Animal Rescue Stories

17-1/2 years of love

I was getting items from a storage unit, after a romantic break-up, when up walks a kitten, meowing to grab my heart-strings (how she knew this would work I call a God-thing). I tried to ignore her, not being in a very good mood due to the break-up, but when I opened the truck door to jump in, she did first! As I'm driving to my new apartment, she's under the pedals, then up on the seat-back, sniffing at and sucking on my ear lobe! Needless to say, she wasn't about to leave me, I believe sensing my need for another living soul's company, and I'm so thankful I was a cat person, for after getting her food and water dishes (a margarine container didn't cut it for water, as she'd playfully knock it over, spilling the water, with her front paw every time I filled it up), she stayed with me, even through four homes, for another 17-1/2 years. When she passed a month ago, I was heartbroken, but know she's awaiting my arrival in heaven, to show me around!

Brett H
INDIANAPOLIS, IN

Lil' Pixie

I had been out to dinner with my folks to celebrate my birthday at end of November, 2002. When I got home, I was enjoying a light snowfall and saw some raccoons coming up on my deck to have some kitty food I had been putting out. Suddenly, I saw a darling tortie face pop up on the deck, so I opened the door a crack and started quietly calling.

She came in for a minute and looked around, then went back out. Did this a couple more times until I decided she should stay with me and leave the raccoon family. I had two female cats already, which Pixie didn’t like, but she managed to tolerate them. Two more strays taken in later, she was not getting the attention she would have liked. Sadly, between 2014 and 2016, I lost four kitties! Now it’s just Pixie and me, with much more lap time and attention for the old girl. She’s a real doll and I’m so happy she found me!

Mary K Frymire
RACINE, WI

Our Suzy

I have not lived without a dog in my life since I was 7 years old, except for periods of finding another when that time came. It was that time again... after losing our 15-year-old rescued miniature Beagle to cancer in March 2014. In May 2014, I decided it was time to bring a new precious dog into our lives. I sat down at the computer and opened the website to our local shelter. What a great day that was... as I searched through the pictures of many beautiful dogs, I saw a picture of a little black Doxy sitting alone in her run and looking so forlorn. I told my husband immediately that we needed to get there NOW. As we walked through run after run of beautiful dogs, each was watching us intently and most were barking. Now, I have to say, if possible, I would have taken every one of them home with me. Suddenly, I saw this beautiful little black Doxy sitting all alone in what looked like a huge run... all alone. She looked at me with the saddest eyes and my heart melted....I knew we had to have this baby. Her name was Suzy. I knelt down and scratched her ears through the fencing and talked softly to her and she never took her eyes off of me. We immediately rushed back to the front desk, told them we wanted the Doxie, and gave them the run number. She looked in her files and then told me that she was not available because her owner was picking her up at 5 that day. Needless to say, my heart was broken. So much so that I was close to crying, hurriedly gave the clerk our name and phone number, and pleaded with her to call us immediately if anything changed because we really wanted this dog. She promised that she would. We left and I was so upset and didn't want to think about continuing our search for awhile.

The next morning, May 24, 2014 at 9 AM, I received a call from a woman who asked if we still wanted Suzy and I was so shocked I was at a loss for words momentarily... never expecting to get that call. I probably screamed YES into the phone and got the details from her owner. We arranged to meet her at 1 that afternoon at Pet Smart, where a group she was with was sponsoring an adoption afternoon. We were there before she arrived, and when she walked in with Suzy in her arms and handed her to me, I was shaking all over. I have to say, it was a strange situation and we never got "the whole story," but we paid her the asking price and walked out of the store with our new baby.

Fast forward to 2019 and our Suzy is the most precious thing we have. She is sweet, happy, rambunctious, definitely feisty, and loving beyond belief. Our life was complete, and in May 2019 we celebrate 5 years with Suzy and bless her for changing our lives forever.

To sum this story up in just a few words, life is not a life without a dog and because of Suzy, our lives will never be the same.

PLEASE RESCUE/ADOPT/SAVE!!!!! So many precious animals are praying for their forever homes and you will reap more joy than you can imagine. Whether it be a dog, cat, or whatever you fall in love with......you will never, ever be sorry!!!!! We say daily, "God sent us an angel with four feet and kisses that make us feel like a million bucks"!!!!

Julie & Gary
CLERMONT, FL

Three kitties

Our cat, Milo, unexpectedly died at the vet’s office. We were devastated. We decided to go to the shelter to see the cats there and maybe find one or two to bring home with us. We visited with a couple of them and then took a look in the kitten room. Three litter mates were in one cage playing with each other. We fell in love, but just couldn’t fathom having three cats. We had to leave as the shelter was closing. We decided we wanted to adopt one or two of those three kittens but which ones? We couldn’t leave one by itself, so I went back as soon as the shelter opened next and ran in and asked if all three were still available for adoption. They said, “yes” and I said, “we want all three.” Maddie, Ben, and Jerry have never had to be alone. They have been so much fun! Adopting from a shelter is the best way to go for sure. We can’t imagine life without our three kitties.

