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Animal Rescue Stories

Read heartfelt stories of rescue, and share your rescued animal stories with others.

Socks to Sox

Socks to Sox

We heard about a despondent Akita at our local shelter. She was starving herself, very depressed and needed a foster home asap. We already have a female Akita, but we couldn't leave this girl to suffer and quite possibly die.
We brought her home, and I wish I had room to tell you all the ways she has brought joy to our lives. When she first arrived, she didn't know how to play. We worked with her, but it wasn't until I dropped my dishrag and she swiped it that I knew she'd caught on. Now, if you leave a towel, a dishcloth, any kind of 'rag' unattended, it is likely to be involved in a tug-of-war. So, don't let anyone tell you old dogs can't learn new tricks. Socks was nearly eight years old when we brought her home -- I doubt she'd ever had a real home -- but somehow she knew this was her place.
We adopted her a month later, and as a tribute to her incredible spirit and lovely, slightly wicked smile, we rechristened her Sox. I tried Spirit, but she made her wishes quite clear. She only answers to Sox.

Shelly Keyes
Lansing, MI
Finding Max

Finding Max

We had already rescued a cat and two dogs so I really had no business going on Petfinder.com but I did. It didn't take me long I spotted Max. I never thought I was a chihuahua person but his profile is what won us over. It was 2 month process because Max was in a different state. I had home visit and whole nine yards. On the friday before Thanksgiving, I got the call that Max was ours and I could pick up on that Sunday. I drove to Jacksonville, FL. from Hilton Head, SC and back on that Thanksgiving Sunday. The traffic was not the best but we would do all over again in a second. He is truly a blessing to this family. I can not imagine life without him. This is a rescue family and always will be.

Glenda
Bluffton, SC
A hero, best friend, and sister

A hero, best friend, and sister

This is Simba. She died on January 6, 2009, age 13. Simba is a true hero, and she is so much more than a dog to me. She is my sister and my best friend, and she's been with me through all the ups and downs of growing up. We had a deeper connection than anyone could understand; she waited for me to get home from university so that we could have a last Christmas together, and she waited until the night I left for the airport to go back to school. But best of all, she left us someone behind: she never had any puppies, but last fall she found a starving kitty fighting for survival, and walked it to our house. She came out of the bushes with a kitten walking between her legs... Her nurturing mother instincts took over. She saved that kitten's life, and I consider her a hero for that. Flora, the kitten, is brightening up the days at home for those who are there, along with the other cats and dog Kiara that we have. But there will never be anyone like Simba: she was a hero in my every day just for being there for me all the time, for being the one that understood everything. I will never forget the gift of the last Christmas she gave me, how she showed us she wanted to live, but how she also showed them after I left for school that she knew it was time. I have never had that kind of a connection with any human or animal; I always missed her so much when I was gone, and now I take her memory with me everywhere I go. My hero, sister and best friend.

Lara
Pointe-de-l'Eglise, Canada
Finding Max

Finding Max

A friend of mine found Max in the mall parking lot, desperately going up to people hoping someone would take him home. She deposited him in my neighborhood and a week later confessed to what she had done. Max found a house with food on the porch and that's where I found him. I took him to the vet and once he was neutered and had his shots he came home with me. He is my kooky little Max.

Pam Nogare
Stockton, CA
Lost Little Kitten

Lost Little Kitten

For Christmas, Santa brought us a gentle red tabby kitten, Boo Boo. Then, on an unusually warm day for March in St. Louis, I spotted a beautiful Siamese kitten outside. A neighbor said the poor kitten was hanging around crying for 2 weeks and she felt so sorry she finally began feeding it. She wore a purple collar and was either lost or dumped in our neighborhood. She was gorgeous, bright blue eyes, light wheat color with seal points, 4-6 months old...the perfect playmate for our Christmas Kitten. We took the newcomer to the vet right away to be checked out. After several days of sniffing each other under the door getting acquainted, it was love at first sight for Boo Boo and Li Li. That was in 2003. but Li Li's fight for life wasn't over. In November '07 we almost lost her to a severe episode of lipidosis and diabetes. If the vet hadn't placed a feeding tube in her neck, she surly would have died. We saved her from starvation by tube feeding her for several months. The diabetes caused healing delays. Finally her hair grew back and she has doubled her weight, over 10 pounds. This is the second year of daily insulin injections but Li Li is doing fine. For a free kitten found outdoors in winter, she has become the bionic cat, now very slim but worth her weight in gold! The vet thinks she may be purebred Siamese. Her light wheat colored coat returned, replacing the dark shades her coat had grown into before she got so sick. She's a great cat and sweet Boo Boo is still in love!

