Animal Rescue Stories

My rescued Furry SOCCER BALL!

My friend asked me if I would adopt Lucy. She proceeded to tell me Lucy had been kicked LIKE A SOCCER BALL SINCE SHE WAS A PUPPY by a FATHER AND SON team. I could not believe how people could be so cruel! I let her know that I could not see myself with two dogs so, I politely declined. A week later she called and asked if I would take Lucy to the Veterinarian for her shots. Well, Lucy never left my side. It has been a bit of a financial strain for me, but my lab Emmy after 7 years has had to learn to share my attention-it has not been easy!
A year later and Lucy will still PEE by SHEER TERROR if a male comes that she does not know. SHE HAS NOT FORGOTTEN. However, when she sees Emmy go up to that stranger, Lucy will slowly get closer and closer and after a while she will blatantly be her joyful, playful, self and compete with Emmy for the stranger's attention.
This happy little RASCAL brings so much joy to my life I feel like she rescued me not the other way around!

Lourdes Reynafarje
Panama City Beach, FL

Earthquake kitty

A few weeks ago we had an earthquake.. a few hours later I heard tiny meows coming from outside. After a while, I went out to find the kitten but it was in the neighbors yard and it was dark and late so I told myself if it was still meowing in the morning, I would rescue it. I figured its mother moved the litter after the earthquake but forgot her and maybe she would come back. She was still meowing early in the morning, so I grabbed the little thing who was no bigger than my hand and took her to work with me and bottle fed her all day.. she quickly got the hang of eating and began to show her amazingly rambunctious personality. I fostered Tremor (her temporary name:-) for 2 weeks until she was socialized (everyone at my work fell in love with her of course) and potty trained and I had total blast, she made me laugh every day just watching her jump around and sleep.

Since I already have 2 cats, I decided to find her a home. There is a couple in my apartment complex who recently lost their elderly cat who I just knew would be ready for a new family member and I was right! They took her on a week ago and are complete doting parents just like I knew they would be... the best part about it is I can visit whenever I want because I certainly miss her!

toddy walters
los angeles, CA

Out of the woods, into our home

Tigger was found by my husband's co-worker in the woods with a litter of her siblings. Even though I am allergic to cats, my husband looked at me with "those eyes" and asked if we could keep her. As soon as I saw the little 4-week old kitten, I couldn't say no. Tigger is now a healthy, happy, chubby kitty who loves playing with her canine sister Elmo and chasing shadows around the house. Tigger is a member of our family, and I can't imagine life without her!

Ashlea
Ottawa, Canada

Eliza Doolittle, an older, ex-shelter kitty

Hi, my name is raina and about 6 months ago, i adopted an older kitty from the Animal Care and Control, Brooklyn, NY, and named her eliza doolittle. when she first came to us, she was scared, smelly and scrawny. we bathed her and with regular food, water and treats, she looks a bit chunky now! :) she sleeps on my husband's head or chest at nite. she still cringes when we go to pet her, but i hope with time she will get more comfortable with us. who know's what her story is, but with no teeth, and a shaky head and a skittish peronality, her hopes of liviing for more than a week at the overwhelemed shelter were slim to nil

we love her, and treat her like a princess. she sits with us on the patio watching the wild birds flitter by. right now she's sleeping in one of her 4 beds, all cozy and comfy. we love her, and as long as she lives, i/we promised her a comfortable and warm forever home

warm regards,
raina
raina.szilagyi@gmail.com

raina szilagyi
oceanside, NY

Getting Dumplin'

Our two grandsons and daughter-in-law were staying with my husband and me. Our younger grandson, Ryan, had recently lost his cat (it had bolted from the garage when it heard a sudden loud crash), and he was feeling really blue. I asked my daughter-in-law if he and I might go visit the Humane Society to see if we could find a dog. A few weeks later, Ryan came to me and asked if we could go that day, so off we went. When we came to Dumplin's cage, (her name was Mitsy then) we couldn't see anything except a ball of fur, since Pekingeses have "no face", and hers was in her food bowl!

However, when she heard us talking, she came around to the front, sat up on her haunches, put her front paws together and waved them up and down as if to say, "Oh, p-l-e-a-s-e take me home with you and love me!" Well, we both fell in love with her then and there, and she has been an absolute delight ever since!! All my friends just love her, too, and they can hardly believe I got her from the Humane Society!!

Many thanks to all the Humane Society volunteers as well as those who rescue. These loving animals need you, and you come through for them.

Glenda Hopkins
Indianapolis, IN

The Biggest Little Dog on the Block

We knew it was time to adopt another dog when we lost our two "seniors" (both rescue dogs) within 6 months of each other, leaving us with just one young pup. We went to see what the Small Dog Rescue group had available when this little 12-lb. male Chihuahua mix caught my husband's eye. One wet little kiss and that's all it took.