Sheryl Williams
LEANDER, TX

Rita, the Throwaway We Found

When my husband was working as a driver, he saw all parts of the city, industrial and residential alike. One night he passed through an area of old warehouses, and a little cat dashed in front of his van and disappeared. The next night, he returned to the place with some makeshift bowls and dry cat food. And that began his friendship with a little feral cat colony of mostly black and white tuxedo cats. He got them through a Minnesota winter, and spring brought with it a new "cloud of kittens," as he called it. It also brought the attention of the warehouse owner. He wanted the cats gone. The workers warned my husband, who had a chance to buy and set a trap. Soon we had most of the colony living on our porch.

On his very last day of trapping, two tiny Siamese kittens showed up, barely weaned, and definitely not related to the older tuxedo kittens. The vet told us they were probably rejects from a breeder, who must have seen the colony and knew the kittens would be cared for there. Rejects!! They came home with us to become our much loved baby kittens, the only real kittens we'd ever had. Long slender Cookie was so perfectly beautiful, but she carried her tail curled over her back like a little Husky, and had a bump on her aristocratic nose. Rita was chunkier than Cookie, and had white markings, lots of them! She is definitely not a "perfect" Siamese! From the beginning, she was a little fireball. As a kitten, she had to have medicine, and would hide under my dresser. I would reach one arm underneath, and she would attack with all her tiny fury, sinking all her teeth and claws into me. Then I could just pull my arm out with her attached -- I thought of it as fishing for Rita. Cookie succumbed to cancer 3 years ago, but Rita will be 18 in March, despite her kidney disease. She is spoiled rotten, and given anything her little heart desires. She's partially deaf now, and so with her big Siamese voice, she is deafening when she wants something. We have a new rescue cat, a tuxedo named Rounder, and although he's bigger, younger and more energetic than she is, she can wither him with just a frosty glare from her icy blue eyes. But we couldn't love her more if we tried. She is the most precious "reject" I can imagine, and her continued presence in our life is my perfect Valentine.

Annie
MINNEAPOLIS, MN

Little Buddy: My Feral Friend

I used to drive a taxi. It's by no means a good job, especially in those pre-Uber days, when you were always assigned some cab with a filthy steering wheel and a funny smell, and every potential rider knew you were alone and carrying cash. But it had one huge advantage for me: I didn't have a car. Doing errands like grocery shopping without one can be a bear, especially when you add in the weather Minnesota can throw at you in winter.

So one night I was dropping off in the north part of the city, and I saw a little cat. I slowed down and it dashed in front of me and into some overgrown bushes. The next time I drove, I went prepared with food and water, which I shoved as deep as I could into the bushes. From then on, I made sure I delivered food and water at least every two or three days. Eventually, my wife and I took a job that we could car-pool to with a friend. The pay was much better, but this meant I had to ride my bike up north (we live in the city's southeast side). And of course, that included the winter months.

During the middle of the first winter, I managed to get a homemade cat shelter to the area behind the bushes. I could see he was using it, but I didn't see him often. After I put the food down, I made a clicking sound, and sometimes he would magically appear, but he always kept his distance.

After the second winter, I decided I didn't want either of us to go through that again. I waited to feed him a bit longer than usual, then baited my live trap, leaving it partially hidden behind the bushes. I got him on the first day, poor hungry boy. I had him neutered and vaccinated, and then released him near my home. WHY??! Well, we already had some indoor cats, and I wasn't sure whether they'd all get along together. I also was worried that he'd be miserable inside. It was a dumb decision, though.

But as he's gotten older, he's gotten tamer. I rigged the basement window under the deck to be a cat-door with a ramp down to his choice of beds. He regularly comes in when I'm there, stopping halfway down so we can butt heads. He throws himself down with abandon and makes air-biscuits, purring all the while. He's still a bit afraid of hands, but sooner or later, he'll be my little indoor Buddy. I just know it.

Tom
MINNEAPOLIS, MN

My Fluffy story

Fluffy was abandoned at an apartment complex I lived in. I made sure there was fresh food and water daily for her. It was middle of summer on AZ. She finally walked up to me when I was sitting outside and jumped on my lap and started purring. She ate the Tempation treats I had right out of my hand. Glad she picked me as her human companion.

