Animal Rescue Stories

Tracy & Hepburn

A few years ago as I moved into a new apt, I noticed a very dignified long-haired female cat calmly watching from a respectable distance. I soon discovered that she was a stray & started leaving food & water for her. She seemed quite healthy & happy, but as the days grew colder that fall, I became increasingly concerned & started leaving the front door open as an invitation. Finally, she sauntered in & after a thorough inspection, decided to stay. I call her Kate & she has been a constant joy, as has Spencer, a suspiciously similar-looking younger tomcat who joined us about a year later.

Doug Meyer
Hamel, IL

Oreo - 16 1/2 - Kidney Disease, Diabetes, IBS & Hyperthyroid

Oreo was born into my hands on 8/92 & has had my heart ever since. Oreo's 16 1/2 yrs old now & has Diabetes, Hyperthyroid Irritable Bowel Syndrome & the start of Kidney Disease. $3k+ in Vet/Hosp Bills, Oreo's doing well on all his medications, insulin shots 2x's a day & a Winstrol Shot every 3 weeks at the vet to assist with his Kidney Disease. He is only able to eat Fancy Feast Chicken Gourmet Cat food, only one he can eat due to the IBS. Special food, Insulin & medications. He was highlighted in a story about sick pets in this terrible economy on 3/26 on www.msnbc.com (Pet health story by reporter JoNel Allecia) Please Pray Oreo Stays Healthy & Happy as long as possible! http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29795942

Lisa Marie Vigilo
New York, NY

Best Friend

I was a police officer processing a stolen car inside a junkyard. As I was working away, I felt a soft plop on my left boot. I looked down & saw the cutest floppy-eared, whippy-tailed red puppy. He was a 5 week old Doberman. I fell in love. The junkyard owner said I could have him in a week or two. I got him one week later. He was my constant companion & best friend. We lived through blizzards, family tragedies, good times & cancer. His - not mine. He saved me from myself when I felt I couldn't go on. He was everything to me & my kids. After his amputation, we had him for another 5 years. He was a gift from above & the Powers that Be blessed us all with his grace, beauty & love for 14 wonderful years. I miss him still but I am so glad I had the time with him that I had. I hope everyone out there can experience the joy of a dog like Bailey.

Bonnie Turner
Colorado Springs, CO

Miss Suzy Q

My boyfriend and i had been living together for a few years and had often talked of getting a dog. At the time we were living in an apartment, having had dogs in an apartment for years prior, i suggested we wait till we had a house before getting a dog. When we were renting a house we decided it was time to get a dog. We checked out a few pet adoption companies,after being very disappointed in one of them we went to our local shelter to see if we could find a dog there. We found a small terrier mix we were interested in. There were several other people interested in her as well so they were going to have an auction to decide who would adopt her. In the meantime i spied another puppy. She was in with her litter mate and her litter mate had just got adopted. She was adorable and seemed so sweet. So i said to my boyfriend, why don't we just get this one? No one else was there for her so she was ours and the adoption went into process. She immediately became Suzy. The name just seemed to fit! She was 4 months old and only 8lbs when we got her. Now she is 2 years old and around 45lbs! I have had dogs all my life, various different kinds. I loved them all dearly, but i can say without hesitation that Suzy has been the best dog i have ever had! She was very easy to train, extremely smart and very very sweet. Her favorite place in the world is the dog park where she runs her heart out! Rescue dogs are the best dogs period! I always encourage my friends to adopt when they are considering a dog!!

Jodi Krikke
Henderson, NV

We Can't Have 4 Dogs!

We own 40 acres in McKenna, WA, which we shared with our two lab mixes, Chloe and Otis. One cold March day 6 years ago, we looked outside and there in the rain were two wet, skinny and hungry dogs; they must have smelled our dogs or their food. I took out some food on paper plates - they ran away at first, but were so hungry they decided to take a chance and gobbled up the food like they hadn't eaten in days. Then the larger one (we found out he was the male) picked up the plate in his mouth and looked at us. Well, that was that! We tried for over 3 weeks to find their owners, but it was obvious they had been dumped.

We noticed the male was walking funny, and got him to turn over on his back. His hair was so matted between his legs that he could barely walk, and the skin all inflamed and red. We carefully trimmed the mats away; he got up, took a few steps, and looked back at us in wonder. Then he started to run. And ran and ran and ran, for about 15 minutes. My husband and I just stood there and cried!

