My boyfriend and I went to the local SPCA to look at the dogs. We walked past a cage and this malnourished dog, Juno, was literally reaching out from the bars and trying to get to us. We took her outside to play and fell in love. When we took Juno home she was very sick with pnemonia. With lots of love and care Juno is now an active, healthy 1 year old sweetheart with the biggest personality,
Sarge came into our life exactly 2 months from the day he was born. We had a cat, Taz, that had gone missing and I kept checking the local humane society. On my last visit, I noticed an incredibly adorable bundle of fur, he was 15lbs of pure love. I was smitten. My husband was an active duty Marine and I called and told him all about this adorable puppy and I knew I wasn't leaving without him. (Amazingly, Taz came home the day Sarge came to live with us). When Sarge was about 1 1/2 he had a cruciate ligament injury to his left leg. The Marine Corps had moved us to South GA and my husband was away for a number of months. We didn't have much money and I didn't know anything about this type of injury and the vet we had didn't repair it as it needed to be. Unfortunately, Sarge never really used it ever again. He did well with his 3 good legs for the next 5 years. Then, 2 weeks ago, his right cruciate ruptured. With his left leg being so severely atrophied and unable to support his 70lbs, the vet didn't think, even with surgery, his prognosis was very good. The vet prescribed heavy pain medication and we took him home to discuss what we should do. It became very clear, even on pain med, he was in a lot of discomfort. On 22 April, we made the heartbreaking decision to end his pain. Sarge grew from an adorable puppy to a beautiful dog with a wonderful disposition & loving temperament. He was dearly loved and will be forever missed.
"The one best place to bury a good dog is in the heart of his master." ~Unknown
Mia was found wandering in a field near the animal shelter in Socorro, NM. She was taken to Albuquerque for adoption through a no-kill, foster based rescue group that I volunteer with. As soon as I laid eyes on her I felt bonded to her. She was timid and a little scared at first, but when I took her home to foster her (that was the plan at least), she jumped right into the action with my dogs and I quickly discovered how well she fit into the family. My husband and I knew there was no better place for her than with us. I am very thankful that Mia and I crossed paths and know that both of our lives have changed for the better since then.
When we got to the Humane Society, Sparkle climbed up the inside of the cage and into my heart.
It was only after the papers were half signed that we realized our tiny silvery kitten had only three feet. No one knew what had happened before her rescue but, at 8 weeks old, the wound had healed. By then she had us hooked.
Sparkle doesn't know, or care, that she only has only one back foot. And, to her, the strange gait is quite normal. She can do anything a four footed cat can do; she can scramble up to a top of a bookshelf for a nap, or scoot under the couch to play, "Jungle Kitty" with our feet. We are so glad she chose us to share her life.
We rescued Buddy last summer, he's a Carmel pit. He came to our orchard with a family that showed up and asked to borrow our gun! We knew exactly what this meant, he was only 6 months old, and we told them we would take him. We were his 4th family and he had a bad case of mange from all the stress of nobody wanting him. He is wonderful, kinda nutsy about tires on 4 wheelers and small farm equipment, he likes to chew them as they're moving! He is a year and a half now and is a real blessing. We are very thankful it was our orchard he ended up at, he loves being a farm dog.
Story
On March 13th rescuers were heart-broken to find a four month old puppy at a garbage dump. This little girl was surviving on garbage and the remains of a dead horse. As rescuers approached her, it was evident this little pup had something very wrong with her. Now named Chanel, this little puppy had a shocking and severe injury to her right eye whereby the eye itself was no longer in the socket and was severely infected. She was rushed to the Sylvan Lake Vet Clinic, where Dr Mattson confirmed that there was no chance of saving her eye and that she would require surgery to remove the infection and to stitch the eye socket closed. Chanel is undergoing surgery on March 16th and will return to her foster a few days later. Everyone at AARCS is sadden that any animal has to go through this and we are thankful that with the support of our volunteers, foster homes, members and donors that we can rescue dogs like Chanel and give them a second chance at life. As a non-profit organization, AARCS works very hard to ensure all animals receive the best possible care.
My daughter and I rescued Jinx from a field where he was trapped in some rope in a dugout of a baseball field. He was so skinny that you could see his bones. He was a bit timid at first but with a lot of TLC he came around and is like the baby of our family.
The day before Thanksgiving 2008, I received a phone call from the local shelter. There was a 4 week old male kitten brought into the shelter in bad shape and was going to need extensive care to recover. Being a veterinary technician, it was not uncommon for the shelter to call me with the more intensive cases to foster. I agreed to foster this kitten, not knowing how bad he would be until I arrived at the veterinary hospital.
After discussing his treatment with the doctor, the nurse finally brought the baby kitten into the room. He was so tiny, moving right up to the front of the cage to greet me with a squeaky meow and a loud purr. As he approached, I could see the extent of the injuries I would be caring for and couldn't hold back the tears. How would I even be able to hold this precious baby with the injuries on every end of his body? His ear was burned half way off, his front leg and tail had been completely degloved to the bone. There was not enough skin remaining to suture the wounds closed, making the healing process longer as the skin wound have to granulate in as we fought off infections. It would be weeks before we would know if he would need to have his leg and tail amputated.
It took 4 months for him to recover from his trauma. I truly expected this little guy to fear people after enduring the torture he experienced, but to my surprise, he is extremely outgoing and full of love to all. He walked through the house with his head held high - so full of pride, earning him the name "Little Man". He is now a permanent part of our animal family.
Mama Kitty came to me in November already expecting a litter. I rescued her from an apartment complex where she'd been abandoned. Pregnant, starving, and dirty, I brought her home to feed and love, and she gifted me with five beautiful "creamsickle" kittens - orange tabbies with white feet and tummies, four boys and a girl. I watched every one of them be born, and Mama allowed me to touch her kittens from that first moment of birth. And after five months, I've finally found the perfect home for the last kitten. She's going to live with my Mom, who taught me how to love cats.
It's been worth it. These are the most affectionate kitties I've ever known. They all love to cuddle, give nose-kisses, and bathe their "owners." There's nothing like being awakened by a rough little tongue washing your face! And Mama, renamed Mabel, has filled out, is healthy and clean, and spayed. She will never have to worry about her babies again.
Felix was rescued from Ocean County Animal Shelter in Manahawkin, NJ in 1997. He was alone in his cage with his back to all the passerbys. The nice lady who worked at the shelter said to our family, "I have just the cat for you". As she handed us this calm, handsome tuxedo kitty she said, "We call him Kingsley, because he behaves like a king. If he's not adopted, I plan on bringing him home." We were sold.
Felix came home and was such an important member of our family for 11 years where he was a brother, a son, and a best friend. Felix enjoyed a long, happy life full of catnip, crunchies, strings, cuddling and affection. He lived in harmony with 2 parakeets, who he didn't care to give the time of day. He had his own spot at our dinner table. If there was a patch of sun, Felix would find it. Many non-cat-lovers have said that although they don't like cats, they liked Felix. Felix truely lived up to regal nickname as he was the most intellegent and polite cat anyone would want to meet. A true class-act and gentleman.
Devastatingly, Felix fell victim to Chronic Renal Failure in June of 2008. If it had not been for the nice lady at the shelter, we would not have all of these wonderful memories. Words cannot describe how much he is missed. He will forever be in our hearts.
