Our rescued Rosie

Our rescued Rosie

Only 15 short months ago you came into our lives, abused, neglected, and sadly underweight. That very first day you knew that you were finally in your forever home. I held you close to my heart and you fell asleep after a big sigh, finally able to relax. It took us a while to find a food that you could eat, we didn’t know that chicken gave you seizures. But we finally found a food that you could tolerate and you almost doubled your weight, finally up to over 5 pounds like you should have been. We knew that you might not be with us long, you were already 14 and had a lot of problems, both physically and emotionally, but that only made us love you more because you seemed to fit right in with us. When the inevitable time came, your appetite waned and so did your energy. I tried to tell myself that it was your bad teeth and if those were taken care of, everything would be okay. You only had 5 or 6 left and we made sure your food was soft enough that there was no need to chew it, so everything will be good then, right? No, my love, everything was not good. You seemed to be recovering well from your teeth, but then that old problem resurfaced. You couldn’t keep anything down, you had diarrhea that was black and you were getting weaker by the minute. I knew then that the blockage that was most likely malignant, that seemed to come and go was back for the last time. I made the appointment and held you close all the way there. As always, you were such a good little girl, you never fussed and I held you right to the very end. I held you close all the way home, and while I was readying your little grave, I laid you in your bed in the warm sunshine for one last time. Now you’re resting in the little back yard that you loved so much, your own little domain, right next to your little “sister”, our little Penny Pom. You never got to meet her, but now you have forever to romp and play together. God bless you little Rosie, you are forever in our hearts.

~Robert Tracey
MALONE, NY

Unexpected Puppy

Unexpected Puppy

We wanted to adopt a second dog to keep Midnight, our 15 year old dog, company. We looked at several rescues, looking for calm adult dogs, ideally over 2 years old. Puppies are adorable, but they are a lot of work, and full of energy. We wanted a calmer dog who could play with us, but provide companionship for Midnight. Online, we fell in love with one dog at a local rescue. She was almost 4, and came from a hoarder in Louisiana. She was very calm, and while she wasn't attached to us right away, we figured that was her hoarding background, and with love and training we could quickly win her over. We named her Voodoo in honor of her Louisiana origins. When we got her home, we quickly realized she wasn't housebroken. It's not uncommon for hoarding dogs, and coming out the stressful shelter environment, totally understandable. She peed right by her food bowl, and had a lot of fear urination when noises scared her, someone new came to the house, etc. However, it was soon clear that she had a serious tummy issue. We took her to our vet, who diagnosed her with giardia. Not only that, but she told us Voodoo was less than 9 months old! We really didn't want to take on all the work associated with a puppy, we were clear about wanting adult dogs. 9 days after adopting Voodoo, my senior dog tore her ACL. Because of her age, surgery wasn't an option, so we worked with a veterinary rehab facility 40 minutes away. She went weekly for water therapy and laser treatments for her arthritis to help her walk again. This was an extremely stressful time, trying to balance the health of my senior dog and taking care of a puppy! There were lots of tears, and many times I felt like giving up. However, I believe that adoption is for life. We house trained Voodoo over several weeks, bought a carpet cleaner for her many accidents, cured the giardia, and got her used to walking on a leash. We also had to puppy-proof the house, after losing shoes, a comforter, sheets, chair covers, ottoman legs, you name it. Oh, puppies... Voodoo learned to be gentle with our senior, and a year later, we had to let Midnight cross the Rainbow Bridge at 16 years old. She was with us for over 15 years, and we miss her terribly. Voodoo has turned into a very sweet dog. With training she has learned to be less scared of strangers and daycare twice a week has helped her socialize with both people and dogs. She is slowly learning to snuggle with us on the couch, and loves chasing the squirrels in our new home. We are thinking about getting another dog who can run and play ball with her (there is no way I can keep up with her!) but we are taking our time, and making sure we get a good fit. And the number one rule is - no puppies!

~Sylvia Zenteno-Booker

SMYRNA, GA

Fleetwood & Mac

Fleetwood & Mac

My husband found a litter of kittens and their mother in a dirty crawl space by his work. He was able to get all of them out save and dropped them off at the Monmouth County SPCA to make sure they where healthy and would find a good home. We decided to keep the first kitten he pulled out and went to the shelter to pick the little guy up. As soon as we walked through our door he wanted to be with Fleetwood, our Golden Retriever. We just had to name him Mac. He loves Fleetwood so much and we always find them sharing the same bed and even the dog food! Since than we adopted another cat that followed Mackie home one night. We think we might have to buy a bigger dog bed to fit both cats and the dog.

~Sylvia Miller

Port Monmouth, NJ

Dixie Lee Harper

Dixie Lee Harper

We found Dixie last fall online while we were in search of a puppy for our son's 11th birthday last year. Dixie was soon spotted on the web page for our local animal control website. I fell in love with her that first moment. Ironically the adoption day was on Cameron's birthday September 27 so off we go to the event over in Gastonia. She was very excited to have so many giving her attention. But the minute we walked into the building I told one of the reps there, 'this is our dog'. She smiled and began our paperwork. Dixie was 2 months old at this time. She is a terrier-basset hound mix, although our vet tells us she has a little lab and boxer thrown in. She never ceases to amaze me at how smart she is by doing things that are just so interesting. However our cat, Bailey, was not too thrilled at her arrival. Over the last 6 1/2 months, they have come around with each other and although there not the best of friends yet, they do have their moments. They do have one thing in common, and that is their color/markings. Who would have ever known that a little over 9 years after rescuing our cat Bailey, we would find her a sibling to match in color. I am so glad we have her and can't imagine life without her now, not ever. She is very protective of me especially. She keeps me company 24/7. Life is not boring in the least here now. Dixie is now almost 7 months old (She was born on or around July 28 2008) according to our vet. I would recommend to anyone that is searching for that perfect pet to please visit their local animal shelter.

