Animal Rescue Stories

Best Dog Ever

Digger waited on Pet Finder the two months it took me to convince my husband that he was the dog for our family. My husband's family at one time raised pure bred Labs and he wanted nothing but a Lab puppy from a breeder. Digger is a mix and was six months old when he finally came home. He had been abused and it took a year of trust building for him to begin behaving like a dog. Five years later, my husband says that Digger is the best dog he has every had. Along with our 12 year old son, they go on long walks together and "Digger-ventures." We can't imagine life without him.

Christine Wilke
Greenfield, WI

Alfie

Almost three months ago right after losing our much loved Vizsla, Mica, my Hubby was checking Rescue Sites, we're dog people & planned to bring another dog into our family. He had come across Brittanys & after reading about them, he shut our PC down & suggested we take Mica's food to the shelter. Well of course we walked around to see the dogs; in the first kennel was a young Brittany/Beagle mix. This tail wagging dog had been left tied to the shelter fence back in February looking very thin & so now in April he was ready for adoption.His volunteer walker had just brought him back & said he was the sweetest dog. His eyes talk & when he was taken out of the kennel to meet us he bounded to me.Surely it was meant to be that Alfie would come home with us. In order to fill out the forms & answer many questions, we let Alfie go back in the kennel, you never saw such sad eyes we couldn't have left him. My new walking buddy is playful, mischievous & smart, we're all so happy to be together.

Arline & John
Vineland, Canada

Boomer

We found Boomer at the Herkimer Humane Society. He looked so sad and lonely. I knew he was the one; I immediately fell in love with him. Since he has been in his forever home, he has brought so much joy to our lives. He is so well behaved, it's hard to believe someone had to give him up. What can I say? We are so fortunate that Boomer found us.

Laura Potvin
Coeymans Hollow, NY

A Smart Jumper

My son took his girlfriend's two daughters out to eat while their mother was at work. It was raining hard and, when he returned to the car and opened the door, a malnourished kitten/cat (not full grown - LOL) came rushing out from under the car, made a full u-turn, and jumped right into the front seat.

Because my son already has three cats, he made a decision. He and the girls arrived at my house with Smokey (the girls had already named him), a bag of cat food, and a bag of litter.

I feel it was obvious that someone had "dumped" Smokey (and possibly his siblings). He needed no training for the litter box.

After no response to two "found" ads, I now have the best companion. He made a smart jump from a restaurant parking lot right into my heart!

Mary Price
Youngstown, OH

Charlie

After having to put down our 14 year old Llasa Opso, Sonny, my husband and I were heart broken. One evening we were taking a ride by the beach--something we do often. My husband noticed a young couple walking several dogs looking very much like our Sonny. We pulled over to admire the beautiful little dogs and chatted with the couple. Alexandra told us that she worked with rescue dogs--mainly Llasa's and Shi-tsu's. She told us that if we ever thought about getting another pet, we should consider a rescue dog. We kept in touch, and one day I received an email. A Shi-tsu was found roaming the streets of Philadelphia----very dirty, very scared. Were we interested? We said no, and yet we could not stop thinking about this little guy. My husband was visiting our oldest son, who lives in Philadelphia-----he decided to pay a visit to the dogs foster home. He called me and just said, "He's a keeper." Charlie has been with us ever since, and we adore him! He is well-behaved, lovable, friendly, and a true member of the family. I often praise the wonderful work that the rescue teams do, and continue to encourage anyone to consider adopting a rescue animal. We are so thankful for Charlie--and he shows his appreciation every day ! Thank you Alex!!

Sincerely,
Maria Battaglia

Maria Battaglia
Ocean Township, NJ

Mexican Baby

I searched high and low for a rescue dog on every site I could find and while there were some that I came across that drew me to them none had the pull that little Esperanza did! I was at a point in my life that I had to make that dreaded decision that most dog owners have to face when my old dog of 14 years could no longer eat so we had to take her to the vet and set her free. After that day, little Esperanza's image just kept surfacing and I found myself on the site everyday just staring at her picture. I had heard about dog's from Mexico and how they are treated and then I came across a website that had a trailer on it from a documentary called "Companions to none". I was horrified at what I saw but that made my decision, I was going to adopt Esperanza!!

