I rescued Baxter (formerly named Tigger) at Max's Pet Connection. They do wonderful work.
They are outside in The Villages at a Pet Store every Saturday morning. Maxine doesn't have a shelter; all their dogs are fostered.
Baxter is a wonderful dog; I really love him. He is a Yorkshire/Cairn terrier cross. He was 1 1/2 years old when I rescued him, and he is now five years old.
I saw his photo on a Facebook page for a kill shelter in North Carolina. His tilted head and flopped-over ears just grabbed me. In the shelter they called him Gyro. He had a brother at the shelter that got adopted but he was alone. I knew that litters of puppies would be sent to rescue groups in the Northeast, but single pups got looked over. Working with a rescue group, I partnered with them to take financial responsibility for him and I was to foster him when he arrived in Massachusetts.
Two days after he left the shelter (and the name Gyro), I was informed by the vet he was sent to that the shelter had to close due to possible distemper. Now I got scared. I had taken financial responsibility for a dog that I might never meet, who could get distemper. I was calling the vet daily to check on my Oskar. And luckily, he stayed healthy.
After a four week stay at the vet, he got his traveling papers to take the trip North. I was still considering just fostering him since I already had a dog and I didn't know how Dexter would feel about a brother... especially one that is double his size.
On April 4, 2012, Dexter, my son and I drove to the place where Oskar was staying after his trip North. Since it was a neutral location, I thought it would be a great place to see how the dogs would get along. And they took to each other like they were forever friends.
Looking back to that day 8 years ago, when I saw Oskar's photo that Facebook page, I realized now that his eyes were telling me that he needed to be a part of my life, my family, my world. I never regret the money, worry, and scared feelings that I went thru after pulling him from that shelter. To think now that this beautiful, loving dog could have died at that North Carolina shelter just hurts my heart. And to still know that thousands of dogs and cats are euthanized in shelters because animals are not spayed or neutered just makes me cry.
Tater was a discard. A Cadillac SUV pulled up on the frontage road to the State Highway, and tossed a 5-year-old, declawed, Marmalade Tabby cat out, and left. A maid at a local hotel saw, and rescued him and took him to our no-kill shelter. They named him Tater Tot because of his markings. An elderly lady needed a companion, and the shelter brought Tater to her assisted living home. They were very happy together; he was a spoiled prince there. But she was elderly, and passed away 3 years later. So he was to be returned to the shelter for re-homing. We knew the family and were aware of the situation. We offered to foster him; he was 8 now, and could be hard to place. My elderly mom was living with us, and our cat, who was a feral rescue, was not the companion she had hoped for. Tater made himself at home, and the 2 cats signed a mostly non-aggression pact. 5 years later, we accept that we are "failed fosters" and the antics of this boy will keep us amused for the rest of his/our lives.
About 5 weeks ago I noticed a small kitten outside. I trap, foster and find homes for cats and kittens where I live that I'm not able to TNR, (Trap Neuter Return). One of the feral females that hasn't been TNR'D yet has had several litters of kittens but she's too young so has been abandoning them. This particular kitten didn't have any siblings nor her Mama to care for her so was on her own for about 3 weeks! We have possums, raccoons and baby foxes that come up in our yard here where I live so she's very brave to have survived all of that! I would see her out on my patio where I always keep dry cat food eating but struggling just a bit so I'd sneak her tuna when my Cat Colony wasn't around and/or goats milk. The others would eat it if they were present. My nurse loaned me 2 traps so I'd have my own and I finally caught this little cutie on Aug 3rd, 2020! She got a flea bath right away and was litter box trained within 24 hours and appeared pretty healthy except for her size. I have a rather large and long bathroom so she's been staying in there for the past 3 weeks while I foster and vet her. She has her food/water, litter box, tons of toys, 2 beds and of course some boxes in there to keep her busy. I named her Francis AKA Franny and she's just the sweetest and most loving and fun kitten!! I have 2 inside cats of my own and one of them is also a rescue named Jasper. He's 2 years old and is very entertaining so I put him in there with her a few times a day and they have the best time playing!! Franny just lights up when she sees him! I go in there every couple of hours to love on her and she seems very content. Doesn't cry or anything! I'm kind of new to fostering and really love it! Had 2 female siblings last month I'd trapped and fostered that went to the same home. I'd keep Franny but I can't have any more cats per my lease. She's going to make someone very happy when I find her a Furever Home.
June 28, 2018 my soulkitty, my cat nurse, my best friend, my Kitty Sunshine became my angel. To say I was devastated was an understatement. She took care of me for 12 years, helped me beat breast cancer twice, got me through the losses of my Mom, both grandmothers, my dog, my cat and countless more heartaches and issues. Before she became my angel, she sent the most precious baby boy to me. Hunter Ray was dumped when he wasn’t even 6 weeks old at my husband’s friend’s house. I adopted him July 1, 2018. He was SO sick, had every type of parasite there is, ear mites, fleas and a very bad right eye. After countless vet visits, antibiotics, eye drops and a major surgery, we just celebrated his 2nd birthday April 20. He was diagnosed with Feline Leukemia but I immediately started him on supplements and he’s doing good! He makes me laugh daily, my little helper, my best buddy, my mediation partner and my baby boy. We truly saved and continue to save each other. I am so grateful that Kitty Sunshine sent me the best baby boy in the Universe! He’s named after her, Hunter Ray (of Sunshine).