The hardest thing about the adoption was deciding on his name; however, it didn't take long before we realized his big attitude needed a big name -- Samson (Sammy for short).

My husband has a home office so he gets to spend most of the day with our two dogs. That just reinforced the special relationship he and Sammy had from the beginning. For Sammy, I'm a distant second in priority, although he has a big heart with plenty of room for both of us.

This become evident recently when I had shoulder surgery and had to sleep in a recliner for several weeks. Sammy must have sensed that I felt isolated and alone because he started cuddling up with me under the comforter and kept me company all through the night. As soon as I started feeling better, Sammy headed back to the bedroom to sleep in our big bed.

Like many Chihuahuas, Sammy had a few behavioral issues, probably exacerbated by being homeless for a while. Just a few weeks of love and consistency tamed his errant behavior and he's the sweetest little dog on the block now. I think rescued dogs understand their good fortune and return in with lots of love (and doggie kisses).

Shari Willman
Roswell, GA

Grizzly Adams

I was a foster for Adopt a Rescue Pet when Grizzly came into my life. He was sick so he had to stay with me a few weeks until he was ready for adoption. He was adopted and I continued fostering,but never forgot my Grizzly. Almost a year later Grizzly had been picked up by the shelter again,his people never came to get him so I got the call. I couldn't let him go again. He is the sweetest most loving dog, his only problem is seperation anxiety, but we are learing to work with that. i can not imagine life without my Grizzly

Jo
Las vegas, NV

Little 'Pea

I was not looking for another dog and certainly not a special needs, abused Chihuahua but I took one look at her face and knew she belonged with me. The first few months were hard, she didn't love our Lhasa right away, trying to housetrain her was a constant struggle, she cowered in fear when approached, and her almost total blindness led to confusion and clumsiness in our big house. There were times I felt so bad for her I would sit down and cry and she would be all over my lap, licking my face, trying to comfort me, almost telling me it would get better. I just want to let everyone know that older, abused dogs deserve a second chance-it requires a bit of patience but they have so much love to give. The vet advised me not to try to take her on, said she was probably around nine years old, scared of people, starving from worms, covered in fleas and only had 10% vision-but let me tell you, my husband and I just adore this little lovebug and we're so glad to have her in our lives. She is sweet and affectionate with us-sticks to me like glue- and just loves going over to her "grandparents" to visit. Her and our Lhasa are now good buddies and have fun exploring the yard together and like to play tug a war with stuffed animals. It's not always easy or perfect, she still has accidents occasionally, needs often eye cleaning and drops and will probably always have fear and trust issues with new people. She's more than worth it though, she has such a happy life with us now and she makes our lives happier too. I love my little peanut.

Sarah
Wadsworth, OH

Cinderella to Princess

Maggie was a mess. The animal control officer offered an explanation: "Someone dropped her off outside the pound when she was about six months old. She was so scared, it took six months of coaxing to get her inside, and we don't have the staff or time to take care of the long-haired cats." Maggie had been at the pound three years. Her coat was filthy and matted.
It was two weeks before Christmas, and I had come to the pound determined to give a good home to one of the cats. I knew long-haired cats were less likely to be adopted; people thought their coats would be too much work. We already had a beautiful pure-bred Maine Coon with silky long hair, also a rescue. His coat was hardly any trouble, so I was sure we could handle another long-haired cat.
Cats roamed freely in the overcrowded cat room. Several ran up to me, but I looked around for a long-hair. There, in the corner, sat a ragged-looking longish-haired black cat. As our eyes met, she stood up and limped over on stiff legs. "She's too afraid to walk around much" the animal control office said. "She mostly just sits there in the corner."
My heart went out to Maggie. Filthy and shy, she was one-part Persian, which gave her face a weird pushed-in look and an exaggerated big chin. She had waited many Christmases for a loving home.
After several baths and brushings, we learned Maggie wasn't black; under all that dirt, she was a gorgeous dark-brown and pumpkin calico! Her coat has filled in beautifully, and because of her unique parentage, she hardly sheds. My "Jay-Leno baby" as I call her, is an adorable, loving teddy bear. All animals can be beautiful, if given a chance...

Sue T.
Morris County, NJ

Sweet Sienna

This is Sienna. One cold morning I pulled into my garage and heard a cat meowing only to find out she was under the hood of my van. I figured out the poor little thing had been under there for 2 hours while I drove around town doing errands and had started it up 4 times! The only injury she had was a little burn on her nose. My husband would not let me have her at first so she was taken to a shelter. After 3 weeks of begging he let me have her and she is the sweetest little girl and guess what, Daddy is in love with her!

Janice Wolfe
Ottawa, IL