Now, 6 years later, they are happy, healthy and contented members of our family. Buddy is the larger one in front; Littlin, his sister, is the one laying down. The other puppy is our lab mix Otis. Chloe, our oldest dog, is camera shy! Buddy and Littlin got their names because my husband said, don't name them, we're not keeping them, so they became Bud and Little One. It sometimes gets crazy inside our 950 square foot house, but we love them all. They've brought so much joy to our lives!

Cheryl Weaver
McKenna, WA

My Callie a new beginning

My neighbors had 2 female cats who I used to feed a little since I was worried they didnt feed them enough, if at all. They would be in my yard all the time and my dogs played with them. One day when they were moving I had a feeling they were going to leave the cats behind, and they did, but only one I guess they took the other, since i never saw it after the day they left.

So I couldnt let the one they left be homeless so I fed her and played with her and was going to make her an inside cat after I got her spayed, a week after they moved her belly was getting bigger(probably why they left her, they knew she would be pregnant). So the babies came and we brought them all inside and babies all went to new forever homes(friends of ours). and the rest is history, she is a house cat now and loves her new home and we love her also....funny thing is Im allergic to cats, but I just take my allergy pills and Im good to go!!!

Stacy burks
Apopka, FL

From Hope...To Hopeless!

I first saw Hope on the street close the school where I work. I stopped and left her some food. She was very wary and wouldn't let me near her. The next day I saw another person feeding her. I thought she was the owner; but Isabel turned out to be another dog lover who feeds strays. It was the beginning of a wonderful friendship.

Hope had been hit by a car and was only using three legs. She was still very mobile, though, and wandered farther and farther each day. Isabel and I began to work as a team to find her and feed her. After about four weeks, I decided it was time to bring her home so she would be safe -- and I wouldn't have to spend so much time before and after work looking for her! She stayed in the same spot all day long -- the only day that ever happened - and calmly jumped in my car. I think she was ready to come home. A visit to the vet confirmed a shattered thigh bone, heartworms and the need for shots and spaying. With a $1200 vet bill looming, I turned to my wonderful, patient husband (this is dog #4 for us) who simply said "peanut better and jelly for us is fine! Let's get Hope well!".

Oneyear later, she is heartworm negative, runs faster than any other of our dogs without any trace of a limp and is the sweetest, happiest dog I have ever owned. We named her "Hope" because I would say "I hope I can find that dog today" or "I hope that dog found somewhere safe to sleep tonight". Now we just call her Hopeless!

Amy Harrington
Harlingen, TX

Rescuing Brighid

I found my little girl, as I call her, at my school where I teach high school English. I heard there was a friendly stray around school and she actually got in my truck one afternoon, but then hopped back out. I was determined to get her before freezing rain set in the next weekend, so I waited for her in the parking lot and scooped her up after some boys chased her. She sat on my lap the whole way home. She told me her named was Brighid. It was love at first sight. She followed me everywhere---the bathroom, my bedroom, up and down the stairs. She sat with me as I got dressed in the morning and even meditated with me. After taking her to the vet the next weekend, my husband and I found out she was very ill with worms, eye fungus, and a massive infection from an incomplete birth. I had known she wasn't totally healthy, but I didn't know she was dying. She wouldn't survive another week. I sobbed. She was my soul mate even though I'd only known her for such a short time. So, my SAT tutoring money---a little under 1,000 dollars---went to making my Brighid healthy. The surgery was a success and I thank God she has been healthy since then. For two years, she has my best friend. She still follows me to the bathroom, eagerly waits for some of my breakfast, naps with me, and drives me crazy sometimes if I try to sit down after school instead of going upstairs with her to give her my undivided attention. I am so grateful that chose me to help her, because every day she completes my heart and soul with her love and affection.

Linnea DA Houskeeper-Silien
Hankins, NY

Opie

Opie was one of 52 dogs rescued from a "hoarder" and spent most of her 11 years tied outdoors. She lived in a couple of foster homes before we adopted from Animal Friends shelter last summer. She is a "special needs" dog, surviving two cancer surgeries, requiring special food, supplements and lots of love an attention. We are happy to do this and she has adapted well to her new home. She follows me everywhere and is the only dog we ever had who does not bark - a very quiet and sweet little girl.

Nancy Hurley
Wexford, PA

Misty

Misty, a Calico cat, came from a local shelter as therapy for my Pop, who has Alzheimers. Little did my Mom (not a cat-lover) know that Misty would actually help her with the stress as Pop's caregiver. Misty totally won her heart over, and now phone calls are filled with laughter and stories of the latest Misty antics, not about Pop's problems. And Pop's famous saying now is, "your mother thought she got Misty for me, but I know better." Misty has proven she has enough love for both of them! And laughter is the best medicine.

Karen Clevenger
Moline, IL