2 yrs ago a friend told me about a pup that was alone under a house. The mother had recently been killed by 3 pitbulls & the rest of the litter was taken by a stranger. 1 pup was left because it wouldn’t come out. I spent 2 hrs sitting out there with food waiting for pup to get close enough for me to grab. I got her & she’s been with me ever since. She doesn’t like or trust anyone but me. No one can touch her except me. I named her Sugar.
11 years ago I fell in love with a neighbor's cat. He slept on my patio table when the sun was out and on a chair underneath it when the rain came down; then I heard they had moved away. He had become a bit wild so it took some doing to catch him, but he's become my strictly indoor kitty now & he's the dearest thing in my life. Not to brag, but even his doctor says he's extremely intelligent, he learned to sit in 2 1/2 days--never had a dog that did that! He's quite the little communicator too; a voice for "it's 3PM and I need loves on the bed Mommy", a voice for after I've been gone for 3 hours, "I'm soooo happy you're home, I've been all alone for 5 weeks & I didn't think you were ever coming back ", one for "it's time for me to eat meat NOW", and yet a different one for "I want to go outside in my carrier right now!" He's not a snuggler unless it's chilly but he sure makes up for it in nuzzles with his cold, wet nose, and each morning we groom each other; for some reason he particularly likes my lips--ARG! We go for walks on a leash, & now he likes to go camping. He even goes potty in the woods like a big cougar. He's the bestest ever...
signed,
his Mommy
I had put my last kitty, Emma, to sleep in January and really missed having a cat around. So in June, I adopted a kitty named "Babs" from a local shelter. I wanted a cat that was a little bit older, as I knew they were harder to adopt out. I was thinking 3 or 4 years old. "Babs" was 8, but that didn't bother me! She was so cute and had a sad story. In November, her owner had died and when the relatives came to clear out the house, they just put Babs out on the front porch! In November!! A declawed cat that had never gone outside. How people can be so cruel is beyond me. A nice neighbor lady (Bless her!) had been feeding her and then decided to take her in, but Babs didn't get along with her other cats, so the nice neighbor took her to a good shelter. I was told that she had been adopted twice, but then returned twice, which I thought was odd. She's so cute and is also sweet and social. But they told me she is very "vocal" and I found out that she sure is!! I like to say that she likes to "sing"! I have never heard a cat sing (yowl) so much! Perhaps that is why she was returned? I renamed her "Nora" and now she is famous among my friends, especially when I talk to them on the phone! Nora will usually "sing" in the background and they hear it and we have a good laugh! She is really LOUD!! I am so glad that I was able to give an older kitty a second chance at a forever home, especially after the stressful 8 months that she had. And it is so wonderful to have a feline friend again! Nora is a lap cat and sits with me every night when I watch TV. She is my constant companion!
We were looking for a companion for our beautiful Bessie (half Staffy/half Jack Russell) as she had recently lost her buddy, Bettina. Bessie gets separation anxiety and we knew we had to find another dog to placate her...enter little Duke (half Chihuahua/half Jack Russell). I had searched online for about three months until I saw Duke, who had been placed with a small dog rescue group. We took Bessie for a meet and greet and then brought him home. Initially, Bessie was like "What is he doing in MY house ?!" but with a few strategies and lots of walks together, she realised he was here to stay and now, nearly 6 years later, they are best buddies. It's amazing how another dog can placate her so that she is able to be left alone with Duke while we go to work, go shopping etc. Duke is 3 years younger than Bessie and smaller and has fulfilled his purpose in being a great companion for Bessie and an absolutely beloved pet for us. He has a very quirky personality and has settled in so well into our family. When we first got him, his chest was very hairless, probably through stress. He had been abandoned by his owners and placed with another family but sadly one of their dogs bullied him and so they had to surrender him to the rescue group. Now he is relaxed and very loved and all his hair has grown back. We were very lucky to get him !
I already had 6 cats, ALL adoptees, but when my neighbor was evicted by the bank, he left his cats behind. One was a long-haired black male (obviously not altered) and young, but he kept coming out of the bushes and going in my garage to eat the food I kept out there for my garage/barn cats. I didn't want to see a dozen or more little long-haired black kittens any time soon, so decided to catch him and take him in to be neutered. It took 2 weeks of patiently waiting with treats to get his confidence to approach and catch him. We took him in as a "stray/feral" to the mobile van that comes once a month and does reduced-cost spay/neuters. They said he was just under a year old. Got him neutered and vaccinated. They said he had to be kept in my house for 24 hours "post surgery"and he decided he liked it and wasn't leaving, so now, almost 3 years later, he's one of my 3 INSIDE cats. He's still "SPOOKY" but a real sweet guy and very affectionate, and he has no idea how LUCKY he is. After I got him, I saw his clone wandering around, half his face gone from something and haven't seen him now in almost a year, so pretty sure he never made it.
