Animal Rescue Stories

He found me

I live out in the country in 2 1/2 acres. One night about 3 am, the big guys went out and were very loud. My husband and I went out and close to the fence we found the pack of 13 surrounding something that turned out to be a tiny puppy. I immediately picked him up, although Tasha (my Mama Pittie mix) had made sure none of the boys were rough. It was a tiny chihuahua puppy. I went inside put him to bed and we went to bed also.
In the morning I was up super early..... I was very exited but when I went to see the pup , he just looked at me and didn't move. I picked him up and cuddled him but he was still. I called my vet and took him to the clinic and they did blood tests and HE HAS PARVO!! The vet said it would be a very expensive treatment with no guaranty. What could I do??? I left him in isolation and went home and asked all my loved ones to pray for the little one. 9 days he was there, I went to see him every day and he looked soooo little with the IV.... on the 9th day when I went to see him the Vet said he could go home. He was FINE!!! I couldn't believe it!! Finally he was OK! He turned out to be the most cuddling pup....with his own very special personality . He was the tiniest of our pack of 13 (one boy,Ozzie, was 85 lbs). I named him Tiny Trouble because even though he was the smallest ... he was like a Min Pin... he thinks he is BIG. So he runs the place now. I didn't go on vacation that year, his bill was $1,899.00 plus all the vaccines etc and that was the best way to spend it!!! He is my closest buddy... my Trekkie had gone OTR and to be honest, I needed him.... he has saved me too!!!

eyda hernandez
MIAMI, FL

Helena - Blind, Deaf, Black 15 year old...and returned!

Around Halloween 2019, a blind black cat was brought in to Maricopa County Animal Care and Control, a kill shelter here in the Metro Phoenix area. About a week after she was brought in, I caught her story posted on Facebook. I tried to get a rescue to back her as a hospice foster to no avail. Another week later, and she was adopted by a local vet. While sad, I knew this was the best for her with her age and possible health issues. A week later, I see her posted again to find out the vet had returned her to MCACC because she was too vocal. I knew when I saw the post, I needed to take her, as she surely would have been put down with so many strikes against her - blind, deaf, black, senior and now, the worst, returned! At this point, it was about a week plus before Thanksgiving. I worked with the rescue that posted her story originally and got her out of MCACC to a volunteer's house for a few days. Once I finished out the work week, I was off until after Thanksgiving giving me a week with her to learn about her. She is comfortable within her own limits, but is still defensive with my 2 males and female black cats. She has been diagnosed with high blood pressure which is controlled with meds, the beginnings of kidney disease and dementia....but she is very loved in my house and will live out her final chapter with love and care.

JILL KRUMPER
SCOTTSDALE, AZ

My best friend

In July of 2020, I worked for the SPCA. I had seen hundreds of dogs come through our doors, but had never committed to taking any home. I fostered this little 8-9 month old puppy who had a major heart defect and was not thriving at the shelter. He was emaciated- only weighing about 4 pounds, and he had a chopped hair coat due to being severely matted and then shaved. He had transferred from another shelter where he had been brought in as a stray, I have no idea how he was able to survive that long on the streets. He looked pitiful, and I knew he had to come home with me. We ended up raising enough money to allow for him to have the surgery he needed. Two unsuccessful attempts to fix his PDA, resulted in me adopting him through our “Pawspice program”- knowing that he was ultimately going to live a short life. I had gotten him up to almost 6 pounds at this time, and he was living a very loved life. A few months after adopting him, his cardiologist suggested we try surgery one more time at a different hospital. If successful, his prognosis was great, and we should be able to see him live a relatively normal little dog life. No question, we had to do it! We traveled from California to Colorado where we spent a week, and one last attempt was made to fix his broken heart. Third time was a charm! They were able to fix the main problem, and he was able to come home and not have to take any more heart medications. This was only two weeks ago, and you would never know to look at him that he has been through so much in his short little life. We find out in about three more weeks if everything is healing as planned, so we are praying for the best. He is the greatest dog, and we have become inseparable. He came to me during a very rough time, and helped me to get out of my funk. I am truly blessed that I have been able to help him just as much.

