Animal Rescue Stories

Aggressive?

I went to my local SPCA looking for a new buddy to hang out with while I work out of my house. I have always like a bit of an underdog myself, so it was only appropriate to apply to adopt a "problem child." Shogun was deemed aggressive by his previous owners and due to his breed, he was strictly monitored by management of the shelter. He was 5 months at the time and here I am 6 months later and this "aggressive" little guy is the happiest and most social dog I have ever encountered... It just goes to show that when it comes to temperament, a dogs breed should only be noted, not used in the big picture. Any dog can be a great companion if you spend quality time with them.

Victor Cardamone
Pottstown, PA

Snoopy

In the wake of enormous vet expenses, I decided that I couldn't take on another pooch as my own, so I became a foster dog home. Snoopy was abandoned in Georgia, and found her way to Illinois via an organized volunteer system of pet rescue transport. Rural southern Illinois was to be just a stop on the way to the Chicago area, where there are no-kill shelters. Instead, she's sheltered in my heart. I write this as a thank you note to all the people who help deliver pooches.

Jane Stansell
Marion, IL

Spunky "My Angel From the Roof"

Spunky came to me on a rainly night in Los Angeles while visiting my father. A neighbor came to the door telling us that he heard faint crying noises coming from his roof top. He wanted to borrow a ladder and asked if we would come and help him investigate the situation. We found three tiny kittens on the roof in extremely bad shape. They were no more than two weeks old, soaking wet, hypothermic and very close to death. We brought them down and into my father's house. We were pretty sure that one of the kittens was not going to survive. His breathing was very faint and he was not moving. Towels, blow dryers and kitten formula were utilized in a desperate effort to save them. About ten minutes later the kittens started to come to life. Incredibly they all three survived.

My husband and I drove all three kittens back to our home on the central coast of California. We found loving homes for two of them but kept Spunky. This amazing kitty holds a very special place in my heart. He is truly my amazing angel from the roof.

Kelley Nelson
Los Osos, CA

How did I get so lucky?

This is Simba and Tigger. They were rescued by my sister almost six years ago, when they were only six weeks old. I knew it would be a gamble to bring two wild kittens into my new home, but I fell in love the minute I saw them. They have always been such good boys and I ask them both every day "how did I get so lucky to have you live with me"?

Jeanette Brooks
Baltimore, MD

Mac

A policeman found this dog and was on his way to take him to the pound when he seen my sister in law and ask her to take him in and she took him home and ask me to take him since she has 5 dogs of her own. Mac is a wonderful dog. My other 5 cocker spaniels took him right in and they get a long great. I find myself rescueing dogs all the time and finding homes for them. I just could not give him up. He is such a part of our family and the biggest baby of all. I wish I could thank the officer who didnt want to take him to the pound. I did find the dogs owner after putting up signs and pictures, I really thought they would want him back. But he said he let him loose in hopes that he would run away. Don't know why because he is a GREAT FAMILY MEMBER....SHAME ON THE OLD OWNER.

Lee Busby
Eight Mile, AL

CharlieCat Comes Home

I am a dog person. Always have been. Yet, I was drawn to the cat adopption room in PetSmart in the summer of '05.

It was there I met am orange tom named Char. He had been a stray, rescued from a burning house 5 months earlier. He was still covered in bare scars, his ears half burned off, some of the scars still open wounds. The paper on his cage told his story, and how he was ready for a new home, but no one wanted to adopt Char because he wasn't beautiful. As I read, the tears flowed down my cheeks, and then I felt a raspy tongue upon my fingers. Char was licking me. I was a goner...Char came home with me that day.

Renamed Charlie, he blossomed. No longer 'ugly', his coat came in thick and long, hiding most of his scars. He loves my dogs, wrestles and plays with them, and acts more like a dog than a cat. He follows me everywhere and comes when called. He purrs me to sleep at night. I have never regreted giving Charlie a home, and I truly believe he is grateful...after all, he lived through hell in that burning house. He knows he has come home.

Anna B
Evansville, IN

Loving Leaping Lizzie

Lizzie was abandoned in the yard of an empty home across the street from mine. The new owners had yet to move in and one day I heard a dog barking across the street. Since none of the neighbors had a dog, I went to investigate and there was Lizzie.
She was about 6 mos. old and all wiggles, but too timid to let me pet her. I checked out the yard and to my dismay found no evidence of food or water;not a bowl in site. I started feeding and talking to her and after a few days, she crawled up into my lap, laid her head against my chest, and heaved a contented sigh. Love.
Since I have 2 elderly dogs and my cat was dying, I didn't think bringing a new pet in was the best idea. My mission became finding her a good home. She was adopted but after 2 weeks, the owner decided a puppy was more than she could handle.
I couldn't bear for her to be unsettled yet again, so I brought her home. The "golden girls" adjusted and let her join the pack.
Lizzie earned a special place in my heart by alerting me to an intruder the night before Thanksgiving!! I was alone, it was the middle of the night, and she was at the door, barking furiously. What a guard dog!!
With her amazing vertical leap and speed,Lizzie keeps the birds and squirrels in line.
I have rescued several dogs and cats over the years and have yet to find one that didn't make a wonderful addition to our family or someone else's.
Our funny,smart,loving "Leaping Lizzie" is certainly a beloved addition to ours.

Becky
Altus, OK

Loving Lillo

I adopted Lillo from a rescue couple in Brooklyn, NY. He was found in a construction site at two days old! I adopted him at two months old. He was so tiny but grew up into a big boy-fifteen pounds! He wakes me up every morning by jumping on me and purring loudly in my ear until I get up to feed him. His favorite toy is a long bootlace on a string attached to a "wand" that has a little bell and fringes on the end. He jumps and flips crazily trying to catch it. I don't know what I'd do without my big huge fur-ball of love!

Gabriela Amari
Brooklyn, NY

Rocket Dog

I volunteer with a small dog rescue group and little six-pound Rocket was surrendered from a puppy mill when he was only a year. He has a small physical flaw that made him undesirable for breeding. He was adopted, then abandoned again. About the same time I lost my two adoptees to old age, within four months of each other. Now it's Rocket and I, together forever. I work away from home for months at a time and Rocket travels with me everywhere. He's quite the attention-getter in the airports. When we're home he likes to watch me do yardwork, from his side of the fence.

Denise K
Cape Coral, FL

Ginger's Tail (or Tale)

Our son was at work when he heard horns blowing and tires squealing outside. When he went to investigate, he found a brindle colored puppy running in the street. He brought her home and, of course, wanted to keep her. I did some research and felt she was probably a Plott Hound (or mix). She was very loving and we quickly fell in love with her. We already had five rescued dogs, including one of our son's previous "finds" and with much discussion, sadly decided we couldn't keep another. So we had her spayed, got her shots and tried to find her a home on our own. After several weeks, I found a couple that wanted her and we agreed to let them have her. They came that night to get her and before I knew it, she was gone.

After a month, I found I still missed her and was going to call the couple to see how she was doing when I got a call from Animal Control. It seems they had picked up "my" dog running loose. The "loving" couple had gotten tired of her when she chewed one of their chairs so they just threw her outside. I later found that they both worked and the dog was left alone for 7-8 hours a day. It made us realize how important the screening process used by reputable shelters is for both potential owners and the pet.

Well, we had quite a reunion at Animal Control and I gladly paid the $15 fine. I'm happy to report that Ginger's been part of our "pack" for over a year now and we all love her very much. She's become particularly attached to me and, don't tell the other dogs, but she's also my favorite.

Rusty Nelson
Orlando, FL