Animal Rescue Stories

Rowdy

We acquired Rowdy at the age of four months and we were his forth owners. Rowdy, with the name of Shadow, began in a pet shop and was sold to a teen who apparently was in trouble with the law. Two weeks later he was returned. The pet shop owners then gave him to an elderly couple in their 80's who had lost their elderly companion dog. He became too much for the folks since he liked to be outside for a long period before he could find a good "spot". No patience with the dog, so was handed over to a niece with a two year old child. After many gleeful chases through the house, and a few broken items knocked off tables, "Shadow" was again returned to the pet store. I was working the day the owners decided he was untrainable and were going to have him put to sleep. It was my birthday, so I decided he would be my present. After a few days it was apparent he was not going to be a Shadow. We determined that must be the problem and gave him the name of "Rowdy". He immediately decided he was my husband's dog, and being full time RVer's perched himself on my husbands shoulder every time we moved. He loved traveling and seeing all the sights and got into trouble many times. He really loved all the attention he got when he rode in the bicycle basket around the parks with my husband. We are now stationary, haven't traveled for awhile, but Rowdy still gains attention when he is out in the RV park. It took a lot of patience to calm him down, approximately six years. He's 15 now and a perfect gentleman.

Marilyn Dickson
Davenport, FL

A story of "Hope"!!

I work with physically and mentally challenged people. I was looking for a "special needs" dog and found Hope on PetFinder.com. It was love at first sight! She was a puppy mill rescue and was so sick, she would of died within 2 weeks had she not been rescued. The rescuers suspect that her front left leg was bitten off by another dog at the mill. Luckily, the vet did a great job of saving her shoulder muscles. She was fostered at Picket Fence Poodles here in Minnesota, not too far from where I live. She came home with me, to her "forever" home in December of 2006. She was extremely timid and fearfull. It took her a week to start exploring her new surroundings. She would not answer to the name Hope, which the rescuers had given her, but when I started asking "what are you doing little missy?", she would come running. Missy is now a healthy, happy, humorous little girl. She loves being silly. She gets around just fine and loves to run. In fact, she runs so fast that the wind blows her ears staight back. Last year, I adopted a "sister" for her and the 2 have bonded so well. They both bring joy to my life everyday and are an outstanding example of "unconditional love"!!

Kathy P
Blaine, MN

Taiwanese Surprise

I came to Taiwan to teach. I knew of the stray cat and dog problem but was determined not to take any animal in but to foster or help in other ways. I was only going to be here for a year and I didn't think it was fair to an animal if I wasn't sure I could take it with me. All that resolve flew out the window when I saw a small kitten nearly get hit by a car while walking home from school. Fortunately, the car stopped in time and the kitten ran to safety, I tried to walk by but just couldn't do it. "I swear, I'll just keep her until I can find her a home," I said to myself. By the end of the weekend, she made me hers and stole my heart. Xiao Hu (little tiger in Mandarin) is now a permanent part of my life and will come with me to America when in return in July 2009. There are so many animals on the streets of Taiwan that could use a home. I wish I could save them all but like the story of the little boy throwing the starfish back into the ocean, "I made a difference to this one." Now, I can't imagine my life without her.

Rachel
Columbus, OH

Joey - Our little Prince

After losing our beloved female Rottie, Sugar, we just weren't sure about adopting another dog right away. My husband just decided to look through some rescue sites online one day, and found Joey at a local Rescue Group. When we saw his eyes, we were hooked. He had been abandoned on a country road at about 6 months old. Still a baby. Luckily the rescue group had been notified and went to get him. After meeting Joey, we both fell in love and the feeling was mutual. His personality is definitely Rottie, the clowns of the dog world. He has grown into a happy, healthy dog and is quite content in his forever home. We will always be grateful that he became a member of our family, and for the love and happiness that we have we share.

Anna Byars
Brookston, IN

My big Polar Bear

I found Jewel, a white Shepherd/Borzoi mix, at the Largo FL SPCA 2 years ago when she was about 6 years old. She was not thriving in the kennels and was not eating, and you all know how tough it is for older big dogs to be adopted. I fell in love at first sight. Information provided stated that she had been kept outside in a pen and nobody walked her or played with her.
After bringing her home it only took 24 hours for her to relax and make eye contact. Today she is my shadow and the best dog I have ever seen. I cannot imagine anyone not wanting this dog to be part of their family. She is my 100lb bundle of joy and I couldn't possibly find a fault with her.

