Animal Rescue Stories

Joseph Oliver aka JJ

I drive a bus for the public transit company in Pittsburgh. On January 2, 2017, I was driving through Mt. Oliver when I saw a small patch of white in the brown leaves that covered the sidewalk. As I got closer, I realized it was a small cat that was completely soaked after sitting out in the rain. When I opened the door, he screamed at me! (He didn't meow, he SCREAMED!)

I told him if he was still there when I came back, I would take him home and take care of him. When I was done with my route, I parked my bus, got in my car and drove over to the pet store across the street from my garage. I bought a small pet carrier and a couple packs of cat food and then headed back to Mt. Oliver. Amazingly, the cat hadn't moved. I set the food down in front of him and he gobbled it up quickly. A neighbor helped me to get the kitten into the carrier and we headed for home, not sure what I hoped to do with him.

I never expected Craig would say we would keep him. I should have known better! He has the biggest heart when it comes to animals. This cat was soaked to the skin, couldn't walk, he kept falling over on his left side and he was starving. We still have the coop that we used when our chickens were babies, so Craig put him in it in the garage (until we could get him to the vet and make sure he was healthy and had no fleas).

He set up a heat lamp nearby and prayed for healing. The poor little thing looked pathetic. Craig put bowls of food and water in the cage, and the cat fell over with its face on the food bowl and a foot in the water bowl. I checked on him a couple times after Craig left for work, but eight hours later, he was still in that same position. I had made an appointment with the vet for 10:15 Tuesday morning, but seriously, I didn't hold out a lot of hope that we would actually have to keep that appointment.

In the morning, I was afraid to go down to check on him. When Craig woke up, he went down to the garage and then he yelled for me. I was expecting the worst, but no! Craig said the cat was sitting up and it meowed at him in a normal voice! (The day before, when I put him in my car and when Craig put him in that cage, he just screamed over and over, so pitifully that we were afraid he must have some broken bones or something.) We took him to the vet and he got vaccinations, a flea treatment and he tested negative for leukemia and FIV. They said he was less than a year old.

He is our little miracle! (Thank you God for answering Craig's prayers!) We chose his name because I found him on St. Joseph Street in Mt. Oliver. He quickly became a part of our family. I'm so glad that Craig doesn't enforce his "No more pets" policy! (But seriously, this is the last one. For now.)

Lori Piel Johnson
WEST MIFFLIN, PA

Best Boy Ever.

I visited the local pound one afternoon to check for a long-legged escapee boarder. The escapee had returned to his own yard nearby, unbeknownst to me, but the pound was on my way home from work, so I hazarded a visit.

When I walked into the cage area, a young brindle boy of questionable pedigree was there, smiling at me, wagging his tail. He had a small dachshund lying on him, obviously ill. I informed staff of this.

I asked for a leash, and took 'Clayton' for a walk.
Two things I immediately noticed. One, he had never been leashed before, and two, he would be the easiest to train of any dog I'd met, so far.

I went home to tell my wife I'd found a boy who really needed us; a clouded eye, a broken canine tooth, and later, found shot in his shoulder and hip suggesting he'd been abused, a bait dog or wanderer who'd been shot at.

My wife said we didn't need another dog, but I insisted he needed US, so she accompanied me to the pound the next day and of course, he came home with us!

As soon as we got him cleaned up, the shelter called saying the dachshund had died. They requested we return 'Clayton' for quarantine, which we hated, but three days later, he came to his forever home with us.

Ozzie (his name) came to us after a day or two, and he was just perfect. Never a problem, no house-training required, a gentle, loving housemate to our other dogs and to every new dog, foster or keeper, that he met. Pups new to the pack would steal his food and he would not growl or act poorly. He was just the best boy ever.

He traveled the country with us, always confident and happy to go, always looking out the windshield, seldom through side windows. Might have been his only one good eye giving him a motion-sickness issue, but he watched the road with me.

We got into rescue and Ozzie not only welcomed newcomers, but treated them all like old friends. He never required serious veterinary care and brought such joy to our lives!

