I lost my beloved Sunny yesterday, May 6th, 2009. My home will never be the same again without his gentle ways and the very gentle look in his eyes. I am beyond devastated. He will be in my heart forever.....
T-Bone is a yellow lab mix that was dumped at the side of my house by my backyard. He was just a pup and when my other rescue dogs heard the puppy they opened the gate and proceeded to "beat" him up. My next dog neighbor heard the ruckus and saved him. When we returned home, the neighbor brought the puppy to us and we immediately fell in love with him. We decided to keep him and he is now the biggest ham ever. He will be having a one year birthday in May 2009. T-Bone has recently graduated from dog obedience school and he is the love of my life along with the rest of his brothers and sisters who are all rescues.
My husband and I were married in April 2008 and prior to our wedding we had thought long and hard and decided we had room and plenty of love to share with a dog. We searched and searched on the internet to try and find a rescue dog which would fit in with the cats, but we had no joy. In the end we just got in the car and drove to our nearest local rescue centre which was about 20 miles away. As we walked in, our eyes were instantly drawn to a lovely Beagle just sitting quietly in her kennel watching us. I just melted when I looked into her soalful eyes and my husband and I were instantly in love with her. On enquiring about her background, we were told that she had been bred on a puppy farm, and in turn used for breeding puppies as soon as she was old enough. She was then bought from the puppy farm by a kind person, but as she had developed no doggy social skills she soon ended up in the rescue centre. We are now the proud owners of Bella the Beagle and our lives are full of love and play times. Although Bella still has a bit of an ongoing issue with dog socialisation, her cat skills are wonderful. We wouldn't be without her now and oooh she makes us laugh and smile, especially when she has new experiences like the recent snow we had in February.
I found Baxter one Saturday morning where he was being offered for adoption by a local shelter. I had 4 dogs and wasn't looking for another but when they told me he had been at the shelter over 3 months and was due to be put down on Monday, I took one look and fell in love him and those gorgeous brown eyes. Baxter has found his forever home and I have the sweetest forever friend!
Many thanks to the Animal Rescue Site for constantly raising awareness to pet rescue. In this economic crisis, we especially need to stay focused on finding them homes because of the ever growing number of animals left behind when well-intentioned parents are faced with losing their jobs and homes. The rewards of shelter adoption are endless.
Weasel is a wonderful example for "knowing your limits." I stopped by our local package store one Friday afternoon and saw a little, steel gray kitten about 6 months old using the flower boxes outside as his personal bathroom. The owners asked if I needed a kitten;they were feeding him off and on (when he showed up) and knew I liked cats. I agreed, saying I'd come back the next day with my cat carrier. My intention was to let him be my barn cat. I already had two house cats. I arrived back at the store the next morning, carrier in hand, only to find Weasel passed out drunk in an empty tequila box in the corner of the store. The clerk told me he'd slipped into the storeroom, knocked over and broke some wine bottles, and proceeded to lap up the spilled contents before they noticed. He was so out of it, he couldn't even stand up straight or walk without falling over. I thought he was going to die so I rushed him to my vet. Long story short, after 3 days of de-tox, Weasel came home neutered and sober. He failed as a barn cat; he kept falling into areas he couldn't or wouldn't get out of and I got tired of climbing over hay bales, etc. to rescue him. He's now an inside, fully at home with the family, cat. We named him Weasel because he "weaseled" his way in to our hearts and lives.
This little angel, along with his camera shy sister, has brought us so much joy! He and his three feral siblings were born under our deck almost three years ago. With the help of a local animal rescue organization, we were able to humanely trap him, his mother and the rest of the litter, and got them spayed/neutered. After we released them, (and they ran for the hills!), he and his sister returned and have remained with us ever since. Although the two are still somewhat feral-they will come inside, but not stay there, and run from everyone who approaches our deck, we have gained enough trust to be greeted every morning with leg rubs and lots of love and affection. This kitty we named Soul Patch, because he has a little soul patch under his chin. We named his sister Smokey Joe, not realizing she was a girl until the vet informed us-at that point we were unable to get close enough to tell. Her name was changed to Smokey Jolene-a fitting southern name! They are know affectionately at our home as Patches and Jolene and we love them dearly. They have brought so much love and joy to us, and we are so grateful they chose our deck as their home.
Stoffel was found on the side of a road in the middle of the Namib Desert, 120km away from the nearest town. Stoffel was picked up by a local truck driver and left to roam the streets of the village Aus. When I found him, he was very sick and in need of a vet urgently, the nearest vet is 170km away. He was underfed and had a very bad gum infection and was not able to eating anything. I am doing charity work for the animals in Aus, Nambia and found Stoffel a home where he is healthy, happy and properly cared for. He still come and visits me when his new owners go on holiday. I am very glad to see him happy and healthy again.
Misty was found on the Highway at about 12 weeks old by my Husband, and he brought her home, the next week I Rescued Lady our Rottweiler, she was about 2 years old. They became Instant Sisters! Misty was The Boss though! I cannot imagine ever Not Adopting or Rescuing an Animal! They bring such Joy to our Lives! Lady is gone now, but we still think of her and miss her every day!
After postponing adopting a dog for 25 years because I was "too busy" working, I found myself one Saturday morning at an adoption session at Safe Haven. A Dachshund-hound mix named Jack caught my eye and the next thing I knew I was signing up to foster him. But fostering moved to adoption in about 30 seconds as he purposefully walked to my car, hopped in, jumped to the back seat and wagged his tail so hard that his little body shook like jello. It was as if he was saying "Here I am ... you belong to me now"! And, I can say with complete joy that my life has NOT been the same since that moment.
Lila lived next door with her human mom and 2 other cat siblings. She would visit my house on occasion, standing at my door and sharing treats with my cat. When my neighbor died in the house one summer, Lila was laying with her, not leaving her side. Homes were found for all the cats, but Lila somehow kept finding her way home. It took 3 months of bribing her with food from her vigil at the door of the empty house, but she finally made the move to my yard, but always returned "home" at some point, waiting by the door for her "mom" to come home. Then the house was sold and about a year after the death of my neighbor, she started calling my house home.
Still not trusting enough to come in, she became "mine" with a heated house and bed, in a protected area on my patio. After a year and half I was able to hold her and she would come to my call. It took two years to
make the full transition in and out of my house. Her strong loyalty was finally being transitioned to me!
Sadly, Lila died in my arms two months ago, purring for the first time. I never will forget how one petite little black cat taught me about how strong a cats love, loyalty and dedication can be to their family. I in return, gave her the same love and loyalty back, to earn her dedication. I miss you Lila!