Jan Hutchinson
St. Louis, MO
Super Sheila

Super Sheila

I brought my adorable puppy Sheila home from the Seattle Animal Shelter when she was three months old. I wasn't really planning to get a dog, but when I went into her kennel and knelt down, she hopped into my lap like she'd been expecting me. The employee who processed the adoption told me that Sheila was the smartest dog in the place, and she was right. Over the years Sheila has kept an eye on things and let me know whenever anything was amiss - like the time her sister Ursie went out through our dormer window and was gaily trotting around on the roof. Sheila knew that just couldn't be right and barked fiercely until I let her lead me to the window.

Sheila's been a wonderful companion and family member for twelve years now, telling on other dogs, herding children back to their parents, and always being there for me. I believe that once she even saved me from bodily harm. One night, when Sheila was about two, we were out for a walk when she stopped in her tracks. I couldn't get her to move and I had no idea why. After about thirty seconds, a very agitated man came bursting out of an apartment building up ahead and began violently punching and kicking the air around him. If Sheila hadn't stopped and disobeyed my command to move on, we would have been right in his path. When we got home, I heaped lots of praise and love on her, as I always do when she saves the day. Her response was to run into the kitchen and bark at the treat jar. Sheila's a girl with priorities.

Madeleine
Seattle, WA
Our giant kitty

Our giant kitty

A year ago, this tiny kitten chased after me and our two very large dogs as we took our walk. He would not stay out of the street so I picked him up. He was so skinny and light and matted with twigs, leaves and stickers. The vet said he was 2 months old but only weighed 14 ounces. He was starving to death and took a chance on us. He is now a little over a year, 36 inches long and weighs 16 pounds. He is a great cat, very smart and plays fetch. We love him.

Karen Davis
Mountain City, TX
Lola

Lola

Lola came to us through a Lab rescue site on the internet. She was lonely while languishing in her former owner's backyard for over 4 years and was ready for a change in her life! We brought her indoors, settled her into her new dog bed, took her to the dog park, the beach and even on a 9 day road trip!

She is in training to become a service dog for the BARK program in our local schools. Elementary school students will have the opportunity to read to her, have a photo taken with her and be awarded a certificate for their effort. She has come full circle from her solitary beginning to a well loved pet and has taught me many lessons. Eat with gusto and enthusiasm, Run, romp, and play daily, Thrive on attention and let people touch you, Don't hold grudges, Live with a sense of purpose and Celebrate every day. I am not sure who rescued who to be honest!

Karen Embree
Seal Beach, CA
Joe & Macy

Joe & Macy

Our cat Joe was the apartment stray taken in by a neighbor who had several rescues of her own. She told us about him and we decided to adopt him. When we got him home, he started purring the moment he entered our house and hasn't stopped! A year later we adopted a retired racing greyhound named Macy, who is the sweetest girl. The 2 of them get along great and they both make us laugh and smile EVERY day!

Emily
Clemson, SC
Calico

Calico

Over months, I suffered several strokes and mini-strokes, and when placed into our local hospital, they did not find them at the time and sent me home. Unable to sleep one morning, I was in our basement, so as not to wake anyone else by my restlessness. There, I suffered another stroke that put me down to the floor, and I couldn't move nor call out. Calico is my son's cat who he rescued from a tree behind his office. She up to that point, would have nothing to do with me, always shying away when I tried to pet her. This morning, quite the contrary, I believe she sensed something was wrong, and got right up into my face and would not leave me alone! She truly saved my life; she kept me going and cussing her out. I regained the ability to vocalize, because she would not leave me alone. I was on the floor in the basement for perhaps 45 minutes, it was about 3 am in the morning. No one knew I was in trouble, they were all upstairs sound asleep. All I had was Calico to keep me roused and conscious during this entire incident. After some time, I was finally able to stand again, I struggled and crawled on my hands and knees up the stairs to the main level, where my wife and son found me when they finally got up. My wife noticed that something was not right and called 911. I was taken back to the hospital which released me the day before and which this time, finally located and determined that I had indeed had a stroke, in fact several strokes. I am doing well now, and Calico and I are the best of friends.

Scott Wilson Sr.
Ashland, KY