Sheri Blommer
MESA, AZ

Mother's Day 1999

A couple of months before Mother's Day, my cat of five years was diagnosed with Feline Leukemia. I did everything I could to help her; it progressed so quickly I eventually had to put her down (heartbreaking). I went back to the vet to pick up the body on Mother's Day, noticed two kittens in a cage, and asked about them. They were sisters, and adoptable. I sat in the car shedding a few tears, then finally went back in, knowing I could only give one a home. So I adopted one of them that day. I named her Willow. That was almost 19 years ago. We love her as much or more as the day I adopted her. Giving an animal a home is one of the most heartwarming things a person can do. ♥♥♥

Anita Waters
CLIFFSIDE, NC

Daisy Saved Me

When you lose someone you love you think your world has ended. That happened to me in 2018. My daughter was murdered. I was totally lost in my grief despite seeing a grief counselor. Even prior to our daughter's death, I had been telling my husband how badly I wanted a big yellow dog. We had lost our Golden in 2017. My husband kept refusing because we still have our other dog, Tucker. One day John went to the shelter where we have adopted all of our dogs, and asked if they had any big yellow dogs. The answer was yes - a dog was surrendered two hours earlier. We adopted her on the spot! She is very big and she is yellow! I named her Daisy - my daughter's favorite flower. Daisy immediately realized her job was to save me. And she has done just that. She has pulled me out of some of my darkest hours. God has blessed me with this beautiful soul.

Gail Drury
GALLATIN, TN

Loving even when it's hard

When I got out on my own and was ready to get my first dog of my own, I heard from a friend of a friend about some lab mixes that needed a home. By the time I got there, 2 pups were left and I was told whichever one I didn't take was going to a kill shelter so I took both (Printc & Beare)! They were the loves of my life but unfortunately at 6 years of age, Beare had an unexpected seizure at a regular vet check up and passed away. I had no intention of replacing him but his brother was inconsolable. He wouldn't eat, go for walks, or accept any treats. Begrudgingly, we took him to the local humane society to find a forever friend and make sure it was a dog he would get along with. Upon entry to the shelter, many dogs were outside running and playing and as soon as I saw SAYDE, we made eye contact, she stopped short, and she immediately took my breath away. If Beare could have come back to life in another dog, it was Sayde; same markings, same body type, and same type of personality! I couldn't believe my eyes and then I learned she had the same name as our first family dog was the cherry on top! I kept an open mind and we tried out multiple dogs to see who would best get along with our sweet Printc. As fate would have it, Sayde was the one he loved the most! We took her home and soon realized how completely unprepared we were to care for this dog. All we had known about her backstory was that she had been a runaway and was probably about a year old. We instantly fell in love with her but she had a lot of issues that we were not aware of. Sayde (we think) is a boxer/pit/akita mix and is incredibly loyal, sweet, funny, and beautiful but she also has extreme separation anxiety! Both she and many crates/bathrooms/blankets/etc had been war torn and destroyed multiple times before we realized what was wrong with her and that there was medication available for something like that. She wouldn't let us cut her nails, she was so loyal that she scared off a few people/dogs, and she shredded just about everything in site! After awhile, we also figured out that she was terrified of tall men in hats (we are guessing she had been abused in the past). To put it plainly, she was a pain in the butt, until I realized that it was I that was a pain in the rear that just didn't understand how to properly care for her. There were many times I came home to disaster after disaster, threatening to take her back, but knowing I would try everything in my power to keep her before that was the answer. When I finally started to understand more about her and why she had so many "issues", I started to show her UNCONDITIONAL love and even started to love her issues. She still has severe separation anxiety (which is why I can't have pretty things, lol), she is on human anxiety medication, we have to slightly rearrange our lives to accommodate her, but daily leashless walks help burn some of that anxiety energy off. She is now 10 years old and unfortunately last year we lost Printc at 14, but we gained a new pit puppy that has brought a new energy in the house. The great thing is that Sayde has really taken our new pup (Buck) under her wing and groomed him to be the (mostly) well behaved little boy he is today. (I'm pretty sure she has had more success training him than I!) She has been so patient and understanding with him (even when he tries to push her limits) but in doing that, she continues to teach me more and more to have patience myself and how to just love, even when it's hard. She is an inspiration to me for many reasons, but my rescue dog that I didn't want, has become the most important, precious, beautiful soul I have ever known. She truly is the rescue that rescued me right back! She has the cutest howl when she gets excited at treat time or when we come home. She quickly becomes everyone's favorite after they first get over the fear of how intimidating she looks. She won't take treats from just anybody, she has to trust them first and she does not give kisses away freely, you have to earn them! But this sweet little girl who is still scared of tall men in hats, QUICKLY latched onto and fell more in love with my now husband of 6'2" who ALWAYS wears a hat, than anyone else in this whole world (maybe even me,lol). She gets me out of bed every day, and makes me get out and walk in the cold, but she is the best part of my EVERY day and coming home to her after being anywhere is the best feeling in the whole world, for both of us! Thank you Sayde Mae, for teaching me in actions, to be a better version of myself every day!

Nicole Eaton
PELLSTON, MI