Animal Rescue Stories

Rufus and Boscoe

We had been without a dog for almost a year after losing my two Dalmatians. My husband wanted another dog, but I wanted two more Dalmatians. I started looking and was flabbergasted at the price they wanted for a Dalmatian! I kept looking, and found the Willing Hearts Dalmatian Rescue. They had two brothers, about a year old, rescued from Japan! Found in a parking lot with a note on them that said, in English and Japanese, "Please take." An American soldier's wife rescued them and contacted WHDR in Royersford, PA. My boys were flown over here, spayed, trained and when I found them on the internet, looking for their forever home. Robby, the owner of the Rescue, wanted them to go together, but most people were only looking for one Dalmatian. I wanted two brothers again. When I saw their faces, I knew they were meant to be mine! Robby and I talked back and forth, interviewing, finding out about each other and on Memorial Day weekend, in 2014, my husband and I drove to Royersford and met the boys. I already loved them, but my husband wasn't so sure. The dogs seemed to recognize that... they hung around him the entire time we were being interviewed! We signed the contract, loaded them into the car and brought them to their forever home.
Little Boscoe had a gimpy right front arm. I took him to an Orthopedic surgeon and was told he had broken his elbow when he was little and it was never set. He would never have strength in that arm and it would most likely have to be amputated as he got older. We started him on Cosemin and he's been doing great ever since! When it comes to chasing squirrels, the injury doesn't slow him down a bit!
Rufus is a very loving, snuggle-bunny. He likes to be touching you and loves being petted. He has no physical injuries but he is terrified of loud noises. Together, these two have rescued my husband and I as much as we rescued them! I am forever great-full to the Willing Hearts Dalmatian Rescue for taking the time and expense to bring us our two furbabies.

Sandee Curley-Fiocchi
VINELAND, NJ

Pollyanna

We adopted our beautiful Border Collie x Kelpie in 2011 when she was around 16 months old. She'd already been in a shelter twice, and had been in no less than four other homes. No one kept her - we guess because she's a really 'busy' dog, a bit hyperactive, high-energy and highly alert. She was a digger in the beginning too. People kept abandoning her in shelters and giving her to a new 'owner.' She settled in with us and our other dog and two cats pretty quickly. Each night as I tucked her into her cosy bed, I whispered to her that we'd always look after her, love her dearly and never abandon her. I told her she was safe and would be staying with us and not moving again. After a few weeks of this, she calmed right down and lost her anxiety. We named her Polly, after Pollyanna, because we could see right away that she was willing and eager to please and make the best of having been moved to another home, yet again. She's a gorgeous, happy, healthy 9 or 10 years old now, and I still tell her every day how grateful we are that she found her way to us to bless our lives with such love and joy.

Wendy Bryan
Mornington Peninsula, Australia

Beautiful Sophie and The Amazing Scratch

When we lost our Rowdy to coyotes, we had to get a cat to replace him. He had snuck out and we didn’t notice it.
We went to the shelter to look for one and as soon as we opened the door we heard Sophie yowling! We walked by her cage and she stuck out her paw and looked at me with her bright green eyes and I opened up the door and took her out and she was quiet.
The staff said, “ Thank God! She does that constantly!”
She had belonged to a lady that spoiled her and died. Her family had brought her there and she had been adopted and brought back four times because she loved to get and give attention. Mostly get, which the others didn’t want to do.
I put her back in her cage and she started up again. We looked around and eventually came back to her and they said, “If you take her, we’ll give her to you!”.
We took her home and had 15 wonderful love filled years with her. She developed kidney disease and we had to put her down about a month ago. The house is quieter now, even with five other fur babies. We miss her terribly.
At the same time we went to an adoption event at PetSmart where we found Scratch. He was an alley cat that was just laying in his cage watching the world go by. My wife fell in love with him although there was another one with a bad foot that had been caught in a trap that I liked better. She won out and I am glad she did because Scratch the Wonder Cat has given us 15 magical years!
He loves spicy pork rinds and spicy jerky. He loves lunch meat and will park by the fridge and drive us crazy meowing until he gets it! He is the calming influence for the other cats and plays like a kitten. Unfortunately he drives my wife crazy with his relentless persistence but she loves him anyway.
He loves to sit in my lap and he likes my legs crossed a certain way, letting me know if they don’t suit him. We know that his time is coming but we are determined to get and give as much joy and love as possible from his remaining time.
Whenever I hear someone say, “Stupid cat.”, I always say,”The cat’s not stupid, you’re just too stupid to understand it!”.
We have adopted three others and my wife gave me a Russian Blue for Christmas one year. They all let us live here to take care of them. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
If you don’t have a cat, get two and watch your world turn into a better place!