~Lisa Harper

Belmont, NC

What's Two More?

What's Two More?

I have always been a cat lady. A few years ago a coworker mentioned that her dog had killed a momma cat who had just given birth and she and her mother were hand raising the babies. They were looking for homes for three kittens, a gray boy and girl and a black girl. I already had five senior cats, but a kitten would be such fun, so I told her I would take the black girl. A couple of weeks later she still needed a home for the gray girl so I told her I would take her as well. Best decision I ever made. The girls are now four years old and bring me joy every single day. I'm so glad they joined the family.

~Barbara Kramer

LEESBURG, FL

Left Alone In An Abandoned House

Left Alone In An Abandoned House

Seven years ago a mom and her two babies were left alone in an abandoned house after their owners moved away. The babies were only weeks old. A neighbor heard the momma barking and called animal control. The momma was weak and could hardly feed her babies when the Garrard County Animal Control arrived. They took them to the shelter and got them cleaned up, fed and in a warm quiet place. A few days later I received a call to come take a look at the pups because the shelter knew that I was looking to adopt. I pick up this little tiny, what looked like a Yorkie at the time, and she immediately nestled into my neck and there was no turning back. She went home with me that night and Maggie is the best dog I have ever had. She is a Parvo survivor and as you can see in picture she is not a Yorkie, but she is my heart and I am blessed to be her mom. #rescuesarethebest

~Kathy H Patchel

LANCASTER, KY

Waiting a Long Time to Heal

Waiting a Long Time to Heal

A couple of months after the passing of our beloved Shih Tzu "Mitzi" my wife began looking for a furry healer for our broken hearts. She found "Buddy" at our local shelter. He wasn't the "Shih Tzu" that the shelter had advertised, but she still wanted me to meet him. I went the next day with her to the shelter and I was intrigued. We still hurt from losing Mitzi, but the hour we spent in the shelter's Meet and Greet room was enlightening. Our little "Chewie" was obviously a broken soul. He only wanted to spend time with my wife, occasionally offering me a few short visits here and there. He would look out the glass window any time anyone walked by as if he was hoping they would take him out of the shelter. His fur was very matted and his aroma was not at all pleasant. My wife said that Chewie had been in and out of the shelter and foster for 3 years, since he was a puppy. I wasn't sure I was ready for a new dog and I could tell that my wife had reservations as well, but Chewie thought my wife was his mama. It was obvious. I decided that Chewie needed us as much as we needed him in order for all of us to heal. We took Chewie home that night. The next day we went to the pet supply store to get our newest family member cleaned up and looking handsome. A couple of toys and some new supplies later, we were on the road to recovery as a family. Chewie was a broken little boy and it took a long time for him to come out of his shell. We noticed him starting to follow us around the house. He would occasionally make eye contact, and the accidents in the house decreased. Then one day he wanted up on our bed. He had shown no interest in the bed before, so this was a new experience. Up he went for a spin around the bed. We knew he was coming out of his shell when we left the bedroom to finish up some chores and left Chewie up on the bed to get used to the new surroundings. A few minutes after we left the room Chewie gave a little bark. We looked at each other and asked the same question. "Was that Chewie?". We went to the bed room and sure enough, there was Chewie looking at us with that "Well...." look in his eyes. He has continued to grow and become a wonderful, happy little man-pup. It has been 5 years since our journey began and has been rewarding for us all. He is a bit of a couch potato, but that's just fine with me. He likes to sit with me on our chair and I enjoy calling "puppy paralysis" whenever I can. He is still not sure, about his sister but that's another story.

-Kurtis Van Cleave

ROY, UT

Happiest Dog Ever

Happiest Dog Ever

We got Molly at a local shelter. Best we can tell she is a Maltipoo. She was rescued from a hoarder - dirty, starving, covered in fleas, and heartworm positive. She weighed less than 3 pounds. We went through heartworm treatment with her and got her weight up to 8 pounds. She has never met anyone she didn't like and is the sweetest, happiest dog! I wanted a bigger dog, but my husband wanted her. So glad he won that argument. She is so easy to love. Wouldn't part with her for a million dollars.

     -PJ Tennies  

SLIDELL, LA

My Sweet Norton

       My Sweet Norton

My previous god Matilda, the love of my life, had suddenly died in December of 2006, but I didn't feel ready to start looking for a new pooch until January of 2008. At that time, I started dipping my toe back in the rescue world and looking at Petfinder on-line. Then I received an email from my then-boyfriend (now husband)Brad. His friend LaSonia had found a little dog at an apt complex she was visiting and brought it home for safekeeping. She had been able to track down the poochie's owners, but they didn't want him back. Brad forwarded me the email thinking that I might know someone who would want a dog. That someone turned out to be me. We went and picked up Norton that next Saturday and brought him home. He turned out to be about 7 months old, with long hair, and a male. I had always said how I didn't want a puppy, and liked short-haired, dark-colored female dogs (like Matilda has been). Apparently, the universe had a different idea on the perfect dog for Brad and me. 12 years later, we still adore our long-haired, fawn-colored, male Chihuahua Norton. He has had success as a pet therapy dog at an area nursing home and he brings joy to our lives every single day.

                                                                                                                     ⎯Carolyn Clark

                                                                                                                        RENTON,WA