Animal Rescue Stories

Shaking and crying

I was at Petco for an adoption fair. The room was filled with cats in cages, but amidst all of the noise I heard this little "meow". I searched the cages until I found him crying and shivering. He was a black and white kitten, a tuxedo cat. I knew I had to take him home. When I got him home I was setting up his litter box and food bowls, and I lost track him. I looked everywhere; I figured he was hiding under the bed and would come out when he was ready. I went to put away some wash and when I opened the bottom drawer I found him sound asleep on my clothes. He has grown up into an 18 pound cat that looks like he as some Maine coon in him; he can't fit in that drawer any longer.

Denise Guth
VALENCIA, CA

The Bandit Who Stole My Heart

I fell in love with a Bandit who stole my heart at first sight, as soon as I noticed him online when I searched for dogs to adopt in 2009. I drove 2 1/2 hours to meet the doggie transport to pick him up. We made a connection as soon as we met, then we drove 2 1/2 hours home! He has been The Love of My Life - The Bandit Who Stole My Heart.

RRM
CLIFTON PARK, NY

Two Cats

In September of 2014 I got a call from an old neighbor that informed me he had to find a new home for his two cats. I hesitated about getting two cats, but seeing they were siblings I took them both. The male's name was Slick and the female's Mitsy Molly. In 2016 I lost the male cat to cancer. Now it's just Molly and me. I am so happy to still have her as she is fifteen years old, is healthy and good company.

Susan Platz
MILWAUKEE, WI

Best Flea Market Find EVER !

Hi everybody. I'm Gigi, which stands for good girl. I'm 8 1/2 yrs old. My mom got me at the local flea market at the end of 2013. Her & dad had a business there & I was found wandering around. When mom went to the office to pay her booth rent we met. About 15 minutes later she got called back & asked to take me home & try to find my family. She put an ad in the paper, took me to the vet to check for a chip (didn't have one) & then took me to the local shelter to have them post my picture on their website. They'd only do it if she left me there. She agreed on one condition. If my family didn't come for me she got to adopt me. When that loooong 7 days was up & I heard mom's voice I tried to jump a chest-high counter to get to her. I knew what family I wanted, & mom & dad are happy they have me. Mom says I'm the best thing she ever got at a flea market!

Barbara Cameron
HOMOSASSA SPRINGS, FL

What's in a Name?

It had been nearly one year since my dog, C.J., had passed away from cancer, and I was finally ready to look for a new furbaby. In an email from the Asheville Humane Society, I was scrolling through the headshots of dogs when one caught my eye. She was a black lab mix (which my last 3 dogs all were) AND they'd named her Ladybug, which was the same name as one of my previous furbabies! I felt like this was a "sign" that she was meant to be ours. We went to visit her the next day and found out she was very timid around men, as she must have been abused in the past. We adopted her and once we got her home, she warmed right up to my husband. She's been with us almost 2 years now and she's such a loving dog; we love her so much! She's still pretty timid around male strangers, but she knows who she can trust!

Carol Kistler-Seymore
ASHEVILLE, NC

Bigby will always hold a special place in my heart.

We've had many wonderful cats. I've loved them all. But Bigby is one of a kind. I went to the shelter after losing our gorgeous, sweet Jubilee because our other cat Logan needed a friend. They weren't instant friends but Bigby could win anyone over. He's a snuggler. He sleeps on me and if I get up in the night, he takes advantage of it to lay across my neck for some additional pets before returning to my side. When our other cat is laying in the cat bed, Bigby has to join him (whether he wants him to or not - haha). He's a talker with a wide 'vocabulary', which my husband hates, but I admit I encourage because I talk to him constantly. It would be rude not to answer him. ;o) But Bigby isn't just mine. He loves everyone, he's fearless and bold. My heart will die a little when he's gone. But there will always be room for more furry babies.

Teresa Walsh
CHICO, CA

Our Blake Shelton

My husband & I said goodbye to our Husky/Shepherd, Lysa, to salivary gland cancer in Oct 2017. We were devastated. The house was so quiet & our grief was great. We were both just "looking" at various Husky websites to see if one caught our eye. One day in March 2018 we found a husky that interested us so we traveled an hour to go meet this 7 year old boy. They had a "Voice" theme going on with some of the dogs. It was here we found our Blake Shelton. We found out his owners just opened the door & let him go because they thought he had cancer because he had a lump on his shoulder. In the end it was just a fatty cyst & Blake is perfectly healthy with no sign of cancer. The rescue called the owners who didn't want him. Their loss is our gain. Blake has filled our hearts with the love of a dog again. The past 11 months have been a work in progress. He is the laziest, most loving husky you could ever meet & no one believes he is almost 8! Blake loves training, running like the wind in my Dad's yard & treeing squirrels, going to "camp" to see his many friends, his spot to sleep on the couch, & going on walks. He happily greets us when we get home from work. There is nothing like the wag of a tail with kisses to greet you after a day of work. Everyone wants to pet him & tells him he is so beautiful & they love his ginger coloring. He doesn't talk very much, which in unusual for a Husky but when he snuggles us we know what he is saying. We have given him a wonderful home, but he really saved us!

Lisa Piscitello
CAROL STREAM, IL

How to Heal a Broken Heart

I'd just lost my 18-year-old rescue cat, Precious, and was sad beyond belief. Then one day, I came home and a little gray kitten walked out from behind the corner of the garage. Maybe 4-months-old, I petted her, played with her a bit, and realized she was a female...which meant more stray kittens if she wasn't spayed soon. So I brought her inside, called the veterinarian, and got that done. Of course, I had to keep her for at least 10 days after the surgery, thinking the entire time I'd either release her or find her another home. But long before those 10 days were up, I'd fallen in love. She was a sweet little ball of silver-gray fur, barely purred, and only made the softest squeak of sound when she meowed. I started calling her Pip-squeak and today she's simply Pippa...the girl who healed my broken heart.

Heidi
KYLERTOWN, PA

He Rescued Me.

I took care of my mother for 12 years before she passed at 90 years old, just before Christmas 2016. I sold the house and moved back to Oregon from California, which I had made my home for 57 yrs. My son came with me for a new start, but he took his life a few weeks after moving. I was all alone with losing the two most important people in my life. My son was my only child. After a month, my niece talked me into going with her to a rescue shelter and see if there was a dog for me. And, of course, there was Bailey. A Papillon mix that stole my heart. When I adopted him they told me he was rescued from a puppy mill in California. We already had something in common. He goes everywhere with me and even sleeps with me. He's a service dog now. He's my baby.

Kathleen
SALEM, OR

Love at first sight

I went to look at a puppy a woman had for sale. She had keep the puppy outside in a fenced in space with no shelter and no food or water. I took one look at the puppy and I knew that we had a connection. I told the woman I will take this baby girl and love her forever. Her name is doodlebug and she is my best friend and I love her with all of my heart and soul.

Ann Salyers
WABASH, IN