Lynn
ANTELOPE, CA

A Great Dog Dumped Twice

My colleague George at work knew that we had just said goodbye to my beautiful Doberman "Bear" after five great years. We had adopted "Bear" from my in-laws and he had been wonderfully happy for the last five years of his life. But Bear had a stroke at 18 years and passed away, much to our sorrow.

We needed a new dog, and George had heard of a great dog who needed a home. "Kobie" was a Newfoundland-Labrador cross. She was a beautiful and intelligent girl who had been adopted and returned twice to a local animal rescue shelter. She was fortunate enough to be in a no-kill shelter, but she was emotionally hurt by being turned in to a shelter twice, not knowing what she had done wrong.

We went out to visit Kobie and we hit it off immediately. Kobie looked like a small Newfie, at about 65 pounds. She and I were so sympatico that we decided to bring out our current alpha female, Amanda, to see how they would get along. It could not have gone better. Kobie immediately deferred to Amanda and they were walking together and smiling after only a few minutes of walking. We continued for almost an hour, and it was clear they would be compatible.

My wife took our Amanda home while I stayed at the shelter to do the paperwork to adopt Kobie. It was approaching the Thanksgiving holiday, and the shelter had put together a great Thanksgiving meal for the dogs in the shelter, paying attention to keep the meal safe for their puppies. When it came time to feed, a shelter worker approached us and tried to put a leash on Kobie to take her back into her enclosure for her dinner. To our mutual astonishment, the normally peaceful Kobie showed her teeth and refused to leave me. The shelter aide had to leave and give Kobie her special Thanksgiving meal with me.

From that day onward, whenever Kodie Bear (we renamed her) and I were together, she was never more than a few feet away from me. I have never felt so close to another living being except my wife Kate. My Kodie Bear and I loved one another for the rest of her life, which was a very long one at 17 years.

Hugh Blanchard
POQUOSON, VA

A Survivor

On October 1st 2015 I was driving my son to school on a country road when I happened to glance over in the other lane. Sitting curled up right in the middle of the lane was something orange. I knew it had to be a cat. I had to drop my son off so I thought if it was still there when I left I would stop. The school is on the same road and I saw lots of vehicles going that way, even a semi truck. I was so hoping that it was ok. I finally left the school and headed home. Sure enough the cat was still there and alive. I pulled over and saw that it was just a kitten and it was bleeding. I searched my van for something to pick it up with and all I found was a plastic bag. I picked up the poor baby and rushed him to the closest vet. The vet immediately started cleaning him up. I assumed that since I found him on the road he had been hit by a car. When the vet was cleaning him he saw that the wound on the top of his head was a puncture wound, also one side of his lip was torn up, and all his back claws were broken. The vet said he had probably been picked up by a hawk, fought for his life and it dropped him. It took over 20 stitches to fix him up. I already had a dog and cat at home and was pregnant with my second child but I didn't hesitate to bring him home and make him a part of our family. I named him Finn after my grandma who was also a survivor. Finn has been a wonderful addition to our family and is now a huge, fluffy cat that is quite happy to live strictly indoors with our 2 other cats and 2 dogs. Saving his life is one of the best things I've ever done and an incredible way to show my sons to have compassion for animals and not be the type of person who just drives by when someone is in need.

Jennifer
London, Canada

She was a two-time return-to-shelter cat...

