Animal Rescue Stories

Goldie

Goldie was dumped in the country in the middle of winter. One day she appeared on our patio; she was skin and bones, and freezing cold. We brought her in side, wraped her in a blanket and fed her. The next day we took her to the vet in town. He said with regular meals and rest she would be just fine. We took ads out in the paper and on the radio, but nobody claimed her. She was just a puppy then, needless to say we decided to keep her. She is quite the bundle of energy. Sometimes it gets her into trouble, two thanksgivings ago we had to fish her out of the middle of the stockdam. A little agravating sometimes, but we wouldn't trade her for anything.

Chris Conn
Madison, SD

Gizmo, my very first cat

I had been volunteering in the kitten nursery at the Toronto Humane Society for four years when I first saw Gizmo. I adored her immediately. Every time I looked at her, my heart clenched gently. Her chart indicated she had been surrendered by a person who had found her and her three siblings (all a few weeks old) alone in their backyard. Over the next four days, all of her siblings had died due to URI.

I went in for my next shift a week later and found Gizmo dragging herself around with her front paws. X-rays showed an injury to one of her rear legs as well as compressed vertebrae up near the base of her neck. The vet techs suspected that a volunteer had dropped her.

I knew my mom would NEVER agree to adopt a paralyzed kitten who peed and pooped everywhere. But I was completely in love with Gizmo and was determined to do everything I could to help her heal and take her home with me.

Over the next month, I went to the THS every other day and did physiotherapy exercises with Gizmo that a vet had suggested might help. Within a month, Gizmo became fully functional again and I immediately took her home. She can walk, run, jump and play, but she'll never be as able-bodied as a regular cat.

The most hilarious part is that she turned out to be a foul tempered animal that had a tendency to be alternatingly aloof and vicious as a kitten. I'm covered with scars from her first 6 months with me! Thankfully she's mellowed a bit now that she's a year old. But it doesn't matter anyway; she can do whatever she wants. Every time I look at her, I still feel my heart clench.

Simone Rodrigue
Toronto, Canada

My Zoe, My Heart

Zoe is a Yorky who ran out in front of my car on 7-3-05. I stopped and picked her up to see if she was ok, she was scared, shaking, having a hard time breathing. When I got her home I realized that she was in very bad shape. She was infected in fleas, her long beautiful hair was matted, was was having a breathing attack, and she was coughing. I took Zoe to the vet and was told she was infested in fleas, had hook worms and kennel cough. The Vet also told me not to look for the owner, that the owner did not take care of her. So I had her spayed, microchipped, got her all her shots, and made sure that all her medical needs were taken care of. Today Zoe is heathly, loving her life and the pride of my whole world. She is my heart and she knows it. I really don't know what I would do without her waiting for me at home everyday.

Kim Hollowell
Irving, TX

our little colorado

one day, we were driving in the car to colorado when we suddenly heard bark in the back of the car. we went and saw a young little dog. he looked up at us saying:"I'm cute take me home with you!" we couldn't resist so we took him and he is now 10 months old.

sophie
Texas, CA

Kacey Rescued From the Woods

Almost two years ago, my fiancÃ© called me with disturbing news from work. Her co-worker's family had discovered several abandoned puppies in a wooded area near their home. As we already have a Golden Retriever, Lucy, I didn't think much of it other than feeling sorry for the poor puppies. Soon after the initial phone call, I received another phone call inquiring if we still had our portable animal carrier that we used when Lucy was a puppy. I could see where this was going. My fiancÃ© wanted me to come to her work and see the puppies, just looking of course. I have always wanted a German Sheppard. I knew better and proceeded to her work with our portable animal carrier. In all, there were about five or six abandoned puppies which needed homes. There were three puppies which looked to be German Sheppard and two which had some form of Chow mix. I actually had no intention of rescuing one of the puppies but one stood out in the crowd. Her name is now Kacey of course but at the time, she seemed to be just the runt of the group. We took her home and introduced her to our almost two year old Lucy. Lucy was like the mother Kacey never knew. They got along very well. It was cute to watch the very tiny Kacey try and be the big dog in the house with her little bark. Kacey is about two years old now and Lucy is almost four and they still get along very well. After much research and talks with our Veterinarian, we believe Kacey is actually a Belgian Sheppard Malinois. Regardless of her breed, she is definitely part of the family and will be for a long time to come.

