaroo" because he hops) brings smiles and comfort to many, for he's a certified therapy dog. We visit a local hospital, including some of their children's wards, a local assisted living facility and other venues such as occupational therapy centers. When patients see Roo and notice he's missing a leg, many say "If he can do it, so can I!" Roo even demonstrates difficult tasks sometimes, such as climbing stairs in physical therapy rooms, which proves very motivational to patients.

Roo has special gifts which we're thrilled to share with as many people as we can. We'll always be indebted to the receiving and hospital staff at our Humane Society who saw what a special dog Roo was, even as sick as he was.

"Rescue dogs rock!!"

Charlotte Fee
Fort Lauderdale, FL

Chad and Brian

We adopted Chad from the shelter as a pup. He was fine then and had a normal first 4 years. He than developed a type of Glaucoma that, despite treatment, rendered him blind. At that piont his eyes were still very painful, so we had to have them enucleated. He knows the house and his yard like the back of his paw. He still chases the squirrells with our other dog, Brian who is a Katrina rescue and is deaf. The take great care of each other and are an inspiration to us daily.

Tooie Dooley
Knoxville, TN

Wyatt

My boyfriend, Jimmy, found a hound mix who was covered in ticks, very thin, and lugging a 20 foot chain. The dog was very scared but friendly. Jimmy took him to the vet for some much needed care. Jimmy and I visited Wyatt during his week long stay at the vet clinic and fell in love with him. He's such a sweet boy and is a great addition to the family. And he loves his schnauzer sisters, Sadee and Bella!

Heather
Lubbock, TX

Miss Polgara

Miss Polgara was left outside the animal shelter by her previous owner. They didn't even take the time to take her inside. The shelter staff brought her in, checked her over and listed her for adoption. Her time was running out when a friend spotted her on our company public bulletin board. Since she knew I'm a cat lover, she directed me to the post. She was listed as older, front declawed and spayed. I relayed her story to my husband and he told me if I wanted her, I could go get her.

It wasn't until I got her home that we realized she's almost completely blind and deaf. But by that point, she had stolen our hearts and we've made adjustments for her disabilities. Our other three cats know that Miss Pol is special and don't bother her. Miss Pol has completely captured my husband's heart. He has declared that she is HIS cat. She is the most loving cat I've ever met. She loves to be brushed and she purrs the minute you touch her.

If my friend had not jokingly pointed out Miss Pol's post, I would never have seen her and the shelter would have put her down the very next day. She has taught us that you're never too old to be loved and a good brushing is always appreciated.

Becky
Walnut, IA

Gato y Duende...

Hello, my name is Gato (grey and white) and I'm having a nap with my friend Duende. We were adopted from a very nice lady named Beverly from Knoxville, TN, and we moved to Duluth, GA. with our friend Edgar. I spent the last 6 years with him until 10 days ago, when I decided it was time to become an angel and say goodbye to my beloved family. I know Edgar will feel sad and Duende will miss our naps together, but every time they think of me, I want them to know that I'm there with them and that life is just a little piece of eternity... because they'll always be in my heart . I know how much Edgar loves me and I know he'll remember me playing and napping and not wanting to take a shower and....
(Gato, this is Edgar, and of course, you'll always be here, with me and Duende... we love you!!!!)

EDGAR
DULUTH, GA

Rescued Twice

We adopted Teus (pronounced TAY-us) from the New York State SPCA as a teeny, tiny kitten and loved him immediately. After about a year he started having what we thought were behavioral problems regarding the litter box, but we dealt with them and just kept trying to figure out what was going on. My husband and I moved to Minnesota to start graduate school and things escalated - Teus could no longer defecate on his own, and we were taking him to the vet several times a week at the end - his bloodwork was normal, and no one could figure out what was wrong. Finally our vets - WONDERFUL people - read an article on perineal hernia repair, something more common in dogs but very rare in cats. Basically, this means the end of his colon had formed pockets, and things were getting "stuck." We tearfully left Teus at the hospital for surgery, but it went really well and he is now able to go like a normal kitty! It still makes me cry to think about it - we love him so very much. He sleeps on my head at night and purrs loudly, and loves to chew on catnip bananas and play with tiny sparkle balls.

Heidi Miller
Minneapolis, MN

Sammy & Shadow

Sammy is named after the mobster, Sammy The Bull Gravano, because he is one tough little cat! He showed up in my yard one day in August, 1999, around 4 months old, so incredibly hurt that I didn't think he was going to make it. He had two bites to his head, his tail was stripped of all the fur and skin and covered with maggots. I took him to the vet and two weeks later he came home with a cast on his now 6" tail and became the "cat" love of my life. He wakes me up every morning licking my face. He has more personality than most of the people that I know!

Shadow was rescued from a grocery store in February, 2001. She had been left by her mother and was pregnant, around 6 months old and completely feral. I took her to the vet to get her checked out and the vet said that she was lucky to have been found when she was, because she was too young to have kittens and it would have killed her. With lots of love and patience, and 8 months time, she finally let me pet her without running away. She is so sweet and loving. I call her my "Little Miss" because she is so prim and proper!

Now they rule this house and bring so much joy that I can't imagine my life without them. As all rescue pet owners know, no one will ever love you more than a pet that has been homeless. They are both indoor cats now and have no interest in ever going outside again. Windows work just fine as far as they are concerned!

Susan Conrad
Phoenix, AZ