Best Boy Ever, I always told him.

He was my constant companion, always welcoming of people and pets and never a bother. Welcomed wherever he went. Ozzie loved watching TV and warned us against dogs, bears, cows; any animals on the set put him on defense mode. Hilarious and endearing.
Best Boy Ever.

He lived to be about 14 by our estimate, but his health started failing and when the time came, he rode in my lap, hugging me tightly the whole drive to our vet. We both loved him so much, as he drew his last breath, my wife and I just bawled as I told him one last time he was the Best Boy, Ever.

Even two years later I tear up to write this.

Miss you, Oz. You were just the best.

Ken Cook
LA MARQUE, TX

She Became Hope

The kitten’s shrill cries woke me from a deep sleep. I sat up and looked around my tiny living room. Where was that noise coming from? It was then that I realized someone was banging on my door.

When I staggered across the room and opened the door, my mom was on the other side with a pet taxi on my porch.

“Somebody dumped this kitten,” she said. “Mew mew mew!” It continued. Mom lived down the street from me and she worships animals. When she was outside doing yard work, her Great Dane was barking at something in the alley. When she saw what the commotion was about, she knew she had to act fast.
I reached into the pet taxi and pulled out a tiny, adorable tabby with mucus filled eyes. She immediately stopped crying.

I already had a cat and a dog so I really wasn’t looking to bring another animal into my small apartment, but I knew I had to do something. It was clear she was a newborn kitten that would require a lot of care, and I knew most rescue organizations in town wouldn’t take a kitten that young.

My then-boyfriend and I decided we would take her to the vet and maybe find her a home when she was better. The vet estimated her to be around 3-weeks-old. He gave us some medication for her eye infection and we brought her home. She was crawling with fleas, so I gave her a bath in the sink and we got her some formula and fed her with a dropper.

I took a plastic bin and lined it with some blankets and made her a bed for the night. I didn’t get much sleep that night because the moment I would put her down, she cried continuously. After several days, her eyes were not getting any better so my ex took her to another vet and she was prescribed another medication. The vet said that she was actually around 10 to 14 days old and her chances of survival weren’t great because it’s very hard for kittens to thrive without their mother. That’s when we decided to call her Hope.

My ex and I were working full-time and we needed someone to care for her during the day, so we ended up finding her a temporary home with a lady named Mary who specializes in cat rescues.

Mary’s expertise was exactly what Hope needed. She looked healthier and stronger every time I visited her. Several weeks later, Hope came to live with us full-time. She was eating solid foods, but we still bottle-fed her until she was about three months old. She and the dog bonded almost instantly and I couldn’t imagine my life without her.

A couple of months later, my mom discovered two feral kittens about Hope’s age living under a neighbor’s shed. She said they had to be Hope’s sisters because one of them looked just like her.

The neighbor lady, Kim, had been feeding them, so I came up with a plan. I told Kim I would trap the kittens and get them spayed/neutered and vaccinated if she would be willing to let them stay with her until they recuperated. She agreed.

I set two live traps outside of the shed and put some food in it, and within minutes, I had a tabby and a black cat. I brought them to Kim after their surgery and they are still living with her 10 years later.

I learned a lot from Hope, as I have never seen one kitten impact so many lives in such a short time. When it comes to rescuing animals, it really does take a village. And sometimes the best things that happen to you are the ones you don’t expect.

Anne Joyce
EVANSVILLE, IN

Lily's Story

We have had Lily since she was a puppy, and she is now 14 years old. She has had allergies for years and takes medication for that. Then two years ago, Lily got glaucoma in her eye. Eventually she lost vision in that eye, and it had to be removed as her eye drops were no longer keeping the pressure down. Without the removal she would have lived in pain.

It was only a matter of time before she got glaucoma in her other eye and lost her vision. She was now totally blind so had to rely on her nose and ears to navigate around. Just as before, the eye drops stopped keeping the pressure down, so yesterday, she had to get her other eye removed. She is doing well and healing.

