Animal Rescue Stories

Joey

Joey was just a little brown mutt when he wandered up to our house one hot summer day in early August. The year was 2003 and Joey was about 3 or 4 weeks old. He was the sweetest little dog and he had a lot of fleas, but we just couldn't let him stay out there in the heat. So we brought him inside and let him sleep in the old laundry basket. We put him back outside after a few hours but all he did was whine and whine, so we decided to keep him after finding out that he was a stray. We gave him a bath to get rid of the fleas and he adjusted quickly to our family and our cat, Jazzy. They didn't exactly get along and they wrestled with each other, but they were careful never to hurt each other. Today Joey is five years old and still a bundle of energy. He loves running around the back yard and laying around inside on hot and cold days. I can truly say that he is my best friend and that will never change.

Kellie R
Theodore, AL

The perfect fit

We adopted this super sweet boy, Apollo, from an ad on PetFinder. We had just lost our Lab Mix to cancer, which left her aged companion, Keito, with no dog to follow. I was desperate for a mellow companion who would keep Kieto going, but not overwhelm. I searched the local shelters and rescue groups with no luck. Then my neice, living many states away, found the ad for Apollo on PetFinder. He was with a family about 6 hours away, so we each drove 3 hours. He was the perfect fit! Kieto has since passed away and Apollo now has 2 rescued sisters who idolize him and his love saves me every single day. Loving, well mannered, just the right size (large), and loves to chase squeaky toys! Thank you to Laura and Jared who gave him up so he could be happier with room to run!

Terri
Hereford, AZ

My LO Bunny!

I decided I wanted a big dog and looked to the local animal shelters to find one. I went to about 5 different shelters but could not find the right dog for me. Then I visited my last shelter, Fuzzy Friends Animal Rescue to look at a dog I found online. Little did I know that LO would be right there waiting for me in the pin next to the dog I had originally gone to look at. As I walked to the pin there he was standing in the corner of his pin with his paw out for me to take and that what it. I was fell completely in love with this floppy Great Pyrenees mix named LO. He now enjoys running through the garden, playing in the sandbox, and spending every afternoon relaxing and swimming in the pool. I love him so much and cannot imagine my life without him. Adopting him was the best decision I have ever made.

Colony
Dallas, TX

Throwaway Dog

I found this little dog thrown away under some bushes. I took him home to join my other two dogs. At 5 months old he was a little terror but has become part of our family and I can't imagine life without him.

His name's Peewee (Peter) and he owns his keep by fetching the newspaper!

Judy H.
Moorpark, CA

Pepper Braveheart

I had been volunteering at Adopt-a-Cat in Anchorage, Alaska. I would pick up several loads of laundry, wash them several times because there was an outbreak of ringworm -- and then lug them all back to the shelter.

One day, I asked my husband (Bob) to help me take the laundry back. I was folding and stacking when Bob said, "Look at this." I turned around and there was a tiny kitty curled up in his arms, tucked up under his chin. Sound asleep. Purring her brains out. I smiled and he said, she had leapt from one of the shelves and gone to sleep. He cuddled her for a long time (while I folded and stacked the laundry, of course).

The next time I needed to take laundry to the shelter, Bob VOLUNTEERED to help me. Pepper came running towards him as soon as we got there. Another volunteer explained that Pepper has the worst heart murmur they've ever heard. It's a 6 on a scale of 1-6. No medication will help. And until kitty heart transplants are available, there are no treatment options.

While I'm away on business, I call the shelter to find out how Pepper is doing and offer to foster her. I casually drop that into the conversation with Bob that night. Long story, short .... By the time I returned home from business, Pepper was adopted and living at our house.

Pepper is happy and healthy. Her heart has never given her a problem. Our vet said, just take her home and love her. She may not have a long life, but she will have a good life with us. I can't begin to tell you how much joy she has brought into our lives.

Lisa
Anchorage, AK

Rescuing Siamese

I have been a rescue volunteer foster mama for Siamese Rescue for 6 years now. I have been touched many cats but none like Saviero.He is here with me now, with his twin brother, Carlo, who is also an angel. I have fallen so deeply for him, and I thought by now I was immune. We would have kept these two gentle boys, but my 'heart cat' Bella does not want to share her mama. So to honor my Bella, I must let these two go.

I am so grateful that they were removed from a cat hoarder situation and spent three months with me, learning all the joys of being a cat. I am also fortunate to have loving adopters waiting for their arrival, tomorrow. Thank you to Siamese Rescue for enriching my life by letting me foster these deserving animals, even if it does break my heart. It is better that I shed a few tears than cats die in shelters for my lack of fortitude.

