Animal Rescue Stories

I was left with no mommy

Haus was a 2 1/2 week old puppy with 3 brothers. Me and my son were browsing at the dog pound when we came upon these puppies. The lady said they would probably die if someone didn't take them. But we could only take one, and we chose Haus. We brought him home, nursed him, and all that applies to a puppy, and here he is going on 2 years old! He turned out too be a Malamute husky, too big for us. But someone came to us and said she would love to have him. Now he's in a loving home, and weighing around 80 to 100 pounds. He's spoiled rotten, and loving it! Remember that puppies are no different than babies, they need a mommy to survive!

Carla Capps
Anderson, IN

Blessings from the Shelter

I receive emails weekly from a local animal shelter and have always looked at them and said a prayer for each one. However, once I saw these two Shih Tzu's...I just knew they were destined to be with me! The male & female both were heartworm positive and had not been spayed or neutered and the female had breast cancer, as well as being terribly dirty. Well, they both have went throguh surgery and are in good health and go to their groomer regularly. They are beautiful, happy & loved...and sleep with me every night...among my 3 other dogs! Life is so much happier with the love of my dogs. Please adopt from your local animal shelter!

Margie Williams
Temple, GA

Spinner the Angel Dog

We were getting ready to retire, so we decided it was time to add another member to our family. Being animal advocates, we knew that a rescued dog would be the way we would try to go. After several failed attempts we finally found a foster home with a one year old Yorkie for adoption. He lost his family due to a divorce and needed a new home as soon as possible. At the foster home, he promptly jumped in my lap, and we new instantly that this was the one! "Spinner", as he came to be called, joined our family that very day.
The week after my husband retired, he was diagnosed with terminal cancer and given just 6 months to live. That is when "Spinner" became the "Angel Dog". He was my husband's constant companion, and bedside comforter. The day my husband died - Spinner never left the foot of his bed.
After my husband passed away, my son who had been in a motorcycle accident came to live with us until he healed. Again, Spinner became the constant companion and source of comfort. After a year of surgeries, my son was once again up on both feet. That's when Spinner and I decided to get married again and join our new "Dad" - traveling the country in our RV. Spinner had earned some "R and R".
In the last 6 years, Spinner has visited nearly every state in the lower 48 and always enjoys meeting new friends!
Spinner earned his name because he constantly "spins". He spins for a treat, to go out side, when he wants you to pay attention and in general he spins when he is happy! He is one spinning pup and the joy of our lives!

Maggi Harris
Dixon Springs, TN

Little Jax

I was at a Fall fesitval and the local Animal Control was there holding free adoptions. I had no intention of rescuing one since I already had 2 lovable dogs at home, however little Jax was all alone is his crate, only 2 months old and scared to death. It was love at first sight! He quickly became part of the family. He is by far the sweetest and most lovable dog I have ever had!

Melissa Arnold
Marietta, GA

Logan

My husband I went to our local shelter to adopt a running partner for our bloodhound. Logan had been abandoned at the shelter about 2 weeks before. He is so good natured and one of the smartest boys we've ever had.

Edith Cooper
Brownwood, TX

Missy Moo

Missy was run over in front of our house in September 2008 when she was only 5 months old. The person who ran her over didn't even bother to stop and left her to die. My partner and I heard her yelping in pain from the back of our house and ran to help. Many of our neighbours were looking on but none of them willing to help this poor little puppy and take responsibility. My partner and I didn't think and rushed her to the nearest vet for treatment. She was in such bad condition that the vet couldn't say whether she would live or die, but started treatment immediately. We checked on her hourly throughout the day but her prognosis looked grim as the vet said she probably had allot of internal bleeding and she was unable to breathe on her own. She was not micro-chipped therefore we didn't know who owned her. At the end of the day she required overnight care as she was still on oxygen and needed to be transferred to another facility for care but her owners needed to be found as they wouldn't treat her without someone being responsible for the costs. My partner and I started door knocking up and down our street and found the owner... a single mum with 6 kids who couldn't afford the vet bill. My partner and I left the house with the feeling that they were going to euthanise her and we couldn't let that happen so we called the vet and assumed all responsibility for her. She made it through the night but just barely as she was bleeding from every organ, then she had to fight to survive, which she did and celebrated her 1st birthday last month. She's now our little princess!