Mike Ruckman
NORMAN, OK

Our First Rescue, Dixie Girl

In December of 2009 we found Dixie Girl. She was in a German Shorthair Pointer rescue home with about ten other GSPs. We were watching them all until she appeared, and the minute she looked at us we knew she was the one we were going to take home. We laughed as she climbed up on the picnic table to eat out of the dog food bag. We were amazed as she kept looking at us as if she knew we were there for only her. Dixie had just arrived a day or two before we came, so she was waiting to be spayed. They offered to bring another GSP to our home to see if it would be a match with Jack, who had recently become an only child after his big sister passed away. Knowing GSPs and how active they are, we knew he would need someone to romp and play with. The first dog was not a match, but we passed the home inspection and Jack put on his charm, so the rescue person brought Dixie out and she was wonderful with Jack. They immediately bonded, so that they let us keep her with the promise we would bring her in Monday for the spay. (Jack had already been neutered.)
Dixie and Jack romped and played together with toys and blankets, ran all over the yard for 10 years, a little slower in the later years. When she wasn’t playing or sleeping with Jack she was following or snuggling with me. She eventually did the same with my husband, but it took a little while. He always had to put his cowboy boots on in the garage. Dixie Girl was great, affectionate and a total joy once she got over her fears from her past. She was our first rescue and as everyone says, “we just knew she was the one.” She passed at home a few weeks ago and we all miss her terribly. We love you Dixie Girl, see you at the Rainbow Bridge. Ellen, Larry, & Jack

Ellen Smith
GOLD CANYON, AZ

my Rascal

14 years ago my mom and stepdad were living with me. She was disabled and in a wheelchair, he had been diagnosed with dementia. A few years before, I had put my snowman to sleep due to leukemia and wanted no more kitties, too much pain... when to my dismay I opened my door and there was a small orange ball of fur. My dad had always loved cats. I looked at him and said, you li'l rascal, so that ended up being his name. That day began our journey. 2 months later my dad passed away. Rascal never left his side, even slept on his side of bed for months after my dad passed away. 3 years later my mom passed and it has been just the two of us. He is my support, his love is never ending; if I go on vacation he goes too or I don't go. I love him and he loves me right back. Best day ever for the 4 of us that day when a little Rascal found us.

Carol
GASTONIA, NC

The Luckiest Cat

Zorro is the youngest of 5 cats, ranging in age from 2 years to 14 years old. He came to us under very rough circumstances- he was injured and paralyzed, with a nasty, persistent infection under the surface near his injury. We were originally taking care of him in his previous home, but he wasn't getting any better, so he came home with us. We didn't know what was wrong. We did almost everything we could- cleaning and dressing his wounds, therapy for his back legs, all of that. He would get better, then relapse, then get better, then relapse again. We finally got him in to one of the local vets, and got some devastating news. The vet thought he had an partial arterial clot in his aorta, in his lower abdomen, that was causing his symptoms. She didn't think he had much longer. We refused to believe it, and finally managed to get him in to see our regular vet, who disagreed. She thought Zorro had been either partially run over, or bitten by a dog and shaken. X-rays proved it. Zorro had broken a portion of his lower spine, not enough to completely paralyze his back legs, but enough to weaken them, and then, in his weakened state, caught an infection that was resistant to the antibiotic cream we'd used on him. One massive dose of antibiotics, and a steroid shot later, little boy was up and at it. He actually walks fairly normally, though his back legs wobble a lot some days, especially if he's tired or hurting. But Zorro has adapted. He can walk, and practically run. He can jump with his front paws, though not with his back paws, and he can climb using just his front paws. He is every bit as rambunctious as he was before his injury. It's been nearly six months since Zorro's original injury, and some days, you'd almost never guess he'd been injured, much less with a spinal injury. He is one of our miracle babies.