It has never even crossed our minds about letting her go or giving her up. Lily, just like our other dogs, is a member of our family... they are our fur kids! We will continue to take care of her and protect her as we always have. We will continue to support rescues and speak for those that have no voice.

Micheline Henning
LINCOLN, NE

Momma knew

In August of 2020 after my return to work from COVID shutdown, I had to take a "spur of the moment" mental health vacation from work. I had two weeks to get my head straight and see if I wanted to stay in my job, as there had been so many changes to what I loved due to COVID.

On my first day of "relaxation" a stray cat, whom I had been feeding, showed up on my patio with four kittens! I knew she had been pregnant but hadn't seen any sign of her having delivered and assumed they hadn't survived, as she was so skinny. Well, she KNEW I couldn't just turn them all away. I took them in to foster them for our local Humane Society. What perfect timing right? My two weeks were filled with caring for and playing with four young kittens and giving their mama a break while she recovered and regained her health. It was the BEST medicine for my soul!

The Humane Society was wonderful to work with and assisted me through the entire process. Returning to work was hard only because I missed my "babies". I wanted to keep all five of them but that would put too much stress on my other three adult cats (all rescues), and I knew it would throw the "balance" we had in our home. After eight weeks, it was time to take this little family into the Humane Society to complete their vetting, fix them all and put them up for adoption.

WELL, I was a partial "foster-fail".... I decided to keep mama, now known as Cali-Cat. And, I just couldn't part with the runt who is now known as Lil Ty. The two of them have caused havoc and upset the "balance" but it has been so worth it! I give them credit for "rescuing my mental health" even while I rescued them!

Mary R Halley
NORTH CANTON, OH

Dumped at Walmart

I went shopping at Walmart and then went for pizza. There sat this beautiful dog, pregnant, looking frightened and lost. I gave her a dog treat from my car and took her to the vet. She slept the whole way there. The vet office scanned her for a chip. Nothing was found. I took her home.

She was skin and bones with a belly. Three weeks later, she put on a healthy weight and she had 14 puppies. I took all the puppies, got them shots and dewormer, and re-homed them to family and friends. I kept one. His name is Tank. He became my service dog. He's absolutely amazing.

Jennifer
ORLANDO, FL

My supercute kitty ever.

Down by the coastline in Charleston, Oregon, where I found a bunch of homeless cats in 2010, I noticed a long-haired orange tabby and fell in love with him at first sight. He was one of the kittens in a cat family of four and was so playful, around 4-weeks-old. I looked at this fluffy kitten and wondered why nobody picked him up. I felt that I never wanted to let him go. Then I decided to adopt and proudly brought him home. I called him Oscar. I picked this name because I thought it was a cool name.

Six months later, Oscar grew up to be a super cute and talkative cat. He loved to be around people and liked to be petted. Although Oscar was never a mouser, my family and I loved him so much because he was a sweet one and got along well with other cats.

In years gone by, Oscar was always an outdoor pet. He really enjoyed his entire life exploring around. As Oscar was not neutered, he often stayed away from home hanging out with neighbor cats. We didn't get Oscar fixed because we hoped that he would make a cute kitten just like him.

Sadly, Oscar lost his leg and became disabled in 2013. At the time, nobody had an idea what happened. Was it a bad accident or a big fight? The only thing I noticed was Oscar bleeding all over and his back leg was missing. He was crying and hiding under the deck. We did our best to heal Oscar and he was okay.

A few months later, he finally got used to walking with his three legs even though it was not comfortable for him.
In his final year, Oscar continued his happy life with us. Like always, he spent a lot of time wandering around our neighborhood.

Oscar completely disappeared in November 2014. My family and I felt deeply sorry about his disappearance. We spent many days looking for Oscar, but he has been gone for a long time without a trace.

