Animal Rescue Stories

Buddy Bear and Angel Marie

In the autumn of 1999, someone found a gray and white Maine Coon kitten in a parking lot in Lombard, IL, seemingly lost and alone. Almost exactly a year later, someone else found a black and white tuxedo kitten in an alley fighting off a dog. What do these two events have in common? They were found by people who worked with my wife, Valerie. She had made it known that she was interested in adopting kittens, so her coworkers told her about the kittens. Valerie and I (James) adopted these two kittens. Our existing cat, a snow-white girl named Speeders, accepted Buddy and taught him how cats fight. Buddy Bear accepted Angel Marie and taught her as Speeders had taught him. Like many Maine Coon cats, Buddy Bear was the sweetest, most laid-back cat. Angel Marie was a truly playful kitten. They were with us 18 and 17 years, respectively, despite health issues. I was very consistent giving them their medications. After all, their lives depended on those meds, especially Buddy, who had a heart condition. Angel LOVED to play, especially with her Daddy, chasing strings or laser dots or other toys. Angel was Daddy's girl; Buddy was Mommy's boy. But they were also friendly and loving with their other human servant. :D We loved them dearly. They had long and happy lives and we miss them dearly. Thanks for reading our story.

James Mills
AURORA, IL

Finding Lucky

My son, a mail carrier, was delivering packages on Sunday, May 17, 2020 when he came across a severely dehydrated German Shepherd dog. He gave her some of his water and called home to find out if he could bring her home. We already had 2 dogs (an 8 year old lab mix and a 4 year old terrier mix), so I told him okay but we'd have to find her a home. He named her Lucky, a name she took to right away.
We found a rescue that would be able to take her if we fostered her for 3 weeks. We agreed. The vet exam revealed she had no chip, she wasn't spayed, but she was healthy even though severely underweight with ribs and hip bones sticking out. They determined she was 1.5 to 2 years old.
Lucky was scared to go in and out of doors but loved playing with the other dogs. She also didn't know how to walk on a leash. Now she goes on our daily walks joyfully, although she is very wary around certain individuals, especially if they are behind us. In the house, she chews up the antlers and all the dog toys, has spread the toys all over the house, and has taken over my bed.
After 2 weeks she became a foster fail. Her sweetness worked its way into our hearts and I can't imagine our family life without our Lucky girl.

Jerri-Beth Scott
HEMET, CA

Mosely's Second Chance

Hi, I'm Mosely, and I want to tell you about how I was given a second chance. I was supposed to be euthanized some time ago because my puppies were born with a birth defect. My previous human could not sell my puppies, so he brought me to a vet to be put to sleep. There was nothing physically wrong with me other than that one horrible defect. The vet could not do it. He sent me to an animal rescue or foster home (that's what I call it). I don't remember how long I was there, but I do remember the day I was adopted and given a second chance to be me. It was the fall season, it was really cool out. I was the last Chihuahua to be viewed by my current human. She fell in love with me right from the start. I did also. We bonded like glue. She loved on me so much on the car ride to my new home. We got to know each other really well, and I became her Emotional Support Companion. I comforted her in her desperate time of trouble. All she did was love me and hold me. We went everywhere together, even took plane rides, buses, and taxis, too. I was always her right-hand puppy, and still am to this day. I'm small, going on 16 years old. We have been together since I was about 3 1/2 years old. I am getting really old now, but that doesn't stop us from living life. We still do mostly everything together (if I feel up to it). Even though I have fur sisters and a fur brother, I know I am still number one in her heart. She takes care of me now, as I have her and will continue to do so. We have a trip planned for Christmas in Las Vegas. I will be 16 on Christmas day. What a wonderful life I have. I was given a second chance to be the puppy that I have dreamt of in my past life. Life is grand for me. I could not have asked for a better human. I love my present human unconditionally, and she loves me just the same!

KellyAnn
LAWTON, OK

Dog adopted me

I went to the post office and on my way there, a dog came with me. When I came out of the post office I assumed he would be gone, but he was waiting on me and he followed me back to my office, and as I was saying good bye and opening door he just ran in and back to my office. My boss told me that he had adopted me and to take him home. I did. I put a notice in the paper, and no one came forward, and he has been with us for at least 8 years now.

Kay
NEODESHA, KS

Over Twenty Years of Love

In 2001 our beloved Queensland/Aussie - Crook - passed two days from his 16th birthday. We were devastated, and I felt I needed time to grieve. My husband gathered his remaining food and treats and took them to our shelter Western Arizona Humane Society, a day later. He told them we would eventually adopt and wanted another Queensland mix. They called the next day about a 4 month old pup mix. I reluctantly went with him to look at this pup. Walking to the pen I noted my husband did a “double look” at a red pup and continued. Looking at the mix (hiding in the corner) we asked to see him in the exercise area. We asked for the red pup as well. The mix, cowered and piddled, had to be carried. Once off the leash he ran around and played with the red pup. The mix was a boy and red was a girl. She was a ball of energy and also 4 months old. We named him Dingus and her Twister. Dingus has no Queensland in him but several other breeds. Twister is, we believe, a Red Pincher. We surprised the staff when we took both of them. They had to stay overnight, then to the vet for neutering/spaying where we picked them up. We had asked that they be put together so they could bond, and we took back many new toys and played with them. We took them to their forever home on Crook’s birthday; that was his gift to us, to help another shelter dog; in this case two. Crook had been a shelter pup too. I still grieve over Crook, but am so very happy to have had our two “babies”. As years have passed, so have Dingus and Twister and Patches. We are now the proud parents of Dixie kitty, Roxy our big girl, and little Bandit. Thank you Western Arizona Humane Society, Lake Havasu City, Arizona, USA.

