Animal Rescue Stories

Julius

One evening I heard a cat meowing as I fed my 2 barn cats their dinner.
I looked up to see an orange and white kitty sitting just on my fence line
in the grass. I told him to come on over, and it didn't take long before
he was joining Totti and Pinky daily for supper. I took him to my vet for
neutering and his shots, and he has called this home ever since.
It took a bit of time for the other 2 cats to welcome him wholeheartedly
but they are all friends now. Julius likes to play and climb trees and
talk!
In fact if it weren't for his insistent cry that first night, I might have
missed the chance to get to know this sweet boy.

Pam
Sarasota, FL

Phil and Gracie

We found Phil (orange tabby) first at Phil's gas station laying in grease and oil so weak he couldn't get up. We bought him home and he is doing great. Two months later we found Gracie she had a rough start, her mom rejected her and she was going to be put down. We stepped in and bottle feed her every two hours for months Phil and Gracie where the best of friends always together always side by side. On February 29th ago we took Gracie to Forgotten Cats ( a cat resue) to be neutered and she passed during the operation, they say this is rare but we are heart broken(:0( Gracie's best friend Phil was so lonely without her. We found Phil a new friend name Cole a pure black stray. We will never forget our Gracie.

Nikki Butz
Philadelphia, PA

My "KFC" Kitty!

I saw him scamper from the front of the restaurant towards the back. A
swoosh of orange and white. A small swoosh at that. I followed and up a
tree he went. I told him I would be right back with some chicken for him,
but when I came out, of course he was gone.

I returned later that day with a trap borrowed from a friend who does
animal rescue. After setting it with some delectable tuna, I left. I spent
a few hours wondering if I would be successful, and to my delight, he
was indeed inside when I came back just before dark.

He was named Biscuit, after first trying "nugget" on for size. He has come
a long way from the scared kitten he first was, and will let me pet him and
we are learning to like a comb too! He loves playing with another of our
strays - they chase each other back and forth and up and down! What a face!

Pam
Sarasota, FL

Orphan Annie

Annie found me at at horse show in KY. She was a older puppy who had obviously been dumped there. She was so thin and hungry. She was flea infested and had mange. Also she was coming in heat. In spite of all her maladies she was so friendly. She just wanted to play and be with the other horse show dogs. People would shout at her and run her away. She found her way to my trailer. I immediately fell in love with her. She came home with me nine years ago. She is the best dog. Loves everybody. They say one man's trash is another mans treasure and that what she is to us a treasure.

Nancy Kunkel
Bedford, KY

Loving Laredo

This loving shepherd had been in the local animal shelter for 2 years without a friend. He developed an eye infection that refused to be daunted by treatment, so he finally had his eye removed. Two days later, I went looking for a loving male dog to fill my empty back yard.

Laredo stole my heart, so I agreed to take him home even though he was still on medication and had the stitches in his face. We quickly learned to love each other, and now he is the master of the deck and back yard, that he sometimes shares with my older female. She has learned to trust him, too, and they even sleep together when she decides to stay out awhile.

Laredo has shown no issues with his health and no problems getting around all the things growing in the back yard. He does have a tendency to bury any treats given to him, but maybe he'll grow out of this once he learns his treats are his alone!

Please consider adopting a pet from a shelter, as not all animals make it to a no-kill shelter like Laredo did.

MissMary
Salem, MO

Sadie

My beautiful Sadie spent 5 long months in lock-up before we met and I fell in love with her soulful eyes. The caretaker at the rural town pound had no history, only the location and date where she was picked up. But, as love-at-first-sight would have it, none of that mattered and I whisked her away to the vet, then the groomer. As we got to know each other it became apparent why someone may have dumped her. She had an 'eagerness' about her when it came to other dogs that was often mistaken for aggression and led to us getting thrown out of doggie school, among other uncomfortable moments. She also found barking at her canine neighbors more fun than a barrel of tennis balls.