Anne Goering
COOS BAY, OR

Owner passed left 6 dogs

In January of 2023, I heard of six dogs in need of help after their owner had passed. Two were very old and under 5 pounds. A small Yorkie and little fox terrier, a six month pup, a big goofy sweet boy, a shitzu and weiner dog. My husband and I went to see what we could do to help. Now I was only going to take pics and see about finding them a home. But I took our little dog with us to make sure he would be okay if I bought a dog home to foster. Yeah I know, I was already planning on fostering.

Seeing the situation, I immediately took the four small dogs - the Yorkie, fox terrier, shitzu, and weiner dog. I left the big dog and pup with the man who went with us. I knew my cats would be scared of the big one and had no idea how he would react to them.

These poor babies had been on their own for a couple of weeks with neighbors feeding and helping out. The lady had a son, but he traveled for work and couldn't take on six dogs. One of the older smallest dogs was so stressed, she was pulling her hair out. I found a home for the shitzu and weiner dog within a week, but couldn't let the two oldest ones go. These two ladies stole our heart and were a bonded pair.

They fit right in with our two 20-pound cats and my little seven-pound rescue Zack like they had been with us for years. My husband who said NO more dogs after the passing of our Bostons caved. The little black fox terrier-looking one adopted him, even sleeps beside him. The Yorkie who was so stressed adopted me. Her hair is growing back but bless her heart, she only has two teeth and her tongue hangs out all the time. My little guy wasn't happy at first, but now he's accepted them. He is an 11-year-old Chorkie. They went to the vet, and except for being very old, they are okay.

You couldn't ask for two sweeter dogs. They do great on going out to potty after about a week of training. They now enjoy sleeping on our laps, sunning themselves on the deck, chasing birds in our huge backyard and belly rubs. They sleep with us every night, we wake up to two of the happiest little dogs giving us kisses.

They will have a loving home with us until the day they pass, whether it's in six months or a few more years. I cannot tell you what an absolute joy they have bought to our lives.

Please adopt a dog, there are so many that need a home. They might not be as beautiful as a purebred but their heart is. Their love is unconditional and I know they will love you until the day they pass. I can't imagine my life without my fur babies and the joy and love they bring me everyday.

Gogan Janet
GOODWATER, AL

Small Survivor

I was looking for a small dog and saw a local adoption event. I was one of the first to be there. I was immediately smitten by a little maltipoo girl. She was so terrified she just sat in my lap and shivered.

She was from a puppy mill and when they couldn't breed her anymore, they abandoned her in the Everglades. When she was found, she was filthy. Her feet were badly infected. She was blind in one eye from an injury and the other had a cataract.
I decided she was mine and from that point in her life, she would get spoiled.

We spent a lot of time just cuddling and she would fall asleep with her head on my shoulder like a baby. She needed to rest and recuperate from her ordeal. It took over a year before she would let me touch her feet as they slowly healed.

I did spoil her. She had lots of pillows and blankets. She would drag the pillows together and work her way into the middle.
She was my little angel. She went over the bridge three years ago and I still miss her everyday.

Her name was Sweetie Pie.

Karen Deimling
BRADENTON, FL

Thrown away baby gets chance at life

One evening a young man in the neighborhood came to our home with a kitten he had found. She was in a box on the side of the road. SO TINY. No tail, so she had some manx in her. Unable to eat or drink, eyes barely open. I wrapped her in a towel and contacted our realtor who has strong ties with the local Animal Rescue Center. She gave me the name of the lady with them who cared for "bottle babies".

Hubby and I immediately rushed her to this lady, knowing each breath may be her last. She was accepted, estimated age 3.5 weeks. I requested regular updates and pictures. I had three senior cats and did not want a kitten, but the text came "so what do you want to name her?" We agreed on Destiny. The pictures kept coming. She was growing fast and so beautiful!

Well, I had a kitten. Picked her up the day before Thanksgiving. We did change her name to "SASSY" as that certainly fits her. She's a mama's girl and rules the house. Had she not been found when she was, she would has not made it through the night in that box by the road. Vet says she is a manx/Maine coon mix with an attitude. Yep, that's my gal.

Wanda Hughes
FORT MYERS, FL