Animal Rescue Stories

Create Positive Energy...Volunteer

My name is Tiffany and I volunteer at my local Arlington Animal Shelter. My shelter volunteering goes back to 2000 and was Grand Prairie till about 2 years ago. This is just a basic request for donating your time to volunteering. The main concern I hear when discussing volunteering at my shelter is.."it's way too sad..". I agree there is a lot of sadness, if not, there wouldn't be such a need for people to help and care for animals. For me, being a big sensitive person, I've had to overcome many days of sadness but I've also NEVER been up to the shelter and not had my energy replenished by the love from animals I deal with. I pray that if you want to volunteer but think about the sadness, that you'll go one day and see if there isn't more happiness and genuine love than sadness. Shelter appreciate the volunteer that can only come once a month for 20 minutes as much as the volunteer who is there every week. I firmly believe in giving energy (love) will come back to you when most needed. So please consider volunteering with animals in some capacity, I promise you the feeling it creates in your soul is almost un-matchable!

Tiffany Landreth
Arlington, TX

Mojo

I found Mojo abandoned at my small neighborhood park as a puppy. He was tiny, scared, and smelled awful. I planned to find a home for him since I already had a dog. Within two weeks, my older dog, Apache, passed away. I was worried about taking on the responsibility of a puppy and I was grieving my loss. Then one night, I got home from work, and Mojo came flying across the room, sliding along the floor to greet me. He was so delighted to see me! He captured my heart all over again!

That was four years ago. Since then, I met and married my husband and our family time together is wonderful. We love Mojo very much.

Tara O'Neill
Charlotte, NC

Jacks love for life

Jack surrendered himself to local police. He just could not take being out in the cold any longer. When Jack was brought into a shelter, he weighed in at only 6lbs. He was a walking skeleton. He was dirty, cold and very hungry. Once in a foster home, Jack was found to be hyper thyroid and in sever need of dental work. Jacks teeth and jaw bones were so decayed and infected it was a miracle he survived at all. He had to have almost all of his teeth and part of his jaw removed.. He has been treated with radioactive iodine for his hyper thyroid. It has also come to light that Jack has a bb in his back, close to his spine. Due to his age, surgery is not an option.Since coming to his foster home on Christmas Eve, Jack has gained all of his weight back and more. He is playful, loveable and spoiled. If he had not walked into that police station in December, he would not be the happy, thriving cat he is today. We are grateful for the police officer that heard Jacks cries for help and the shelter that had the room to take him in. We are also grateful for Jacks will to survive. He truley is the king of our jungle!

Michelle
Leominster, MA

My Best Friend

Skeeter, my adorable brat you see here, was once a stray. How someone could ever let him out of their sight I will never comprehend. But lucky for me, someone did. I had been searching for weeks to find a new pal - who had to be less than 20 pounds because of the apartment I lived in. I looked and looked. The closest thing I found was a weenie dog, and I thought it wouldn't be fair to adopt her because she had stubby little legs and I lived upstairs. After more looking, I was convinced I wasn't going to find anything, so I went back for that little stubby-legged dog. When I went back to get her, she attacked the other dog in her pen. I had a cat so I knew that just wasn't going to work out. Heartbroken, I turned to leave. A shelter volunteer was taking another dog out, so all the dogs were barking as I walked out. All but one. He caught my eye, sitting there, his head cocked to the side, just looking at me. I said "don't give me that look, I know a cutie like you is already adopted." I went to show him his adoption paperwork, only to realize that he was available! I took him to the play yard, and when I picked him up, he nuzzled into my neck and went to sleep. Needless to say, I found my best friend that day. Now he's been with me for almost 4 years, and is now so spoiled that he's convinced he is my child, my own flesh and blood. And I'm OK with that.

