Animal Rescue Stories

Clancy, The Rescue Dog.

Poor Clancy came to us after he'd been lost, abandoned, abused, starved and neglected. He was covered in fleas, and had broken teeth and a swollen mouth from trying to chew his way free, or the vet said, he may have been trying to eat rocks. He was almost too weak to stand and could only eat a spoonful of canned food at a time because his tummy was so small from starvation. He was just skin and bones. After a $400.00 trip to the vet, two flea baths and some TLC, he's turned into a beautiful dog, who's very sweet and loving. We are both glad we found each other.

Carol Jean
Quad Cities, IL

The Bran-Man

This handsome boy is Brandon and he's the 5th Dobe whose life we've shared. We lost Karl (Dobe #4-also a rescue dog) in early November 2008 and the emptiness in our home was unbearable. Brandon was located on the Petfinder Website and had been rescued by a wonderful woman named Elaine who operates a Rottweiler rescue in Davis, CA. His storied past is too long to write in this short space but suffice to say this young man is as sweet as can be and is a 100% love-sponge! I am so thankful he's part of our lives and I can't begin to express my thanks and appreciation for rescue organizations everywhere; you wonderful people truly do God's work.

Priscilla Tommei
South Lake Tahoe, CA

Saving Sega

It seems like it has been such a long time since I first saw Sega's face peering at me through the bars of his shelter run on the screen of my computer, I remember thinking "That dog has such soulful eyes". The headline read Please Save Sega, he dies in 2 Days! Something told me that he was very special and I had to save him. I called the number for the Rescue that had him courtesy posted on Pet Finder and was screening applications for the shelter Sega was in and was told that if we were approved to adopt Sega, he would be the first adult American Bulldog ever to be allowed to leave Memphis animal shelter alive. I put in an application and found out I was approved to go and save him just 12 hours before he was scheduled to be put to sleep.

Today, 3 years later, Sega is 7 years old, healthy and weighs a whopping 130 lbs. Sega is such a huge part of my family and I honestly do not know what we would ever do without him. I feel like Sega was meant to be here with us, and am thankful for every second I have with him.

Sega is the sole reason I rescue dogs today. After adopting Sega, I got back in touch with the rescue that worked on getting him out of the shelter and I now spend my days volunteering for that rescue and even fostering dogs. So it is because of Sega that many other dogs are alive today and I get to be a part of something that is so wonderful, I guess you could really say it is Sega who saved me!

Because of Sega I volunteer for:
www.heartsofgoldpitrescue.com

Christine M
Vicksburg, MS

FoxyG

This little tea cup poodle is elderly, blind and has a cancerous tumor. A wonderful person named Annie rescued him from being euthanized at an animal shelter and took him home with her. She opened a website called "A Day in life of FoxyG," to keep her friends informed of FoxyG and how he is doing. She has made a wonderful life for his last days whether long or short. Annie also takes in feral cats and is in the process of building a cattery for them. Annie is one in a million. She also has a son who is fighting leukemia. It would be a perfect world if everyone had as much love in their heart as Annie.

Nancy R. Lupo
St. Louis, MO

The cat that used all of his 9 lives

Tripod came to me as stray ball of orange fur when he was about 4 months old; just started hanging out on my patio. I left food out for him but didn't encourage him to join the family. Then one night my dog Bandit found him under the porch seriously injured from crawling up in a neighbor's car engine and going thru the fan when it was started.

Nine days in kitty intensive care and three surgeries later; including one that removed his left leg and half his hip; he became a full member of the household and spent the next 12 years enjoying his life as if he still had all four legs like his buddies. He ran as fast as any other cat and even liked to dog paddle around the pool occasionally. The only problem he had was being unable to find out how to get up on the kitchen counter and get over a six foot tall fence....just not enough spring in that one remaining rear leg!

Even though he only got 13 years of life, it was 12-1/2 more than the vets originally thought he would have since; as they put it; he used up 8 of his 9 lives in the accident. He was an inspiration to everyone that come to know him because he showed us all that no matter what happens....life goes on and you cope best you can.

Enjoy your time running with your buddies Bandit & Waldo at the Rainbow Bridge, and I'll join you all myself someday.

Ken Dayton
Pensacola, FL

Alf and Knuckles

My name is Alf. My mommy died and she didn't have any family for me to live with so I went to the Afgan Rescue where my new family adopted me. When Knuckles was found in a wall where my parents worked I adopted her. Look close at this picture and you will see her eyes.

Edie
Niagara Falls, NY

A Beautiful Girl

She was first named Lucy and then named Caroline. She had been adopted out twice before and returned back to the shelter all before 7 months of age.I saw her face online at Petfinders and knew she was the one! She is playful, beautiful, funny and the sweetest thing. Her forever name is now Kalia Ming which in translation means "Bright Beauty". How appropriate as she brightens my life everyday!

Dale Moore
Port Charlotte, FL

The Odd Couple

Both Zoey, our iguana (short for Zoezilla) and Bunny were rescues. Zoey was the neglected pet of a child who had grown bored with him. He is now litter trained (yes, a litter trained iguana!) and is free to roam the house as he pleases, although he usually chooses to spend his time perched on a large soft pillow under his heat lamp. A friend of ours found Bunny out in the road in the freezing rain and asked us if we could take him in for the night because he had to leave for Florida in the morning (our friend, not the rabbit). He's been with us ever since and has quite the personality. He is also litter trained and spends quite a bit of time with us out of his cage. They've never quite known what to make of one another, but we feel very blessed to have them both as a part of our family.

Tess Clayton
Somerville, MA

Bella

Bella was owned by a drug dealer that went to jail. We got her from his lawyer for obvious reasons. I don't like pit bulls but she seemed so mellow I said "OK". Bella has changed my opinion forever. She is the most loveable, sweet, non-agressive, active and silly dog I have ever had! She loves to chase birds and tries to climb the trees to get them. We take her to a dog park and she gets along with all but one dog. Everyone there who knows her loves her. It really is the owner that causes their bad rep! I have had dogs all my life and my wolf-hybrid made me more nervous than Bella!

Judy Betton
Santa Rosa, CA

Tabitha and Catherine

Tabitha (named after Samantha's daughter on Bewitched and not just because she is a Tabby cat) was adopted from the SPCA in Chapel Hill in 2003. The first time I held her, I knew that she was supposed to be mine. She was so indecisive about being held, wanting that attention, but also being scared by it. Now she is a spoiled girl, who will only drink water out of the faucet and loves to have her ears rubbed.
Catherine was a stray in my apartment complex. Found signs had been posted for her for about a month before I actually saw her. She was outside of my apartment one day, and was the sweetest, most affectionate cat I had ever met. I thought about her the whole day at work, and decided that if she was around when I came home, then I was going to take her in and find a home for her. When I came home, she was laying in front of my door and from the minute I took her in, I knew she was mine. Now she is also a spoiled princess, but in December when I broke my ankle, she became my guardian angel and never left my side. Nothing is better than coming home from a long day to their two sweet faces and I couldn't imagine life without them. The love that I give them is nothing compared to the love that I get in return. And soon, if we get a house of our own, they might be welcoming a new canine sibling, who of course will also be a rescued animal!

Nicole
Huntersville, NC