Please consider fostering.

With tears,

Mama Rosa

Rose Rottmayer
Orlando, FL

My special girl, Mysty

We adopted our first cat shortly after we were married and I knew after having Gypsy for a few months that she really needed a playmate. So about 6-7 months later we went to the shelter to find our new addition. Mysty was the rambunctious one, climbing my shirt, crawling on my shoulder, she couldn't be still. The one my husband was holding fell asleep in his hands. Mysty was just too cute for me to pass on, so she's the one we brought home. Ever since, she has been a constant companion and my buddy. Whether you are young or old, she never meets a stranger. Mysty will do her best to get your attention. She is also quite a character, she loves to talk, she also tends to rule the house, so she is the "queen" especially when it comes to ruling over my 2 Maine Coon mixes. At 13 years of age, she is still very active and healthy. I love all my "furry" kids and hope they are around for many more years to come.
I just wish all the strays, homeless animals in the country were as fortunate to find a home. Please, if you are wanting a pet, visit your local animal shelter first. There are so many loving, wonderful pets just waiting for a home, especially older animals, and their time is running out.

Jeane
Sanford, NC

Gus saved Me

Last Labor Day my 11 year old husky mix Trixie died. She was the love of my life. 3 weeks to the day later, my 8 year old special lab Presley died of heartbreak. The very next morning I had to go on a busines trip, and broke my foot the first hour after got there! I was home bound for 6 weeks, and the silence was deafening. I went on petfinder, and cried at all the stories- I wanted to rescue them all. But when I saw Gus, his big feet, silly smile and one ear that permanently stayed up, I knew he was the one for me. A Dog's Life Rescue in Los Angeles who had found him (wandering in a park, dumped by his owners) brought him to me since I was in a cast and couldn't drive!!! I am madly in love with him; he makes me laugh no matter what happens. He saved me much more than I him.

Geri Gordon Miller
Los Angeles, CA

G and the Mill

My 8 lb shih poo Taz and I had been searching petfinder for a new companion when we saw the picture of Gizmo and fell in love.

On an unusually sunny November day Taz and I drove the four hours to pick Gizmo up after months of communication with his "rescue group". We arrived to find a drastically underweight and very sick little chocolate ball of fear.

Gizmo was a puppy mill stud dog. His skin was raw, red, infected with patches of hair missing. His eyes and nose were running with thick mucus and his sneezing was violent. The place was filty and smelled badly of feces and dirt.

Normally my little Princess Taz is an adventurer, but today she begged to be picked up and cuddled. I found six fleas crawling across her belly.

The "foster mom" grabbed Gizmo by the neck and dragged him out of the crate dropping him on the floor where he ran into an open crate.

She said $300 - cash only.

I numbly handed her the money and called Gizmo: "come on baby. It's time to go home." His teary face emerged from the crate and he slunk over to sit at my feet.

It rained on the drive home and I cried.

Gizmo now weights a whopping 9.5 lbs and is madly in love with his Princess Taz. Gizmo can't bark due to an untreated throat infection and has life long health problems, but he has shown how to love even after years of pain.

Gizmo inspired his new family to help rescue dogs by becoming a foster family, so he spends his days helping other rescue dogs learn what it is to be a dog again. Gizmo is a member of the Pomeranian and Small Breed Rescue in Ontario.

Amy Bremner
Stevensville, Canada

Easy

Hi, I'm Donna and my husband is Tom. We got a call from a very good friend (who loves dogs too) telling us that she keeps hearing a dog cry down the street. Her name is Sharon. Sharon had cancer and was unable to get down the street to see what was going on. We jumped into the car and found what she was hearing. Here was a American Bulldog/Pit Bull/ Boxer puppy tied with a slip knot nylon rope to a gas meter. It had to have been 104 degres. All sun and not a drop of water.
The women came out of her house because she saw our car. My husband was taking the rope off and lifting him into his arms. I told her my phone number and just dared her to call the police after the way she treated the pup. It took everything I had not to spit in her face!
I'm sure that she saved his life! She fell in love at first sight. She knew that we would take him in and love him forever. I don't know what my life would be like without him now. Sharon died Dec. 27th 2007 and left us 5,000 to help us out with now 5 dogs. He and the others want for nothing. All of our kids were rescued and the world is a better place for it.

Donna Poore
Hanford, CA