Lana
Sydney, Australia

Red Riding Hood..."Red"

I was always on the lookout for dogs and puppies that had been thrown away and left to die in the orchard close to my home..That's where I found her. Emaciated. Laying there under a tree.I thought she was dead until her tail lifted. I jumped out and ran over to her. She had given birth...but no puppies. I took her home...promising her the whole way that she was going to be ok. A red Pit Bull...bones poking through her hide...fresh fight wounds and scars all over her thin, mangy body. I worked with her for several weeks...doing everything my rescuing had taught me. Loving her...praising her...encouraging to not give up.I promised her when she got well I'd take her riding in the truck. Weeks passed...she was gaining weight...healing. Her eyes would light up when I called out her name.And she did take that ride with me in the truck...a couple of times. And then she just stopped eating one day. I took her to the vet...he gave her an injection of B12. She had an allergic reaction...and I found her the next morning with her tongue swollen and hanging out of her mouth. I rushed her back to the vet He told me that about 40% of her tongue had died. Sugery was an option...but recovery would mean a feeding tube and daily injections.With much remorse I decided she shouldn't have to suffer any more. He put her to sleep.I never left her side. Assuring her that I loved her and would miss her with all my heart. I named her Red Riding Hood...because she was in the orchard alone when I found her...but she had defeated the big bad wolf that threw her out to die by surviving long enough to know what it was to be loved.

Trisha Huerta
McAllen, TX

My FOUR RESCUED Chihuahuas!~!

I have never owned a dog. In fact, my parents always told me I was allergic to dogs! Naturally, having no reason to doubt this, I believed them!!

In August, a small, shaking scared Chihuahua was found huddled under a car on my street. She had been seen running across a busy street and throughout the neighborhood the entire day. She must have given up, in exhaustion, and was so scared so decided to take refuge under the car. I figured how much trouble could it be to find the ower of a cute, little 5 lb chihuahua? So, I volunteered to find her owner.

Well, after a diligent search on my part, her true owner was never found. My cats were quite anxious for me to find her owner! They had never interacted with dogs before. After thirty days the local shelter told me that i could turn her into them, rehome her, or decide to keep her, as her owner coud not be found. Well, by then i realised that not oly was i not allergic to dogs, but i really liked dogs! This was a shock to my family & friends, and me. I never KNEW or THOUGHT i liked dogs. I always fancied myself a cat person!

Now it is May, and the cats & I, we have FOUR RESCUED CHI's!!! Princesss Trixie, my first one, Amaya, from the local Kill Shelter, Annie from a family losing their home, and Chiquita Lena from a Rescue.
I had no idea what a life changing experience this would be. I can't imagie my life without my rescued Chi's.

Needless to say, I am NOT ALLERGIC TO DOGS! My cats however, insist that they are!

Leigh Ann Ross
Santa Rosa, CA

A second chance for Gracie

We wanted a companion for our first adopted Westie, Reilly. So we contacted Westie rescue to see if they had any female dogs. They had just rescued 14 dogs from a Georgia puppy mill. On 12/24/04, we drove to Annapolis, MD, to pick up Gracie. She came to us with a broken body and a broken spirit. She was just a money-making breeding machine to her owners. They had shown no consideration for her health or well-being. She had lived in a cage with 3-4 other dogs, and they were only fed and watered once a day. The cage she had lived in had a red clay bottom, so her fur--which should have been white--was orange. She had delivered 7 litters of Westie puppies, one each year of her life. When she came to us, she had been recently spayed, had polyps removed, had 7 rotten teeth pulled, had infections in both ears, and had been diagnosed with Westie lung disease, a progressive disease that will only worsten with time. She looked so pitiful that day, and she shook the whole way home. It took months before she started to act like a normal dog. She now walks with her tail in the air; she loves to chew on bones, plays regularly with Reilly, and is the most lovable dog I have ever known. She still has the cough associated with the lung disease and cannot walk far without tiring. They told us she would live less than 18 months, and we have had her for almost 5 years. Gracie might have never received the love she deserves or family of her own. But I am grateful she got a second chance, and she can live out the rest of her days in comfort, finally knowing happiness and being loved.

Kim Mayers
Front Royal, VA

Calli, a friend for Gizmo

After I had had Gizmo for two months, I realized she was pretty crazy and could benefit from a "normal" feline in the house to learn some manners from.

Calli came into the nursery with six of her siblings at two weeks of age, having also been found outside near someone's home. One by one, Calli's siblings got sick and started dying. When there were only three left (Calli included), I begged my favourite vet at THS to take a look at the litter and prescribe a different antibiotic, because the one they were on was obviously NOT WORKING. The vet listened to me, ran some tests, and put the last three on a different set of antibiotics. Then there was nothing to do but wait.

Calli's last two siblings succumbed to the infection that killed the rest of the litter; then it was just Calli. She got worse before she got better, but my little fighter managed to pull through. I brought her home and the minute Gizmo saw her, Gizmo began purring. I think she had been lonely for feline companionship.

Calli is a very small cat, probably because of the severe infection she had as a tiny kitten. She has managed to teach Gizmo some manners, so now when Gizmo bites hard you know it is because she means to rather than just not knowing appropriate play techniques. Unfortunately, because Gizmo is so moody and spiteful, Calli has become a bit skittish and wary of sudden movements and loud noises. But she's also become an expert in evading Gizmo, mostly because she is so fast and agile that Gizmo (because of her spinal injury) just cannot keep up. Calli loves being petted and falls asleep purring at the top of the cat tree every night.

Simone Rodrigue
Toronto, Canada