Animal Rescue Stories

New Life

My wife and I moved to Florida in 1990 with our dog Susie. We lost Susie in 1993 as she got so old both her hips gave out. In 1992 a little puppy came to our gate. We took it around the neighborhood, but no-one knew where this puppy belonged. That was our Maggie which we had until 2009. Maggie was two months short of 17 human years when she left us. We mourned her loss, yet rejoiced over the love she blessed us with.

After about 6 weeks we decided to get another dog because there was a void. On the internet we found her. A two hour drive north and two weeks of waiting due to treatment for mange, we got our dog that was rescued from a puppy mill. My wife named her Zoe.

Upon Zoe's arrival at our home we decided to let her run free in the yard since it is all fenced in. We were told that she had been in a pen with about twenty other dogs. Zoe is a minature Austrailian Shepherd and is very fast. She would not come back into the house and neither of us could get close enough to catch her. That night was very cold and one of us was outside with her all night until my wife finally got her to come inside at 6 a.m. the next morning.

Zoe has adapted well and really adds such new life. She is smaller than our other dogs and is the only one that was allowed to get up on the furniture and our bed. When we try to make the bed she has fun sliding on the comforter. She is loved and spoiled too.

Zoe is almost a year old now and definately part of our family.

Gary & Terri Hart
Zephyrhills, FL

Ginny

Ginny and her two siblings were rescued from a kill shelter, and transported 250 miles by a Richmond based humane society. My wife picked her up and that was that! She is the sunshine of our family, and is a hit with the nursing home patients that she visits regularily.

Ben Atkinson
Richmond, VA

Meet Marlee!

Marlee had been abandoned and living on the streets, and had become a mama at only about 8 months of age. Someone called an angel named Melissa who took Marlee and her kittens in. Sadly the kittens didn't survive. Melissa worked with a rescue group who posted Marlee on Petfinder. We corresponded back and forth with Melissa, and we all decided that Marlee would be a great fit for our home. It's been a little over 6 months and Marlee has been a wonderful addition to our family! She's healthy and happy, (and spayed and microchipped!) and we're so pleased to share our home with our cross-eyed little purr-monster!

Judy
Lawrence, KS

Monarch the 3 Legged Greyhound

I had been volunteering at Greyhound Adoption of Ohio for about a year when this beautiful brindle girl with 3 legs arrived. She was 7 years old (now 8) with a little gray on the muzzle but the spirit of a puppy. Upon investigation as to why she only had 3 legs there were a few stories. One was that she got her leg caught in a fence on a farm and another was that it happened while she was racing. The racing injury is much more likely because she was doing well and moving up with her racing. It seems that after her leg was amputated (in a horrible make shift way) they decided to breed her. She had 2 litters of puppies, one of 10 and one of 5. Needless to say she had a rough life, that is until she came to our home. Now she sleeps on the couch almost the entire day with a few breaks to romp around in the back yard with her younger sister (an Italian Greyhound that is 1) She is extremely cuddly and loves to give kisses. She is a wonderful addition to our family and I wouldn't change it for the world. Everyone should remember that when they are looking for a new addition they came in all shapes, sizes, ages, and maybe missing a limb ;-)

Sydney McFarland
Parma Heights, OH

Cinnaspice

I have had "Cinna" (as I call her) since Jan. 2009. She was very emaciated about 400lbs underweight, it was so sad and pitful. She would follow me around like a lost puppy. When I wasn't around she would niegh for me. She went down one day in Feb and was colicing. She was so weak, we thought we never going to get her up. After about 5 hours I started crying, rubbing her head and I told her she had to fight to live. It took 9 hours, a tractor and help from a bunch of great people from different rescues. We got her up at 2am but, I didn't get a wink of sleep worrying about her all night.
Today, she is happy and looking good. She has companions to live with and gets along great. This has been an experience for me that I will never forget. I have always loved animals and wanted to take everyone that I can. I was only fostering Cinna for a rescue when this happend but, I have since adopted after all this. She will have a home forever here with me.

Crista
Shepherdsville, KY

Lil' Momma

Momma came to live with us because my boss told me about Faithful Friends in DE. I had recently had to put my grey tabby, Tabasco to sleep and was missing having a furry baby. I started searching the pictures they have on the site and kept coming back to this green eyed beauty. Her favorite pose now is to lie on her back to have her tummy rubbed. I will always and forever adopt from shelters or pick up strays! The love and affection we get from Momma and our other kitty, Kalico is immeasurable!

Joan
Pottstown, PA

dorothy my one-legged chicken

Dorothy was one of the first chickens we ever got. She was born with both legs and then she somehow lost one we think to a rat. She continued to eat and grow and hop around. One day my husband and I were watching our chickens and the other hens were digging the rest of her leg out. We thought we were going to lose her then but she survived. One of her talons has adjusted so she can balance, she hops wherever she needs to go, but wears out every evening so we carry her to the coop for the night. She's a wonderful pet and one tough chicken.

becca
louisburg, NC

Punkin's Story

My husband and I are dog lovers who have had several rescued dogs that grew to their golden years and sadly crossed that "rainbow bridge". After losing my yorkie and shih tzu to old age 2 years ago, I was ready for another little lap dog. I went to our local animal control a week before Christmas and saw a 4 lb stray chihuahua that I named Punkin. He was very timid, scared, underweight, and displayed some fear aggression, particularly at feeding time...yet he kept running over to me and looking at me with those big brown eyes in the meet and greet room. How could I resist? I knew he would be a challenge, it was clear that he had been on the streets for a long time and had never been properly socialized. When I brought him home, he was very fearful of EVERYTHING...he wanted nothing to do with toys, bones, people, or our other 2 dogs. 6 months have since passed. He's now a "momma's boy", a happy and playful dog (his favorite toys are pictured), and a 6 lb "chunky monkey" too! He had never been held before and now he wants to be held ALL the time, and gives lots of kisses!!! He didn't know how to wear a collar or walk on a leash, and now he jumps for joy when it's time for our daily walk. He has brought immeasureable joy to our lives. He's still scared of strangers and unfamiliar dogs, but he's made a new best friend here, our adopted Boston Terrier, Cheetoh. He's come a long way - and he's becoming the dog I always knew he could be.

Holly Estrada
Phoenix, AZ

Happy to Be Stuck with You!

Fiona was rescued from a home where she was ignored & left outside in all kinds of weather. In Alberta that can mean a bitter -20 in the winter. Little Fiona has settled in with me & my resident house cats. She doesn't bark constantly like she used to & loves to be anywhere people are. Although I only meant to foster her until I could find her a new home, I have fallen for her & her puppy-ish antics. She is now a permanent part of my animal family & cuddles up with me inside where it is warm! Although I am part of a cat rescue group, I have opened my heart to a little dog.

Bonnie C
Lacombe, Canada

Lucy

Lucy was rescued in December of 08, she was running with a pack of dogs, she had a large laceration on her side. She has made a full recovery she has made a great addition to our family, she loves going on walks, laying in her chair, and of course getting her belly rubbed.

Laura Scribner
Maricopa, AZ