Michelle
Bakersfield, CA

Mirko

On my way to work one morning, my boss called and said that our warehouse manager had found a kitten outside near one of our trucks. They had put him in a box on the deck of the office. When I got to work a few minutes later, this tiny kitten had gotten out of the box and was sitting on the deck looking terrified. I scooped him up, took him inside, and fed him. He was hungry, flea infested, and had a some scrapes on his face. To this day I don't know how he got there. I work near a busy intersection and never saw any other kittens nearby. I took him home that night. I managed to offer him to one cat lover I know (secretly praying she couldn't take him), and when she turned me down, I knew he was mine. He has truly enriched my life for the past two years and I look forward to coming home to him everyday.

Beth
Chesapeake, VA

Harriet

We got Harriet from the Denver Dumb Friends League when she was 12 weeks old. She was "used" - a family had returned her because of allergies. She's now 11 years old. She's put up with and learned to love two dogs along the way as well as several guest cats. She recently faced off with the neighborhood foxes and came out on top. She's fearless and funny and the boss of our house.

Carolyne Janssen
Denver, CO

Pumpkin, Our Sweetheart

About 2 years ago, Pumpkin was found wandering the streets of Baton Rouge, attempting to eat garbage. She had a large growth on her chest, a growth on her eye, incredibly long toenails, and hideously rotten, putrid, black, mushy, scary looking teeth. Some kind people took her in and tried unsucessfully to locate her owners for a period of several weeks before finally deciding to drop her off at the pound. On that very day, we just happened to see her, inquired about her, and learned she was literally on her way to incarceration and perhaps death. We had always considered ourselves "cat people", but for some reason we felt compelled to instantly adopt her and we have never, ever made a happier decision. A marvelous veterinarian solved her health problems and we found ourselves with an amazing, incredible dog. He estimated she was approximately 10 years old at that time. She is the absolute love of our lives. Pumpkin is a sweet, mellow, little lady who is ultra loving, gentle, funny, and incredibly grateful. She radiates intense and constant love and happiness, and she fills our home and lives with extreme joy. Everybody loves her, including our three big, sweet, darling cats. We love her so much, it is breathtaking. We're so glad she joined our family. Our only regret is we didn't have her with us years sooner. She is like an angel that came to live in our midst.

Melanie Shiell
Kenner, LA

Bandit AKA "Boombie"

This Bandit who we also call "Boombie". We got him from someone who only used him as a breeder. It was hard to imagine a dog that didn't know what love and affection was, but that was Bandit. He seemed to be afraid of everything-it was so sad. It has taken us over a year and a half to get him to stop hiding under the bed! Now he follows us around, begs and barks when he wants something. The transformation in this dog who is over 10 years old has been amazing both physically and emotionally. Oh and if you are wondering about the cute way his tongue sticks out? It's because he has no teeth! Bandit has gone from living in a backyard pen to being king of the couch-often sharing the space with our two cats; Sassy and Trapper (also rescued).

Beverly Satchfield
Taylors, SC

SISSY

I found "Little Sister" wandering around the parking lot of the grocery store I worked at 5 years ago. She had been wandering a very busy road for 2 weeks I was told. I took her to the groomers, then home. When she perks up her ears, she looks like The Flying Nun so I named her Little Sister, Sissy for short. She has been the most loving little thing, and great addition to our family. My twin 3 year old nieces love her so much and when I have been out to visit them, they tell Sissy goodnight and they love her!!! She has truely been a great companion and gets along so well with my other dogs and cats. I can't go to sleep at night until she has jumped on the bed and curled up on my left side!!

Sheila Doss
Danville, VA

Lambert to the rescue

My dog Marley of 13 1/2 years passed away in Oct. 2008. I had always said no more dogs after her since she was the perfect dog for me and my best friend. The same day she passed my Mom was admitted to nursing home for long term stay with end stage Alzheimer's. I didn't feel I could deal with a new puppy & everything else since I may have had to leave at a moment's notice. About 6 weeks later I saw Lambert's photo on local SPCA's website, but I was still hesitant and thought I'd just go see her but no promises. Now 7 months later I am so grateful for the light she has shed in the darlk areas. I still miss Marley and though Lambert is nothing like her in looks or personality there are times when she runs around exactly like Marley and that's when I remind myself that Marley's still with me and looking out for Lambert Lynn

Chris
Seaford, DE