I filled out the application and was soon approved and I was on my way to Calgary on June 6th! We arrived about 2:30pm. We were to pick her up by 9:35pm Saturday night. When the dogs were unloaded and the crates were brought into the airport I was searching the crates trying to find her. I saw big crates and small crates and medium sized crates but none held my little angel then my husband spotted a duffle bag dog carrier that was quite small and then he saw it move! "I think that's her" he said. A lady opened the bag and I knew instantly it was her. She was so beautiful! She was everything and more than I expected I was beside myself with excitement!

So, I just wanted to thank everyone at Pawsitive Match for bringing her into my life.

Tracy Edwards
Armstrong, Canada

Miss SHILOH ...

After loosing the love of my life Patch at the age of 15 to heart disease I was at a loss with my life.
Then one day i was out the front of my house and saw a stray trying to cross the road, as she made her way a speeding van hit her and she rolled under, the van kept going and didnt stop and i was left with nursing this injured dog, after rushing her to the vet and her hospital stay i dedcided to adopt her and try and make her life worth living again.
Shes now a real handfull with lots of energy chasing birds in the garden and getting her daily tummy rubs.
She now has a family and we love her!

Susanne
Sydney, Australia

My little Bella

Bella came into my life when we both needed each other. I had just lost a loving cousin and was going through the mourning process and she had been abandoned. I can't imagine doing that to another living being but I give thanks that she came into my world through their decision or rather lack of.... Anyway, my roommate's brother was working at a car dealership when this guy came in with her stating that he had been walking down the road and heard a dog whelping and barking. He went to the back yard and there was my Bella chained to a post with a bowl that had no water and no food to be seen. He stated that the house had been vacated because there was a sign on the door. So, who knows how long she had been there, even for a few moments is too much!!! Well, Ricky being the dog lover takes her and brings her over to the house that night. From that moment on it was love at first sight.
The second year I had Bella she became pregnant with Ricky's Min/Pin Miko and had 5 babies. I kept one little girl and named her Mia. They both were with me when we made the long trek from Texas to Tennessee and that is where my Bella is now at rest. I have since made the trek back home to Texas but my heart is still back in Tennessee along with Bella. It was ironic because Ricky was there to help me bury her 10 years later. It's funny how life sometimes goes full circle. I am so grateful that I had those years to spend with her. She lives on through Mia and in Mia's son Miko, named after his grandpa!

Mimi
Amarillo, TX

Scrappy

Scrappy is a pitmatian. Pitbull/Dalmatian mix.
Scrappy was dumped off at the local park here in town last December. My husband and I decided to get outside and get some fresh air. We went down to the park to look at the lake level. We had been flooded since March. On the way back home, my husband decided to leave the park by a route we almost never take. As we were leaving, he slammed on the brakes. I asked him, "What's wrong?". He said he thought he saw a puppy. I told him to back up and he was right. There next to some old cement steps sat this little bitty 5 week old puppy. I got out and went over to it and it ran into my arms. We bought the puppy home and thawed her out. She is now 8 months old and rules the roost here. She adores people and has never met a stranger. She adores children. Whoever dumped her is missing out on the most loving, gentle puppy ever. She has a home with us until she passes. May that be a very long time.

Jennifer
Lead Hill, AR

Gus

We got to know Gus when I was dogsitting for his foster mom. He had been found roaming the countryside with another dog before being taken to a shelter, where his foster mom found him plastered against his kennel, begging for attention.
When it came time for my fiancee and I to move out on our own, we knew we wanted a dog to share our love with, but we didn't have the time or money for a puppy. We looked at rescue sites and shelters, but didn't like that we couldn't spend much time getting to know the dog before we brought it home. That's when we started thinking about Gus. He always stood out in the pack because he wanted attention above anything else. He had no manners and no inhibitions, but was very dedicated to getting love. He was perfect, and he has been every since.

Tiffany
Wilsonville, OR