Animal Rescue Stories

For love of a Beagle

Bingo is our third rescue dog. Our first two were Beagle mixes. They finally had to be put down and after the trauma of losing them I resolved to not go through that again.
Of course, sometime circumstances intervene. My husband was going through some medical issues and we decided to visit our local shelter for a companion for him. We have always had a place in our hearts for Beagles. There he was, looking up with those big brown eyes. You could feel the strings of your heart being tugged. Bingo has now been with us for a month, and I cannot imagine life without this special little fella.
He quickly learned his name and has shown his talent for begging for treats. His antics brighten our lives. He is giving my husband a reason to look beyond his problems and revel in the enthusiasm for life that this little dog has. We are so lucky Bingo waited for us. We now have a beautiful little Beagle as the newest member of our family.

Rita Chiavacci
Jacksonvile, NC

My Star

This is my beautiful Star. She was at the Houston city shelter on a day I was volunteering for an adoption event. She was spotted by a friend. It was her last day at the shelter. She was to be pts later in the day. Needless to say, she did leave the shelter that day. She has managed to survive the shelter, heartworms, cancer surgery and chemo. She is a wonderful companion and I am thankful to have her.

Kathy Alexander
Tomball, TX

Indie the Storm-Drain Kitten

Driving home one evening, I spotted a tiny kitten in the street licking a used ketchup packet before it scurried back into the brush. I returned with my wife and daughter to pursue the kitten. We chased the kitten and lost site of it but could hear it crying after an hour or two. To our horror, we concluded that it had run down in to a storm drain. We pried open the grate and my daughter climbed down into the dark, bug infested hole. She could hear the kitten crying but could only see two eyes glowing about 80 yards into the pitch black tunnel. With the help of the real-life heroes of the Temple Terrace Fire Dept., we finally were able to extract the kitten. He was frail, visibly shaken and starving. Two weeks later and Indie (short for Indiana Jones) has been adopted and is living the good life in a happy home in Tampa. He is playful and super-affectionate. We still keep in contact with his new owners and it feels great to know that there are others willing to help animals in need and to provide them loving homes. Thanks TTFD, Lisa, and family!

Jeff
Temple Terrace, FL

My Pet Saved Me

Just over a year ago I some how managed to gather my strength and end a physically and psychologically abusive relationship. When I moved out I was left with almost no money in my pocket and was forced to returned home to live with my parents. For months I was lost in a deep depression, it felt like something was missing in my life. A friend. A confidante. Someone I could tell everything to who wouldn't judge or offer unsolicited advice.

For months I looked for the perfect dog, my only requirement being 'not a black lab'. I have had labs before and thought I wanted something different. I was wrong. My mom handed me a newspaper clipping, someone had a litter of lab/boxer/blue heeler mutts and was giving them away for free. I called the next day. They had three left, but by the time I got there they only had one.

I stood outside the small make-shift kennel petting the mom's head when a tiny little black head poked out of the dog box. The little pup walked about half way to me, sat down, and cocked her head to the side as if to say, "hmm, you might have potential". Then she ran right to me and was instantly at home in my arms.

I've had Onyx for a year now and she is the best friend I've ever had. There is no level of depression her little puppy face can't cure. Not a moment goes by that I don't thank God for introducing her into my life. Slowly, she is teaching me how to find joy in the little things again. We are now a package deal; Love me, love my dog! She truly rescued this human.

Samantha
Mercer, PA

Janie and her kittens

While feeding our two feral cats, an adorable and hungry young Calico came into our yard looking for food. She was so affectionate and cuddly, it was clear she was not feral. But no one claimed her, and six weeks later she had two beautiful kittens. We fell in love and had to keep them. Janie, Coco and Charlie, are a constant source of joy and entertaining shenanigans!