I have a tradition of having two cats at all times, so I adopted 'Butterfly' who I renamed 'Butterball' for her chubby shape along with another elderly cat...I always ask for the ones that no one wants, saving me from making a 'Sophie's Choice' at the shelter. I soon found out why--she expressed her upset at the change in her living situation by peeing all over the rug while she hid underneath the dining room table, as well as on the (only) silk pillows I own. [Side note--someone should weaponize cat pee]. So I found the local rug company that has the pet urine service, and bought new pillow inserts and we moved on. She retreated to the upstairs bedroom and hid under the bed for three straight months, and I quickly installed a litter box in the bedroom for the first time in my life. Months became years and she would emerge in the middle of the night to sleep on my feet and then retreat to back under the bed before dawn (this is a 13 lb cat, so I heard the thumps). I also caught her taking nap in the sun on top the bed a few times, and she always looked panicked and guilty. I put a cat bed under the chair in the bedroom, where she would take a lookout position and come out for a brushing, but in the morning only and only if there was eye contact as I called her name and she could see the brush in my hand. She was fat enough that she had trouble grooming her fur so she loved to be brushed and have her back scratched--within a routine that she kept to like clockwork. I tried and failed to switch her to wet food and to slim her down--it did not fly, except she loved specific toys to death and wouldn't play with any substitutes. She did not come down the stairs for 6 straight years until the other cat died--and it was then that her true personality bloomed; she would struggle up onto the couch to watch tv with me, she leapt up on the bed whenever she saw me (a two step process--she was a chubby cat who had to do it in stages) and generally waited by the front door for me to come back, or would come thumping down the stairs two paws at a time when she heard the front door. She was a darling, troublesome, neurotic and in her own awkward way, most loving little cat I ever had (who, PS, threw up more than any cat I've ever lived with). The day she died, I had no clue anything was wrong, she just laid down on her side and never woke up--and I miss her friendly little fur-face every day. Adopt, and have patience with the elderly ones that have their quirks; they will reward you a thousand times.

KellyE
ALEXANDRIA, VA

Ebony the stray kitten

I used to leave food and water for the strays in my apartment complex on my porch. One day, I was coming home from work, walking through the parking lot when I saw an adult cat and a small kitten trying to eat a smooshed cheeseburger. I called to them to get them to follow me to food up on my porch, but the adult cat got scared and ran. The little 2-month-old (about) black kitty followed me right up my stairs and I decided she was mine now. I took her inside and she's been my cat ever since. She is now 12 years old and I love her so much!

Stacy Floyd
KOKOMO, IN

Rescuing Isabella

Isa (Bella) began her story on the streets of Elk Grove, Ca. She was living with a homeless man who could not feed her and was rescued by the neighbor of friends of ours. They completely rehabilitated her, got her spayed and vaccinated then went looking for someone to take the next step. My friend e-mailed me pictures and 5 minutes later on the phone, my husband and I accepted the responsibility of being her new parents.
Our friends went the extra mile(s) to facilitate this adoption by delivering Bella to our doorstep in Phoenix Arizona, some 700+ miles. Altogether, it was the efforts of Janine & her husband who rescued her and our friends Paula and Dan who thought of us and then drove her all that distance to bring her home to us.
I wanted to add a current photo but as I could only add 1 pic, I wanted everyone to see how dire her situation was. She is plenty plump and happy and healthy in her Phoenix home (despite the 110+ heat!)
You can help someone like Bella.... Just say yes.

Sherry & John
PHOENIX, AZ

Ricky Tiki Tavi - 3x Winner

Ricky had health & behavioral issues and as such was returned to the shelter repeatedly where the rescue, Animals Rule, in Southern California rescued him from death row.

We had lost our dog Roamy to cancer 4 months earlier & our hearts along with that of our golden retriever Lucy had been saddened due to the loss.

I had seen Ricky on Pet Finders week after week and my husband agreed it was time to find a companion for Lucy as well as our family.

We went to the rescue after they approved our adoption submission & checked us out.

Upon arrival, he was thin, poor coat & had a spine issue but Lots of personality & we knew immediately he was ours.

We brought him home 14 years ago & he is now almost 17. With love, good nutrition, a great vet & trainer, he realized his full potential within months.

Not sure who rescued who as he’s seen us through loss of loved ones, breast cancer and other challenges, but we’re all going strong with love.

Jennifer Bocchino
LADERA RANCH, CA

Miss Mew-Mew!

Miss Mew-Mew landed on our front porch about 15 yrs ago; pregnant, she had 7 kittens a month later. We raised them to 14 weeks then took them up to Purrfect Pals in Arlington, WA where they were all adopted to forever homes.
We named her Mew-Mew because when I went out to get the morning paper there she was... she looked up at me and said "mew, chirrp, mew" in a tiny voice; "Hi, I'm Mew-Mew & I'm here to live with you." She's still here and a loving, wonderful Maine Coon Tuxedo kitty.

C J Peery
SEATTLE, WA