Nevertheless, my commitment was strong and we weathered the first years, all the while growing fonder of each other. It's been 5 years now; I suspect Sadie's about 10 years old. I'm happy to report that her doggie manners have improved exponentially and she has been nothing less than an exemplary companion to me and unwavering protector of her sisters Kit and Lexie (they have their own stories elsewhere here).

A perfect dog, Sadie's not. But a perfect dog for me, she certainly is.

Natalie
Woodstock, CT

O_R_E_O !

My Oreo is a wonderful year old B&W cat. My cat Oliver & I had lost our cat Kiki recently - he & I were heartbroken! Oliver is an Orange Marmalade Colored male who is also half Maine Coon Cat! He has the fur patterns, Pads, Fur ruff, etc. of the Maine Coon cat, he's gentle as a lamb, except in the presence of feet in socks!
I popped into Mom's house one day & my Niece had two kittens being being shown to her as potential adoptees. Little tiny Oreo walked over to me, gently climbed onto my Shoulder & went to sleep purring!
THAT was THAT!
To my astonishment, Oliver completely welcomed him immediately, no territorial acting out or issues from Oreo or Oliver! WOW!! 6 months later, "male" Oreo went into heat! Ta-dahhhhhh! (Ah-haaH!)
Oreo is an incredibly lithe and talented Acrobat, has thumbs, and can balance on the back of a thin railed chair perfectly. Oreo has perfected the "Who, ME???" look to perfection! Oreo is very bonded to me and while Oliver patrols the house at night, Oreo sleeps in my Bed, and watches over me all night long! My Niece adopted Oreo's Brother, who apparently is pretty wild and pesky! Guess who got the RIGHT cat! LOL.
I never had a female before- she teaches me something new everyday. Oliver loves her too! He went from non-stop crying out and searching for Kiki to loving, grooming and playing with Oreo. Both respond to my whistling for them.
My life would be empty without them!
LOVE ME & LOVE MY CATS!

Steve B.
Worcester, MA

Robbie

I was feelin' very blue at Christmas 7 yrs. ago, when there was a knock at my door, 2 of my deariest friends were at my doorstep, one in a Santa suit with Robbie in a Christmas sock. They found her at the SPCA. She is almost 8 yrs. old now & the love of my life, she loves the water, our best time has been playing in the sea kelp in the gulf islands. That was the best Christmas for me.

Wendy
Burnaby, Canada

My Sally Ally

This is Sally Ally, the love of our home!!! 2 years ago she was rescued from a puppy mill along with several other Scotties. She had been there for over 6 years and probably had never seen the outside.

She sat on my lap all he way to the Vet that day. I will never forget, she was shaking, and so scared. I looked into her eyes and knew that after her check-up and getting her her all fixed that she was coming home with me. I told my husband about her when I got home. Sure enough,I adopted her 3 weeks later, she is such a happy little girl and she makes me so happy. She now sleeps in a king bed instead of a cage. She has so much love to give and we have so much love to give her, just look at that beautiful face!!

Liz Fredo
Mansfield, TX

The Mighty Fen!

We had just lost our Trouble, one year to the day that our beloved Skimbee had passed away. Trouble was Skim's grandkitty. Heartbroken, we looked online at a local animal shelter - not the one where I volunteer, but another that utilizes euthanasia for unadopted pets. And there she was, the image of Skimbee, but tiny (he and his grandkittys all went 28 pounds or so), with her freckle on the other side of her nose. But the same huge green eyes and grey mask on a white face. She'd been on the street for some time, in what was one of the coldest, snowiest winters in the town where she was found.
When we saw her for the first time, it was love at first sight. She wrapped herself around my husband's arm and there was no turning back. Today, she has been with us for a year, and totally rules our household. Even has her own place at the table (as did Skim and Trouble). Her name is Fennore, which means ghostly spirit in Gaelic. So often we see a passing moment or feeling of Skim or Trouble in those expressive celadon eyes. When she's "zippy" as she often is, we think of her as our Tiny Mighty Fen!

Kathryn & Burke
Ridgway, CO