Brendan T. Beaton
Frederick, MD

Lucky Penny

Penny, our silver dappled miniature dachshund, was listed on Petfinder.com as "teenie weenie" when she was rescued from a puppy mill that planned to "dispose of her" because she had a slight under bite.

A rescuer visited the Ohio mill to rescue older breeder dogs but saw Penny as she walked in. Even in the worst of conditions, Penny was excited to see her and wagged her tail in a cage so small that her bottom kept hitting the sides. The rescuer said she could not let this little girl's outlook on life be ruined and rescued her first puppy from a puppy mill.

True to form, Penny is the happiest little girl you will ever meet and brightens everyone around her, everyday. She may have been lucky to escape the mill, but we feel luckier to have her in our lives!

Elizabeth
Farmington Hills, MI

Tripod

Tripod came to us through friends who simply had too many cats. She has three legs due to an accident as a kitten, but has managed to compensate amazingly well. Her rambunctious curiosity, playfulness, energy and gregariousness make her utterly irresistible. We are constantly humbled and reminded of how blessed we are in so many ways every time we see her literally fall on her face and just get up and keep going. She truly is a lesson in life.

Rachel Horlings
Syracuse, NY

Beloved - Blind Cat

The 'tail' of Beloved is a heart warming one that gives hope to special needs cats.
David Oliver (Feline Friends Sharjah) found the kitten feeling his way around outside an administration building on the University of Sharjah campus over the summer. He noticed the kitten had what appeared to be a bad eye infection. So he scooped him up and took him to see Jim Bolssens at the Europets Veterinary Hospital in Sharjah. Jim could tell immediately that the kitten was blind, waving a hand in front of his face didn't make him flinch.
A neuter and release was obviously out of the question, so there seemed to be only one option - euthanise. Reluctant to make this decision, David asked Jim to give him the weekend to try to find a home for little blind cat.
Over the weekend I saw the blind kitten when i took a colony of strays in to be sterilised. Unable to stop thinking about him, i called Mr. David early on Sunday morning asking if the kitten was still alive and if i could adopt him. He managed to get through to Jim just before the kitten was due to be euthanised and told him to "wait!". The rest is a happy ending. I named the kitten "Beloved", and coincidentally David means "Beloved" so it is a good name as far as he is concerned! Beloved does manage to get around quite well on his own and loves to be held and cuddled. He feels the face of the person holding him to get a sense of who it is. I confirm that Beloved lives a fairly normal life, and even plays.

teresa
Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

JuJu B

I was volunteering at a local animal shelter, last summer. Obviously I fell in love many times..LOL I already had 3 kitties, but animal lovers know... There is always room in your heart/home for another, especially when you get that tug at your heart. It was nearing Halloween and it seemed nobody was adopting the black cats. My Juju B girl was always rollin' over wanting me to rub her tummy. I would take her out and sit in front of the window with her so she could look out. She was always sooo grateful! I always spent 2 hours or more there cleaning cages etc. I had noticed nobody ever took her out and loved her, which pulled me toward her more! I had taken her around to other kitties' cages to see how she would react... She passed all my tests...LOL So, I brought my husband up and just laid it on thick..haha After a few months, a lot of animals go on clearance. She had gone on the clearance list, since she had been there 3 months already! The day I found out she was only $20, I flew home to ask hubby! He knew she was special and she had my heart,so he said yes! It has been a long road getting her and my other cats used to one another, but I would do it all over again. Every time she rubs her nose on mine, I tell her I'm so happy the kitty gods sent her to me!
We just needed one more special baby to complete our fur family!

Kellie
Brooklyn, OH

Saving Sydney

I came home from work on one of the hottest temperatures of the summer. On my front porch this poor, very sick, and extremely thin kitten with an eye problem and runny nose, is looking up at me. Immediately, I took her to the vet, who put her on antibiotics, told me she would lose her eye sight in her right eye, and that she was more than likely would not last the rest of the week. Well, 3 years later, she is healthy, and the most playful and energetic cat I have ever had. I even named her after the TV Show, Alias's, Sydney Bristow because she is also on the go! She even makes our extremely lazy 15 year old cat play with her, which is a hoot! What is even more amazing is unable to see anything out of her right eye, but the way she acts, you would not even know it. She is the most loving and joyful animal I have ever had!!! I thank the Lord that she found me that day!

Vanessa N.
Lancaster, CA