Animal Rescue Stories

Dooley the Indestructible

One Friday morning at 8am, I received a phone call from a friend who is involved with a wonderful local NSW animal rescue organisation Coastal Paws Rescue, whose mission it is to save animals on 'death row' and re-home them.
My lovely friend informed me that 8 dogs were due to be put to sleep a little later in the day, and we needed to get the word out to as many people as we could to see if we could save these poor innocents that nobody obviously wanted.
Dooley, a 5mth old Doberman mix puppy, was one of those 8 dogs who was destined for 'the needle' at midday that very same day.
After many emails and phone calls, we managed to find fosters homes for every single animal by 9.30am and not one animal received their 'needle'.
We became Dooley's foster family.
On introduction to our home, he managed to blend into our 3 dog, 2 cat family extremely well, and here we are 4 weeks later with Dooley as a now permanent member of our pack. Very much loved and treasured, even with his gardening!

Virginia Ede
Davistown, Australia

Melissa's Story

Last summer Melissa was a painfully thin feral momcat trying to care for four active boys. She gobbled up every morsel of food I put out but never gained an ounce. Hilltop Humane Society of Randolph, MA, helped me get her trapped and neutered but I couldn't go through with the "return" part of TNR. As you can see, she is now a chubby chick who loves to sleep on my bed and eat treats. (Her boys were rescued, too!)

Gail Dentch
Brockton, MA

My Wild Child

It was a Thursday afternoon when I somehow got an email from a woman I'd never met about rescueing dogs from a High Kill shelter, they kill every Friday if they can't get the animals placed. Something about the pic of one little pup just grabbed me and I had to have it. I called and arranged to drive the 3 hr trip to pick her up that Sat morning, along with transporting other dogs that some local rescue groups had agreed to take.

Little did this pup, that has rightfully earn her name "Rowdy" know that it wasn't I that saved her but that she saved me. And she has been love of my life these past 3 yrs.

Anamarie
Suwanee, GA

Neglected Wildcats in Canun

Please read and sign the petition to free these exotic animals from mental and physical abuse! They have been living in substandard conditions since hurricane Wilma several years ago. Thank You.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/3/save-the-neglected-exotic-wild-cats-in-cancun

Sandra
Vancouver, Canada

My Gato

One hot August day I was doing dishes and feeling sorry for myself when I heard a loud meow outside. I opened the door and realized I was just rescued. That was 3 years ago and the beginning of a perfect relationship. I cannot imagine life without my "Gato".

Cathy Gatewood
Lake Worth, FL

My Sweet Mollie

I made regular trips to Pet Smart on the weekends to visit with all the adorable cats & dogs. Mollie stood right out and captured my heart. As you see she is a Maine Coon cat and I was born & raised in Maine so she is special to me. The time that she was homeless she apparently was hit by a car and the Veterinarian had to amputee her tail, which of course makes her even more unique. She is a very good companion & Friend and she rescued me as well.

Brenda
Warner Robins, GA

Our Bear Bear

My brother-in-law was cleaning pools at private residences when he came upon a puppy. It was a construction area where new homes were being built. Someone had dumped him out there. He was a small little fur ball that was whining from hunger. He was very thin and matted. You could tell he was Chow but mixed. My sister and her husband couldn't keep him because they had an Akita already and she is an only pet. I brought him home with me. That was 5 years ago. He is the BEST dog. In this picture my daughter had just shaved him for the summer months. She gave him a Mohawk.... He really seemed to like it. He usually looks more like a lion but she wanted him to look "hip".
:)

Christina
Lakeland, FL

The Miracle of Molly the Welshie

Molly's life began as a breeding dog at an Amish puppymill in Ohio. Along with countless other dogs, this sweet Welsh Terrier was kept in a wire cage hung from the barn ceiling and became part of the horror of the puppy machine. Luckily, an angel was able to get her out before she was either shot or drowned. Little Molly weighed only 11 lbs, all skin and bones, and the day before her scheduled spay, she gave birth to 3 Welsh puppies, one of which died. They didn't even know she was pregnant!

My mother and I drove to Ohio planning on taking one of the pups. But when my mother saw poor little Molly she knew that this might be the only chance for the little Welshie. When we arrived home and set Molly on the kitchen floor, she just stood there, not knowing what to do. She didn't know what a toy was and couldn't get enough to eat. The only thing Molly DID seem to know was how to love.

Life for Molly is completely different now. She rides herd over her Airedale and Westie brothers, loves her squeaky toys, and even played enough ball that she can't be bothered with the dumb thing any more! And at night, she falls asleep in my arms and we both are grateful for the love we share.

The moral of this story is pretty obvious: PLEASE do not buy a puppy from a pet store or at a flea market. Make Adoption your first Option. And please help your local animal rescue with your dollars, your time or your heart. Knowing you've given a homeless animal a second chance at life has rewards beyond words.

Patricia Kowal
Arnold, PA

Chewy and Bella

Chewy and Bella are quite the pair! My husband and I found Chewy, our Shih Tzu through a rescue organization in Florida. He was our first baby. We then found Bella, our little chihuahua, two years later at one of PetSmart's adoptions. They both are the most affectionate, most loving and most mischievous little dogs I have ever met. They get along great and play all the time. They are definitely our four legged children and the love of our lives.

Myra Rodriguez
Mobile, AL

Yeti the Abominable Snow Kitty!

My best friend's mother had taken in a pregnant stray mother cat, who was so sweet and so hungry that she ended up staying there until she had her kittens. My husband now (who was my friend at the time) had just lost his childhood cat Clarence whom he loved dearly, so I asked him if he would want one of these kittens and he agreed. Yeti was white with crystal blue eyes as a kitten, and an absolute terror! Marc (my husband) named him Yeti the Abominable Snow Kitty, and now at 15 pounds and 8 years old, he is big, fiesty, and still living up to his name, though his sweet side is just adorable! We couldn't imagine life without him, and he truly is our "baby". :o)

Kimberly Mendick
Surprise, AZ