Someone had left a whole litter of young dogs at the pound. None of them would come to the gate because they were terrified. Honey and Ella were huddled in the corner, and I adopted them both. They are now almost 10 years old, and have never spent a day apart. They are each other's best friends, and the most polite, well-mannered and loving dogs one could dream of. They are my best friends too, and make my every day an absolute delight.
Little Shadow was a pound and a half stray when she adopted us eight years ago. When I took her to the vet, he estimated that she was about ten weeks old. She had fleas and an intestinal parasite, and how she had survived until that time, I can only wonder about. At that time, she was small enough to climb in my bonsai tree. She still has that sweet face and rules our house with an iron paw.
10 years ago, my family and I decided to take in two rescue pups. We got Dakota, at 8 weeks old from a rescue. Then 3 months later, we got Sierra when she was only 10 days old. Both pups were in dire circumstances needed lots of love and encouragement. 3 yrs after adopting the pups, I lost my family.
The only family I had left were Sierra and Dakota. They traveled the US with me as I tried to find us a home. Through all of my travails and travels, I knew could not bear to lose these two pups. No matter what, the two pups remained steadfast and loving. I made sure my "babies" were always with me, in a safe place and taken care of. If not for them, my life would have become a very desolate place because when I lost my family, I also lost myself. But the 2 pups wouldn't give up on me! Soon I realized, if for no other reason than for them, I had to get my life in order! So I got it together so that we could have a good life together. They saved my very life! Once, sleeping at a rest stop, a man tried to break into my car, until he saw THEM (run chicken little run!) Then, in our new home, I was attacked by a man trying to break in (knife in hand). He didn't see the "pups" until they were almost on top of him. Man, he could run fast! In the end, the pups were literally the real reason I found myself; what they gave me that truly saved my life was their love. This remains true even now. I thank God for them every day. I truly do.
The Horseheads Animal Shelter found a litter of puppies on the side of the road. All four females had already passed away. Five males were still alive. Two of the males, including Dugan, were almost dead by the time they made it back to the Shelter. Luckily, Dugan and the other dog made it! Two weeks later, my mother and I went to the Shelter and saw the five male puppies. My mom wanted one but he was already on hold. I feel in love with Dugan! My mom's heart was set on the other dog, but Dugan won her over. Dugan has gotten hit by a car and we saved him from that too. It is now four years later and he is wonderful part of my family. He even sleeps with me every night and goes to 4-H with me every week.
A friend's neighbor told her that she had a feral cat and her five kittens living in her shed. We decided to rescue and civilize them, but the mama cat anticipated our actions and moved the kittens to a new hiding place. We finally trapped the mother and two of her kittens when the kittens were three months old, by which time they were completely feral, covered with fleas, and terribly thin. Naively I brought them home with me, thinking that lots of TLC would transform them into pets. However, they were so wild and frightened that it took months before they learned to like me more than fear me.
Seven months later, they are still skittish and distrust most humans. However, they have made incredible progress. They have learned to play, and have discovered the tactile joys of being petted and scratched in just the right place. They also sleep with me on my bed, and spend a lot of time in the kitchen cajoling me into giving them treats. Taking in feral kittens should be done with caution, knowledge, and more patience than I thought I had, but the result can be very rewarding. I am very grateful that Marmalade, Olivia, and Duiker are now a part of my furred family.
Rocky came to us when he was 5 weeks old and very close to dying. He was bug and parasite infested and quite emaciated. Jim rescued him after he crossed the road in front of Jim's vehicle. We named him Rocky as he had a very rocky start and fought hard to survive and survive he did! He turned into the most loving and caring cat. When our Mikey was suffering with cancer Rocky was always there with him and stayed with us and Mikey when Mikey crossed over the Rainbow Bridge. Our oldest cat, Amber, is now blind and Rocky is always there with her. At first we thought Rocky was competing with Amber for our attention; then we realized that Rocky was aware that Amber was losing her vision and he was actually protecting her and making certain she was safe. It is rare that they are not in the same room together or on the same bed together. Our other cats just love Rocky and will seek him out for companionship.
Pumpkin showed up on our back deck one day two years ago around Halloween. We already had two Yorkies and couldn't imagine how we could adopt her. But she took up residence in our backyard and simply wouldn't leave. Each day when we opened our curtains, there she was - curled up on one of our deck chairs. We failed to find her owner, so we took her to our vet, who said she was in good health. When the weather turned brisk, we invited Pumpkin into the house, where she has become a treasured member of our family. She brings all of us so much joy, even my husband, who has never been a "cat person." In fact, Pumpkin prefers to spend most of her day with him, sleeping near his desk in his home office. Our Yorkies, Rocky and Rosy, even share their toys and favorite sleeping spots with Pumpkin. Our family wouldn't be the same without her.
Zorro was at a no-kill animal shelter for an entire year before I adopted him in 1995. I like to think, each time someone passed him by for being too big or jumping too high that God told him, "just wait Zorro I have someone special for you." Zorro and I were a team for many years after that. He loved to swim and was so proud of himself for doing the doggie paddle! We went for walks and runs in the woods all over the state of Michigan. I had to say goodbye to Zorro on January 13, 2009. But he will remain in my heart forever.
When I was volunteering at a local shelter I was introduced to Jake. Jake is a clawless cat who was found wondering the woods. Being clawless, he could not catch food in the wilderness so he was extemely malnutritioned, weak and a skinny bag of bones. He was so sick he couldn't even lift his head. I brought him home to nurse him back to health, then I couldn't give him up. He is now a beautiful healthy happy boy who has brought much joy to our lives with his larger than life personality.
My husband found a 4 week old cat in an 100 degree parking lot. We rescued the cat and nursed it back to health with lots of food, water and love. We named him Ziggy after a charities mascot who helps kids with cancer. Once he was healthy, we found a family that wanted to adopt him. We helped pay to have him neutered so there would less cats abandoned. Ziggy is now part of a loving home.
