Animal Rescue Stories

My Handsome Boy

In August, 2005, my dog of 9 years passed away suddenly. I had another dog who was already a little anxious and decided right away that I wanted to get another dog to be her companion. I do a lot of volunteer work at the local shelter here in Northern California so on my next visit I filled out the adoption application and started looking. That September, after Hurricane Katrina devistated the Gulf Coast area, I followed many news reports, mostly focusing on the helpless animals, and wanted badly to go help but I knew that was not possible. Then I heard that my local shelter was going to be getting ten K-9 Katrina Survivors! They would be fostered out for 90 days to allow for owners to still claim them. I called the director and told him this was a way I could help and wanted to foster one of these dogs! After they arrived, I went and met the dogs and chose my handsome Barkley! He is an English Pointer mix (what I'm told!) and has the most beatiful coat! After 90 days, he was mine and he has been a joy! It took some time for him to come out of his shell but he was grateful from day one! He has become a great companion for my other dog, Roxy, a lab chow mix, not to mention MY best friend! He also gave me the satisfaction of knowing that I helped save at least one life from Katrina!

Leslie Cameron
Vallejo, CA

Kindness within

Moe is a bad dog.
He repeatedly gets skunked, escapes from our hard and electronic fenced yard on a quest to terrorize the neighborhood cats and local wildlife. Last week, I spent 3 hours pulling 13 porcupine quills from his snout. But here's what's so amazing about Moe. He didn't try to bite me while I was extracting the barbed and horribly painful quills with pliers. As I sat there feeling discouraged, looking at this suffering dog, I realized, what an extrordinary and sensitive dog he is.
The next day we competed in a freestyle frisbee competition.His generousity of spirit and amazing drive earned us a third place medal in a tough competition.
I adopted Moe 6 years ago from a rescue in Westport, CT. when he was 11 weks old. Theories abound on what his breeeding is, hound, terrier, herding mix....who knows, who cares? He is an athletic, amazing, kind dog.
Did I mention he is also a therapy dog ? It is certainly not his favorite hobby, nor is he the best therapy dog in the world. He prefers tennis balls and flying frisbees to hospital halls and smells that are not quite right. He doesn't love everyone unconditionally. There are some people he absolutely does not like and I have learned to trust his jintuition about people.
But once in a while, particularly when a patient is very sick, Moe will sniff the the patient's face, lay his head down on their bed and allow himself to be petted. These patients often cry and a deep and desperate sadness is revealed as they remember a lost pet or family member. But the grief seems to hasten the healing process both in the patient and often in myself.
Thank you, Moe, you are a truly amazing dog.

Polly Kaplan
Rhinebeck, NY

How Bambi Came to Be With Lucky and Friends

Bambi was thrown out onto a Quarry at the Cave Hill in Belfast.

She was brought to 7th Animal Rescue Trust. Her photo appeared on the trust's website and we fell in love with her instantly.

She came home to our Abode in east Belfast on the 16th Of February 2008 after Lucky's Mum Treacle had been put to sleep after a short battle with Cancer at the age of 14.

At first Bambi had to be kept in her safe room which just happened to be my brothers bedroom.. When Lucky went to bed at night Bambi would come alive and run around upstairs and down in the early hours of the morning..Keeping everyone awake.

Bambi has very strange litter habits, she would do her number 2's outside her litter tray and then she would scrape all the litter out of the tray untill she buries what she has done.

We would not swap Bambi for anyother cat, yes! she may have strange habits but she is the cutest animal in the whole wide world.

Helen Madden
Belfast, United Kingdom

Gone but not forgotten

I fell in love with my precious Nemo while volunteering, and after spending a month with him at the shelter, I knew he was meant to be mine. Tragically, days after I brought him home, I lost him to feline leukemia. His initial test had been a false negative. Even though my heart broke, and I miss him every day, because I opened my arms to him, he got to know a family and felt unconditional love. Every animal in a shelter deserves that chance. Please give special-needs animals an opportunity. I don't regret at all making Nemo a part of my family. I would take him home all over again in a heartbeat. And I know now he's watching over me.

Brett Gentile
Chicago, IL

Foster dog to family dog

My husband thought he wanted to be "dog free" for awhile since we have had 3 dogs in our life for the last 16 years. We had just lost Cleo, a shepherd mix, who was 15 years old. I talked him into fostering, since it wouldn't be a permanent situtation. Then along came Jasper in November 2007. He was chosen for us to foster by a rescue group consisting of all volunteers and run by sisters from CT and MA. He came from a high kill shelter in Chattanooga, TN. We picked him up from a van after his three day trip to CT. He came over to me and curled himself right into my legs. It was love at first sight. He was 8 months old and not trained at all, but was sweet as can be. In just three days he was potty trained and learned to sit and lie down. He loved other dogs and people. He was great with my then 6 and 8 year old girls. He fit perfectly into our family. He is the nicest dog we have ever had and someone threw him away. Their loss is our gain. Three weeks after he arrived he was officially ours. Jasper just turned 2 years old. We couldn't be happier. My husband is happy too and now has a great running partner. Lori Neil, Ridgefield, CT

