Animal Rescue Stories

Lady

Lady was dropped by the road. She was being fed by two neighbors, but would not let them touch her. She had to be tricked into an outside dog pen to be caught. They called me and said they were calling the humane society to come after her but would rather I came.

When I went into the pen Lady acted vicious, I was a bit leary but did not back down. She retreated to the fartherest corner, turned her back on us and would not even glance our way. When I advanced on her she just sat there. I took her home and it took months of patience to be able to approach her without her retreating into a corner of the yard. Three years later she is a beautiful, loving girl.

Diana Adkins
Coal City, WV

Death Row Rescue Becomes Humane Education Dog

Abner is a basset, collie, daschund mix who was rescued from death row by the Humane Society of Pulaski County (HSPC), a no-kill shelter in Little Rock, Arkansas. My husband and I agreed to foster him until he was adopted into his forever home. He was adopted twice, but pined so much for us that his new parents had to call us to come and get him. He wanted to be with us, so we decided to adopt him ourselves. He is now the official humane education dog for HSPC and has visited with over 1,500 children and 25 schools in the Little Rock area teaching compassion for all living things. I've never met a more friendly and outgoing dog, and he loves everyone. Sometimes he is completely surrounded by children touching and petting him, and he just rolls over for a belly rub. I am so thankful to HSPC for saving his life. What a terrible waste it would have been had he been euthanized. Abner has a purpose in life, and he is fulfilling it to the max!

Christine Henderson
Jacksonville, AR

Raven

My husband & I were thinking about getting a dog so we went to the local shelter. We saw Raven huddled in her run. She was 1 yr old, so skinny, shy, & sad and had been in the shelter 1 1/2 months with time running out. Well, I think you know what happened next as we came back the next day and put in our application and brought her to her forever home. She has now been with us for 7yrs and we couldn't imagine life without her. She is a great watch dog, loves to ride in the car, chase squirrels, and is a big sister and mentor to her newly rescued little brother.

Karen C Brown
Charlotte, NC

My Best Friend

Two very special friends told me about Lucky and his hard luck story; he was at the Humane Society and I just had to meet him. When I walked through he was the only one not jumping up and down or barking; he sat huddled in the back of his pen with his head down. I was moving into a new house and knew right then that he was going to make it a home. He's been a part of my life for 6 years and has always been there to comfort me. Through him I gained an appreciation for all dogs and have made taking care of them my focus. Thanks Lucky for being my best friend and opening my eyes and heart!

Ceci
Houston, TX

Angels From Rescues

I adopted these two from rescues ! Missy & Boudreax , Missy is a kelpie mix that come to us from Tallahassee she was very traumatized and took her about two years to get used to my husband she had been badly abused by someone obviously but has made leaps and bounds since and she is such a wonderful and sweet girl I do not know how anyone could do horrible things to such a sweet baby such as her, she lives a princesses life now and will always, Boudreax came to us at 5 months old, he was adopted at six weeks old , the first owners decided he got too big!! He is a catahoula cur, he so wonderful and sensitive and very helpful and has the biggest heart I do not know how anyone could ever give up such a sweet boy and beautiful too, he lives like a king here!! His blue Merle coloring makes him almost invisble to see in the background especially in the evening or early in the morning , all four of the dogs are herding dogs so they get on great!! They all have a huge back yard with a half acre to play in and woods with wild iife to entertain them!! Life is grand for my four "children" as they truly live the life of luxury and eat the best of food, because with the start in life they all had they deserve the "BEST"!!! And how people can go and not "CLICK" here on a daily basis is beyond me..I do "CLICK" here religously as I want to make sure all the animals are fed!! It only takes a few seconds out of our "Precous Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "

Tammy Madden
Orange City, FL

Chloe to our rescue

After the passing of our dog Sadie, we knew we had to offer another shelter dog a good home. Chloe was a large yellow Lab mix who had been overlooked because of her age and size. At five years old, she had been surrendered to an upstate New York Shelter that was desperate to place her. Chloe's time was running out when we showed up. She instantly became my husband's constant companion and car "co-pilot". She had never enjoyed the simple pleasures of swimming and being off a chain. Her favorite hobby is standing in the water searching for fish, but she also loves going for drives, playing with friends and simply hanging out in the backyard, chain- free.

Julie W. Webster
Northampton, MA

Personality Plus

When I adopted Sadie from our local SPCA she had every parasite known to man and one so bad the vet college had never seen so much in one animal. Today she is healthy, happy and a huge bundle of energy. Everyone who meets her thinks she is priceless. I'm so happy to have her in my life.

Susan M
Fredericton, Canada

Saving Grace (Gracie)

Hello,
We adopted a 6 1/2 month-old pure breed Beagle puppy from a Last Chance Rescue who only had her for about 10 days. She is 13" Beagle and 16.9 lbs, very tired ..Slept more then she has been awake (and who wouldn't be if they weren't getting proper nutrition from the original owners!) She was given all her shots on 3-16-09, fixed on 3-17-09 by the shelter and adopted out to us on 3-21-09. Last Chance was given her by someone who rescued her from a home where she lived with two Pitt bulls, several teenagers and the original owner. Unfortunately, when the owner was put in jail the puppy was left to fend for herself with the other dogs and the teenagers , it wasn't a good place for her to stay. When we got her you could see she was quite frail and is painfully skinny (her ribs and hips are really sticking out) we had to buy her a little t- shirt & jacket to help keep her warm. As a thank you to Last Chance Rescue for all the work they do to help homeless animals my daughters Angel and Bella and I held a food drive, Fill a Crate for Canines and Kitties. we spent 6 hours collecting food, toys and passing out copies of their wish list.
We were awarded the PINK PAW for Outstanding Volunteers - They posted on their web sight..

Last Chance Rescue sends a sincere heart felt "Thank You" to Susan and her daughters Angel and Bella for holding a food drive, Fill a Crate for Canines and Kitties. Mom and the girls, ages 5 and 6, spent 6 hours collecting food and toys and passing out our wish list.

What a honor!!!

Truly, Susan Calabrese

Susan Calabrese
Warren, MI

Rusti

Rusti was rescued from the streets of Long Beach, CA when he was a year and half old -- he is now nine. When I first saw him my heart melted. He only weighed a little over six lbs and was very frightened, but when I took him in my arms I knew he would be my companion. A couple months after Rusti came to live with me we attended obedience class and proceeded to train to become a Therapy Team. He is a terrific Therapy Dog as he has a very calm, sweet disposition and is adored by everyone that comes in contact with him. We visited Huntington Beach Hospital twice a week for almost three years and now visit Ft. Valley Hospital Pediatric ward twice a month and often visit convalescent homes. Rusti is loved by all and takes his "job" very seriously. Since he is very small he can easily be held or placed on a patient's bed which makes it easier for them to pet him. Rusti's visits are also important to the hospital staff and they are always anxious to see him. He is always greeted in the halls by staff and visitors often stop to pet him. I think he also brings endless joy to our neighbors. What an amazing blessing to be part of this incredible animal's life and watch him as he makes everyone happy.

Joan Jones
Huntington Beach, CA

Trixie

Trixie's former "care" takers decided to not feed her, her mate and her puppies anymore. A friend rescued them from this bad place, and sent me a picture of Trixie. I only went to 'meet' her, but of course, she came home with me! She is a treasure. She lives her life like everyday is her last, full of energy, happiness and joy; and the joy she brings me everyday is priceless. She fit right in with my other two pom mixes and we are just one big happy family now! I just can't imagine anyone treating her badly, she is so sweet.

Deborah
Bethlehem, PA