Randall Durham
Largo, FL

Our New Little Girl

This spring a puppy was abandoned close to the large high school where I teach. One of our social studies teachers rescued her and sent out photos in an attempt to find a permanent home for the growing pup. I took one look at the pictures and was hooked. However, my husband said that we couldn't have a third dog. Fortunately, he left on a business trip the next day, and that evening I picked her up and brought her to my house. By the time he returned, the puppy was firmly established as a member of the family pack with her canine sisters, Della and Roxy, and her feline sister, Katy.
We call our new girl Lilly, but our vet says that she should be named "Moose"!

Madeline P.
Humble, TX

Scamp the Champ

After the death of our beloved dog, I began searching online to rescue a dog. Scamp was 8 months old when we saw an ad for him from a young mother who could no longer keep him. He was staying with friends of hers who were unwilling to keep him any longer, while she was desperately trying to find a home for him. After 2 months of having no luck in placing Scamp, the "friends" were planning to take him to the pound. I had made a previous online inquiry about Scamp, but had decided not to pursue him--not enough info, and no picture of him available. The young mother called and pleaded with me to take him. My husband, son, and I drove an hour to pick him up. He jumped in our car and he's been with us ever since. He is well-mannered and has adjusted so well to our family that we've renamed him "Scamp the Champ"----and we call him Champ now. He is very smart, and the most affectionate little dog ever! He loves kids and other animals and he enjoys the run of the house!

Jone Couzins
Cincinnati, OH

Buddy

We adopted Buddy from the local shelter on December 11, 2008. He had been found at large and was recovering from an injury to his left front leg from a mishap with a moving car. Buddy is also blind in his left eye from an old injury. Initially, he was afraid of my husband and any man he encountered. He would cower and hide behind me. His tail was always between his legs. However, Buddy has come full circle and is the most loving, adorable dog. He and my husband have become "buddies" and he warms up to everyone. Several people have suggested we train him as a "therapy dog." Buddy is the best and we love him as he loves us - unconditionally. And, even though he has sight in only one eye, Buddy can spot a gray squirrel from 50 yards away without any difficulty!

Michael and Cynthia Ansani
New Kensington, PA

Nothing Better Than Rescuing A Dog or 4

Were Spunky, Blazer, Spirit & Stoney. 3 Pekingese and 1 Shih Tzu. We have our summer cuts so it's hard to tell who's who. :)

Our mom adopted all of us thru Pekes & Pals Canine Rescue in Ft. Myers, Florida. She found our pictures on petfinder.com and flew down to visit us at Peggy's house. We call Peggy our rescue angel and our mom is an angel too.

She loves us more than anything! We thank her every single day by giving her all the love she could ever need!

Please tell all your friends not to buy puppies in pet stores or online. ADOPT instead, save a life and help stop puppy mills.....

Sherry, Spunky, Blazer, Spirit & Stoney Bezanson
Londonderry, NH

Charlie the Wonder Dog

I've always been a cat person - oh, dogs are okay, just not my favorite four-legged friend. That is, until Charle came into our lives. We had promised our son a beagle Christmas 2007, but had to disappoint him due to some family issues. This past Thanksgiving, though, he wore down our resolve, and after many phone calls and searches through the classified ads, we found one. It was about an hour's drive from our house, but we made the journey. Charlie was in a pen, which was dirty, along with 3 other puppies, all females. It broke my heart to leave the other 3 puppies, but my son had his heart set on a male, so Charlie became part of our family. We stopped at a pet store on the way home to get him a leash, collar, shampoo, and food, and headed home. After a good bath and a good meal, he made himself at home, winning my heart with his puppy kisses and playful manner. He even won a Cutest Pet Photo Contest at my office, with the proceeds from the voting going to one of our local animal shelters. He's no longer a puppy - he'll be celebrating his first birthday August 5th, and he's more like a kid with 4 feet! The best thing about Charlie is, no matter how bad a day I've had, no matter how bad the traffic is, he's always there to meet me at the door, tail wagging, ready for a game of fetch the bone, and, if I'm lucky, a few of those puppy kisses!

Margaret French
Chesapeake, VA