Abigail Hall
COLUMBIA, SC

Misha's Missive

Seven years ago, my daughter was surprised by a stray cat meowing in her garage. Becky wanted to do the right thing and find out if the kitty had a home, or take him to a shelter. So she brought him inside and placed him in the bathroom and shut the door, so as not to disturb their pug and kitty. She then went to take a shower in the master bathroom. Imagine her surprise to find this stray cat in that bathroom when she exited the shower, with the pug Diego looking at him like, “who are you, and what are you doing here?” Through a microchip examination, it was determined that this kitty had been adopted out of the Animal Care Services of San Antonio, TX. When the owner was contacted, they said that the kitty had been given to a relative. But it was pretty clear that the cat was dumped. With a little encouragement from Becky, we decided to give the kitty a home, and named him Misha. He was older and a bit stand-offish (who could blame him?), but he fit in well with our other cats. Over time Misha became my husband’s faithful companion and daily greets him when he returns home from work, just like a dog. You should hear his excited purrs and rolling r sounds! I am grateful that Misha found his way to my daughter’s garage and finally to our home. It makes my heart glad that we can provide him with daily doses of love and devotion!

Linda Larson
SAN ANTONIO, TX

Unexpected Addition

One Sunday afternoon on a very cold day, January 2018 I got an unexpected call. I was at home babysitting my 18-month-old twin grandchildren; my husband had gone to the local pet store to get supplies for his fish tank. He had been chatting with the people that work there - with 4 dogs and 1 large fish tank he is a frequent visitor - when a lady came in carrying a small white puppy. She said she had “found” him, gave him a bath, but couldn’t keep him because her child was allergic to him. She said if she couldn’t find someone to take him she was going to dump him. It was one of those rare very cold winter days we have here in Texas so my husband called me. With 4 dogs already, and having never had a puppy I was very concerned, but told him not to leave the poor thing if no one took him. He came home with this little ball of fur clinging to his shoulder and he was hooked. We had a small kennel but it needed to be cleaned so we put him in a laundry basket. The ladies from the pet store gave him some canned puppy food, the poor guy was starving. The next day I took him to the vet I work for; he was 6 pounds and estimated at 7 weeks old. Last thing we needed was another dog, so we called him Pup Pup so he wouldn’t have a name we got attached to, and had him vetted. We had some damage from Harvey and we had just gotten new carpets replaced 2 weeks before, and I was not thrilled with a puppy. I found a rescue group that would take him, but my husband was concerned about not knowing what would happen to him, and would not let him go. So Pup Pup joined the rest of our rescues. He is fearful of strangers, but is getting better. He is now a 35# boy who loves his daddy, and keeps the older dogs active. He has been a joy and a trial but we wouldn’t trade him for anything. Unconditional LOVE comes unexpectedly sometimes.

Joan Schaefer
MISSOURI CITY, TX

Tied to a mailbox

At the tender age of 7 or 8 weeks old this precious baby was tied to a mailbox by heartless human. Fortunately, a kind lady saw what happened and dashed over to rescue her. The rescuer already had three dogs and couldn't keep the puppy, so she took her to the Humane Society. We had lost our precious 5 year old girl, Bindi, to cancer just 6 months prior. My husband and I had visited several shelters in search of a special soul who really needed us. The manager of the Humane Society called my husband, saying a stray had been brought in a few days before and because they have to hold and vet check for a certain period of time, she wanted us to have first dibs on the puppy. She sent my hubby a photo, he sent it to me, and I said, "I don't care, just go get her." That was March of 2016. Gemma was that special soul who really needed us. She transformed from a mange-covered, broken-claws baby to a beautiful, well behaved, incredibly smart and very funny angel who sticks with me wherever I go. This is her with her brother, Brody, now 9 years old.

Di Cline
BEL AIR, MD

There's no way I can do that!

I was just moving into my new home when my friend that lived next door to me in my old apartment complex called for a favor. She said her daughter was being evicted and had to move but her new place wouldn't accept pets. They had a beagle puppy, 2 years old. She wanted me to go with her to the shelter to drop her off... I consider myself a good friend but, there's no way I can do that! I told her to bring the pup to my house, I would watch her for a while... with every intention of keeping her!! I just had to make my fiance think it was his idea... easy... Munchie (short for Munchkin) has been with us ever since. She is now ten, and very very pampered and happy! We also adopted a brother for her a hound-shepherd mix; his name is Neko, and he is 4 this year. They are our babies, our 14-year-old cat, Smokey, tolerates their existence, but we are a very happy family!! I'm still glad I couldn't take her to the shelter....

Donna Rock
RUTLEDGE, TN