Lori Neil
Ridgefield, CT

Old Friend

This is a portrait of our thirteen-year-old friend, Bronco: he and my husband lived happily (and messily) together in bachelor bliss for five years until I entered the picture. Bronco would stroll past, aloof and uninterested, when we first met. I could hear him thinking "everything was fine until YOU came along." He was right. No more sleeping on the couch. No more sleeping on the bed. No more digging holes in the lawn. No more free run of the house when the humans were away (he figured out how to open locked windows and would regularly escape). Then came the other animals, each one adopted as he had been. And the children, climbing over him, using him as a step-stool, "petting" him with a little TOO much love, at times.
Bronco and I pass each other in the halls like two polite co-workers: occasionally we'll stop for a chat (or a pet), but he's made it clear he's got more important things to do. Like nap. It makes me laugh because I know our aloof relationship is all an act. I know this because one day, years ago, Bronco saved me from two men who entered our home. They never had the chance to execute whatever their dark plans may have been: my fifty-pound mutt of completely unidentifiable origin stopped them. And then, one year later, on a frigid November morning at the beach, Bronco was caught by a rip-tide. I watched in horror as his head went under the waves and I did not hesitate to jump in after him, despite being fully clothed and very pregnant.
Bronco may never rush to the door to greet me first (that place of honor is reserved for my husband), but we both know how much we mean to one another.

Michelle Ciarlo-Hayes
Philadelphia, PA

Orange Oliver

I received an email, from National Abyssinian Rescue(NAR) indicating that their was an Abyssinian at risk at the animal shelter near Cleveland. They thought the kitty was a blind female. I called the shelter and they said that they had a male abby, but that he was old, blind and going to be put down the next day.

I told the lady on the phone that I would take him. She said "But he's old" and I said I didn't care, whatever life he had left should be a happy one. She said "but he is blind" and I asked if he needed to wear a little helmet to protect himself from running into things and if he could find the litter box and food dish. She said he could find those things and was not in danger of hurting himself by running into furniture or walls. So I made arrangements to pick him up that night after work.

I named him after my favorite story as a child, Orange Oliver. The story about a little orange kitty that needed glasses. I took my Orange Oliver to the vet the next day and he confirmed what I had guessed already just by watching my new family member. Oliver is not blind, but only has cloudy vision and he is not old. He is probably between 2 and 4 years old. He's a joy to our family and such a little love bug. It amazes me that someone could have given him up or that noone else would rescue him from the shelter, but I'm glad they did.

He will always have a place in my home and in my heart.

Jean
Lansing, MI

Fred Reached Out

On a visit to my step-daughter at Ithaca College we decided to visit the SPCA. A six month old orange tabby reached his paw out through the cage bars towards me. Fred has continued to reach out for the last 13 years. At sixteen pounds he makes his presence known asking for whatever he wants in an insistent voice. You always know what he wants. He puts his paw on my arm to get some of whatever I'm eating. Even though he's had diabetes for over ten years he lives a full and active life. Fred loves people and greats everyone at the door. He's been a wonderful companion and I can't imagine what life would be like without my big orange guy.

Simone Gorko
Ardmore, PA

From Stray to Therapy Dog

When Olive was a street puppy in her first heat in E. St. Louis, a volunteer from Stray Rescue noticed her plight and stopped the car with the passenger door open. Olive made a beeline for it and became the "rescue dog", that I found via Petfinder after losing my longtime german shepherd companion Onyx. She has always been a "wild thing", but was willing to learn so now she visits human "strays" that many other humans don't visit at the VA hospital and nursing homes as we have time. We love her spirit and her gentleness both! She has a winning multi-faceted personality that the patients, particularly the older ones, really appreciate. I'm sure glad someone rescued this sweet dog for me!

Tori Vernau
Manchester, MO

"Of a broken spirit"

I found Luke on Petfinder.com, and fell in love with his little sad face, touched by his story.
He had been kicked and abused as a puppy, and at his gentle age of 2 was a troubled little boy, dropped at a shelter with a broken hip and a broken spirit.
My husband and I drove out to see him, and despite his shyness and timidness, we knew, he had just found the loving home he deserved !
Our house transformed into Luke's haven and sanctuary overnight, and TLC meant " Tender, Luke and Care" from that moment on.
Luke was frightened of plastic bags, the sound and sight of garbage cans and trucks, knives in the kitchen and children running near him.
It took a lot of patience and endurance, and Luke has since blossomed into a fun loving, outgoing little dog.
He is kind and gentle, loves playing fetch, loves to snuggle and laying out in the sun.
He has brought so much joy and laughter into our life, and is the best thing, that ever happened to us !
His loving wet kisses, his wagging tail in the morning, his proud stride down the sidewalk and his gentle play shows us, that his spririt is no longer broken, and we are so thankful he came into our Life !

Mrs. Sabine Mohrmann-Sabec
Chicago, IL