Georgia Page
North Plainfield, NJ

Sissy's Story

Driving home from dinner out on a Saturday night, I rounded a corner and this small dog limped into the middle of the road and sat down. I stopped my jeep, jumped out and scooped her up. She was invested with fleas, had burrs in her paws and was bloated from lack of decent food. I bathed, fed and loved her back to health. The vet estimates she is about 12 years old with weak back legs, nerve damage probably from abuse. She winces when touched unexpectedly and has yet to bark. For the first time in her life she has a bed, collar, consistent food, a house, walks and unconditional love. I named her Sissy because the name just seemed to fit. A neighbor visited and said, dogs pick their owners. Sissy picked well, she lights up my life every day.

Elizabeth Lyn Wills
Ford City, PA

The Stumbling Hemingway "Hawk"

Back in February of this year my sister told me about one of her neighbors who was trying to find homes for some kittens. The kitten's father and mother had been abandoned by another woman in the area and the neighbors took them in. The father was a gray tabby Hemingway cat and the mother was a very pretty long-haired tabby and when the kittens were born they almost all had extra toes. Well, I went with my sister to look at the kittens and picked a lovely tan kitten for myself, but when I went back to get the kitten I found out that it had already been promised to someone else. However, they had saved me a kitten with an extra toe on each foot, he was a true Hemingway.
I brought this very quiet, sleepy kitten home and named him "Hawk" because he had a habit of balancing on my outstretched arm and sitting on my shoulder. He grew a little slow and I soon found out he had problems with his nervous system and couldn't control his hind legs properly, but that doesn't stop him from chasing my other cats around the house. He is now almost 5 months and a little monster. He will always have trouble jumping and running, but he can now climb up and down the stairs and onto the couch so I'm sure he'll be fine. And with sweet little eyes like he has he will always get himself out of trouble....with me at least.

Tische Wallace
Hattiesburg, MS

A Wonderful Little Gremlin

It was in May of 2004 that I found my Gremlin. I was graduating from a local college and had gone to visit a friend when he informed me that a stray cat had had her kittens under his house a few weeks ago. We looked out the back and 8 or 10 kittens were playing in the yard. Well I tried to catch some of the kittens.....and I only got one. She was a cute little thing, probably the runt and there seemed to be something wrong with her eyes, so I took her to the Vet. I was then told that she was perfectly healthy(no worms or ticks or even fleas) except for some ulcers where her eyes should be...that's right she was born without eyes. So I took her home and put her in a box in a room by herself to keep her away from my other two cats, I was hoping to find her a nice home with another friend and I didn't want them hurting her. I soon left the house to go to work and when I came home she was outside the box(btw this box was a large TV box)so I put her back, taped the flaps upright and left to go to school and take my finals. When I got back she was nowhere to be found! As I was frantically looking around the house my cats came wandering out of the kitchen and following right behind them was Gremlin. She got out of the box, under the door, up the steps and was eating with my big cats. After that I just had to keep her. She's now 5 and loves to sit in high places and stare at people. I love her and would never trade her for anything.

Tische Wallace
Hattiesburg, MS

Healed a broken heart

After losing a beloved cat to kidney failure, I swore never again. I walked into Petsmart and in the back they have cats from the humane society there for adoption. There was this beautiful, big black kitty named Jonny. As I walked up to the glass he stretched out his claws, rubbed against the glass and turned over onto his back. I immediately teared up because that was a famous trait our big kitty Tibby used to do. I had to leave, but could not get him off my mind or out of my heart. I went back 5 or 6 times throughout the next 2 weeks, hoping he had gotten a home. But sure enough, there he was. I even prayed about it and asked that he get a home. Well, he got a home, with me. It is like God put him there to help heal my broken heart from losing our kitty.

Colleen Ingalls
Carlsbad, CA

Border Collie Mixes It Up

My sister saw Zeus on Pet Parade, the program presented by our local SPCA on the community cable channel. She called me at work and said. "They have one of those collie dogs you like at the SPCA, let's go check it out." I had just moved into my new house and wasn't ready to adopt yet but once I saw him that was it. Six years and too many car rides, walks and lost frisbees to count, I can't imagine my life without Zeus. He gets me off the couch and makes me smile with his toothy grin!

Karen Cameron
Prince George, Canada