Linda Gromov
LAKE HAVASU CITY, AZ

My little Willow

One morning I heard what I thought was a kitten meowing. I walking around the yard and realized that it was coming from across the street where there is a vacant lot. Between my yard and the lot was a fairly busy street, so I grabbed a carrier and smelly can of food and set off to find the meowing. It must've been my lucky day as the second I got to the edge of the lot, the meowing started again loud and urgent. Being it was 515 am and the sun wasn't up yet, I used my cell phone flashlight and started looking under the junk/boards scattered around. I bent down to move a 2x4 and a little tiny ear appeared. I reached down and scooped the little baby up. She muzzled into my chest and looked up at me as if to say "what took you so long". I put her in the carrier and brought her home. I set up the bathroom with a blanket, food/water dishes, and litter box, and let her out. She was so very tiny I didn't know if she was even able to eat on her own. I put some wet food on the dish and she ate like a starving kitten. I took her to the vet later that morning for a check up and she was about 5 weeks old and weighed 12 oz. The vet said that other than being a little underweight, she appeared to be in good health. I told myself that I already had 3 cats and that I needed to find her a good home..... but the minute I picked her up I knew in my heart that she was mine. I fell in love the moment I saw her. I taught her to use the liter box and play with toys. The 3 other cats accepted her from the start, and she fell in love with the biggest cat I have, 17 lb Waffles. They sleep together all the time, and he cleans her like a mama cat. She'll be 1 year old on 15 September 2020, and I thank her every day for picking me.

Joy Kosloske
NORTH LAS VEGAS, NV

How could we say, keep walking?

My husband and I weren't looking for a dog. We already had a 5-year-old, 40-pound terrier mix who we loved. She was so smart and wanted nothing more than to make us happy, which made training a breeze. At the time, we were getting ready to move to a new home. While taking a break from our packing chores, friends of ours walked into the backyard with their sweet little Lhasa Apso, Stanley. We set him loose with our girl and they immediately started running and wrestling. Our last dog was a Lhasa and we love the breed. Knowing this, our friends announce, "We're on our way to the pound with him. You want him?" How could we say, "Keep walking"? They agreed to have him "fixed" and within a week, we had a second dog. Well, our new little buddy hadn't learned much in his two years of life. He was housebroken, good with food and sweet as could be but, no sit, stay, blah, blah. Didn't play with toys, but boy could he run. We spent weeks trying to 'Stanley-proof' the yard but he just squeezed through or dug under whatever we came up with. One day while at the beach, his leash slipped from my hand and he took off. A car stopped to let us know there was a little tan dog with a long leash running 3 miles away. That would be Stanley. When the little man had enough, he turned around and ran back 2-1/2 miles to us. He got loose on New Year's eve in a strange town and after a 5 hour search we found him at a party living it up with two new dog friends. There wasn't a day that our little goofball didn't make us laugh. He finally figured out toys and went nowhere without his stuffed duck. It took old age to slow him down, and he was so proud of himself when we let him off leash (knowing we could catch him). Always one for an adventure, we bought a dog stroller, Stanley's chariot, so he didn't miss a thing. Stanley left us at 17 years of age. It's been several years now and we have new furry friend but we think of the little man every day and laugh. God sends us what we need, even if we don't know it at the time. Stanley showed us that a good heart can overcome a bad start.

Melodie
BABYLON, NY

Who rescued who?

Eli came to my then local humane society in Canada, having been surrendered by his previous owner. He was 8yrs old and had food allergies with patches of his coat missing. I fell in love instantly. I moved back to the UK and Eli now lives with his fur-sister and myself. He has just turned 11 recently, and is much loved by all. His coat is full, he's happy, and he's loving life.

Sue Wood
Preston, United Kingdom

Forty mile an hour couch potatoes!

The UK charity GREYHOUNDS IN NEED rescues 'galgos' (Spanish greyhounds) abandoned at the end of the hunting season there. Owners don't want to feed them between hunting seasons, abandoning them to starve to death unless lucky enough to be rescued. We decided to adopt one - a brindle boy who we named Percy, who had been dumped, then caught in a leghold trap while trying to eat the bait. Rescued but injured, he recuperated while in quarantine in the UK. It was love at first sight, and when we took him out onto Hampstead Heath, he ran in ever decreasing circles, sometimes seemingly flying through the air. Not a day passed without someone remarking, 'what a beautful dog.' After a bad start in life in Spain, he had 13 happy years with us in leafy Hampstead, collapsing at our feet at home a year ago having had a heart attack.

Angela Humphery
London, United Kingdom

Tobbee

Chained outside 24-7, Tobbee is a small-to-medium poodle. When found, he didn’t weigh 5 lbs and needed emergency grooming. Animal control was going to put him down, but Memphis Humane Society saved him. I fostered him for 2 months and decided to adopt. He was very aggressive at first, but after a while, he settled down. I swear I think he’s bipolar now, he has bitten us so many times, but we love him. He can be the sweetest boy too. We adopted him because we feel like no one else would tolerate his moods, and he might be put down. He also has seizures; he’s on meds for that. He loves us and we love him so much. We promised him he’d never go through that again, and he has access to the doggy door. Can’t imagine what he went through with the weather, and it angers me how he was treated. He’s a healthy boy now.

vivian jacobson
SOUTHAVEN, MS