Animal Rescue Stories

Arkansas to Buffalo - Schmitty Rescued Me

In March 2008 I lost my 11 year old Schnauzer, Buddy. Having a rough time I kept looking at Schnauzers on Petfinder and one Tuesday night I saw Schmitty. Friday night I was at the airport picking him up and it has been the best impulse buy I ever made.

I think Buddy sent him to me on his way to the Rainbow Bridge. From the side of a highway in Arkansas to his forever home in Western NY, Schmitty has made a difference in my life that can't be measured.

Janice Jaskowiak
Lancaster, NY

We almost lost him

We adopted my son Charlie from a pet adoption at the local pet store. We were not looking to adopt another cat but as soon as we saw him knew we had to take him home. He turned out to be very vocal & cried all day & all night, which we later found out was due to the tremendous pain he was in. We were suppose to go to Las Vegas right after adopting Charlie but I was concerned about leaving him home so soon, by not going on our trip we ended up saving his life. By his 3rd day with us we noticed he started to limp so we rushed him to the vet ER. After being told he had no injury we took him home. On the 4th day the pet adoption place called & told us that the other kittens in his litter had come up with Calci, which is a life threatening respiratory infection. Rushing him to the vet ER we were able to get him treated & found out that he was limping due to this infection, like the flu in humans calci causes pain in their joints & bones. We were told that if we had not brought him in Charlie would not have made it. Fortunately for my fur-mother intuition we did not go on our trip. We also found out that he had a bad heart murmur which is caused by a decent size hole in his heart. With continuous visits to the cardiologist we are able to monitor the hole to make sure it doesn't increase in size otherwise surgery will be needed. Charlie is now 2yrs old & loves to play fetch, not to mention he's a big mama's boy that loves to be carried like a baby.

Jenapher
Norwalk, CA

Saving Koda!

The first time my husband and I saw Koda, he was in Petsmart curled up in a cage with a cat sleeping. His foster Mom had brought him there hoping to find a good home for him. She told us that someone had found him beside the road curled up with his Momma. The Momma dog had been hit by a car and had crawled off the road to her pup and died. He was so lost and forlorn looking. I picked him up and gently hugged him to my neck and cuddled him. When he licked my neck I knew he had found his new home. He has been with us for almost 4 years now and he is a happy little guy, who rules the roost and gets as much love as he gives! Can you tell his favorite color is hot pink!

Lee Ann Bettis
Stony Point, NC

My Petey

I adopted my dog Petey from the Houston Humane Society on March 10, and it was the best thing I've done in a long time. I couldn't have asked for a more loving pet. He is the best!

My dog Petey is a full blooded English Springer Spaniel, and although I didn't go looking for that specifically, he found me, so to speak. I couldn't walk away from those eyes and that face, and I had looked for a month prior to deciding on him. And went back to that same shelter twice - because I couldn't get him out of my mind.

He is with me, obeys every command, makes me smile every day, and poses like he's modeling for American Outdoors magazine or something, everytime he sees a duck.

I hope others will feel the same when it comes to finding a new friend to enrich their lives. So many unwanted and unloved pets go to waste each day in shelters where they may never leave alive. I just can't see spending hundreds of dollars to own a status symbol.

Still, others wait, and I can't take them all. But Petey is the second dog I've adopted over the years, and I couldn't put a price on the love he gives me - he is awesome!

I've always heard you can't go looking for love and although I was looking for a special dog that day, I just knew the right one would find me - and he did.

Candi Warren
Nassau Bay, TX

Buster Our Pupper

My boyfriend rescued Buster in the summer of 2007. He was found in a closet in his own feces during an apartment inspection. He jumped with joy at the sight of my boyfriend and light, but he wasn't able to take Buster. A few days later he saw him again tied up in the garage with no water, food and no ventilation, the summer heat can very brutal here in Chicago. After seeing him again he feared that they may use him in dogfights so he decided to take action and offered to take Buster from the tenant, he refused. So he offered $100 and he gave him Buster. Buster came into my life just 2 days before we had to put my family dog down, who was suffering from megaesophagus, and I wasn't ready for a new dog. After many conversations we decided to keep him and although I was hoping that the vet would confirm he was a boxer mix I had no luck. Buster is a spunky pit bull who likes to give kisses, play fetch, go on long walks, take warm baths and sleep in bed with us.I can't imagine our lives without him and love seeing his personality shine through, like his signature pose in the picture. He's great with people and likes to play with my two cats. We hope to get another rescue dog to be his companion in the near future.

Nancy S.
Chicago, IL

He had a chip!!

My son found a beautiful German Shepherd dog wandering the streets, dragging a dirty leash. He was thin and had the look of a wanderer! He brought it home for food and water, and began the task of finding his owner or new family. We took his picture to post fliers, and also put an ad on a site for lost and found animals.

I went to a pet store to get him some good, nutritious food, and they asked if I had had him scanned for a chip. I had never even thought about it. I asked how, and they said "it is free, just bring him to any pet store or vet, we take a 'wand' and go over him."
We immediately brought him back. The first scan showed nothing. Then down the leg- YES, there it was, (they sometimes shift from the neck area). The owner was called and said he had given up looking 6 months ago! It was a tearful, wonderful reunion- even for us to witness!!! But I want to emphasize that neither me, nor my many friends that have found so many strays, don't know about/ nor have thought of scanning them, and that message needs to get out. It is at least a 50 % chance for success!

Nancy
North Hollywood, CA

Hey Mikey

My daughter found him trotting down her street. How he could appear so happy without a home or food was the question. After no one claimed him, she brought him to my house as I offered to find him a home (I already had 4 dogs). He immediately ran to my husband, snuggled down next to him, .......and it was love at first site. Mikey is now a welcome addition to our "pack."

Toby Aronson
Riverside, CA

Adopted 2 for the price of 1

Neither my wife or me were really interested in pets at this time. After our last cat passed away a few years ago, we decided to leave our options open for awhile. A coworker told my wife about people who abandoned two cats. They had 3 dogs and 2 cats. When they moved, they took the dogs and left the cats on the street. We weren't ready, but when we went to see the cats (on the street) they were so lovable and friendly. They've been a great addition to our empty nest and provide us with plenty of entertainment! (Okay, the picture is photoshopped, but they still have the Blues Brother's personalities!) I can't believe anyone would leave these guys homeless. They're loveable, well behaved, and just a joy to have. Their loss, our gain!

Joe Schipani
Indianapolis, IN

The General

We had seen General's photo on the Berks County Humane Society website. When we went in to see the dogs, we'd talk to them trying to get them to walk around in their cages. General was curled in a ball and when we talked to him, he growled at us and my hubby said, "let's keep looking". We mentioned this to the attendant who was surprised. She said he was a very sweet dog. She brought him into the visiting room and we got to spend a bit of time with him and were so pleased with his response that we completed the paperwork that night to adopt him and take him home. He has brought us lots of love and laughter and we're so glad he's ours!

Gail & Mike Noll
Fleetwood, PA

Our Dog Dori

Our beautiful doe-eyed, fawn colored doggy is a Lab-Whippet mix.
She is the friendliest, most well behaved dog a family could ask for... but the cats aren't convinced! Poor Dori just wants to be friends, but the cats will have none of it.
Someone let our good girl get away, because she was picked up as a stray by our local shelter. Lucky for us!!
Dori is a lot like a greyhound, in that she is a 50 mph couch potato. She sits with me on the couch and watches TV at night, but when we get to the dog park she loves to race around with the other dogs!
I'm so happy that Dori is part of our family.

Anna Timm
Racine, WI