Member Story: Abandoned Pup Chooses Love

Having had 2 English Setters in the past, my husband and I are in love with the breed. But we also have a passion for adoption, as we have 2 rescued cats and a rescued mutt named Jack. I was surfing the web one day, thinking that Jack needed a companion, when I saw a local rescue had an English Setter! I immediately called the shelter and was told that "Babe" would be at our local Petsmart on Saturday. We were very excited and hopeful everything would work out. Saturday my husband, our dog Jack, and I went to meet Babe. When we got to Petsmart, the shelter people had several dogs and cats in crates in the back of the store. We looked for a setter, but didn't see one. Then I noticed the tag on one of the crates said "Babe". We couldn't believe it - she looked NOTHING like a setter. She was terribly skinny anda dirty white color except for black ears. Her underside was yellow from lying in her own urine. She had a long pointy nose and the saddest eyes I'd ever seen. The girl from the shelter assured us that yes, Babe was determined to be a pure bred. They had rescued her from a kill shelter. Their vet guessed she was somewhere between 8-10 years old. Did we want a senior dog? We didn't even hesitate - yes, we wanted her. She met Jack and they were fine together, so we loaded her in the car and took her home, re-naming her Ellie. After an adjustment period (where she "hid" in the darkness of our bathroom, she tentatively started feeling at home. After a few months on a good diet her black spots popped out all over! She gained 15 lbs. and at last looked like an English Setter. Ellie is the sweetest dog we've ever had. We're so glad fate brought us together that day. We have now had her for 3 years and she is playful as a puppy. We are very happy that her last years, however many that may be, will be spent being loved.

In december 2008 I lost my companion 0f 13 years a matese named Muffin by my mother, shortly after I heard of a puppy that had been left at a veterinarian, when I ask about it they told me it was a male westie of 9 months. I managed to received him 3 days before christmas, we've been friends since then and I've succeeded in training him to walk with and without a leash, wich impress other westies owner. He is a real treat to everyone he meets as he is extremely sociable and know how to endear himself to peoples.

Niko,one of our 4 Shih Tzus passed away at 14 after struggling with congestive heart failure. My husband and I always had 4 of these little guys, so 2 months after (time to grieve and not appear as if we were trying to "replace him"), we decided to adopt in his honor. Although we had aquired Niko and Tasha (who is 16 now) from a breeder, our other 2 were rescues stemming from various circumstances. I began to Google rescue groups and look at their available pets when I saw a picture of Bailey. I had to have him. He had this twisted little mouth and confused look on his face,tilted head and these hugh googly eyes. A face only a mom could love....and I did. We applied and had a "sleep-over" with Bailey, something the Rescue group does to make sure a pet is a good fit for your home and other pets. He walked into our house as if to say " Hi, I'm home" And he was! It turns out that the twisted mouth was missing teeth, and his tongue hangs out from the spaces...a result of being kept in a cage for the first 2 years of his life with another dog. We and our vet speculate that he was biting on the cage in frustration to get out, something common in dogs that are caged all the time, and dislocated his jaw, pulled out teeth or damaged them so they had to be removed, and judging from the hugh scar and notch in it, tore his tongue during one of these frustrated moments. The former owners then took him to the shelter and said they could not take care of him any more.I said" they weren't taking care of him in the first place" Bailey was an 11th hr dog, he was on the Euth list for the next morning when he was pulled by the rescue organization, at only 2 yrs old. Just the thought of them killing this sweet, young, healthy dog makes me physically sick to my stomach. But Bailey had a higher purpose in his young life. Not only do we just adore him, he has become the best bud to our youngest who, due to the ages of the other 2, had no playmate. And I have become an advocate for animal rescue,advocacy,worldwide animal causes and volunteer for shelters and rescue groups. He has made me a better person and I have discovered my true purpose in life. AND....Do not ever think that your adoptive animal does not know what you have done for him, Bailey is like velcro with me. And I wouldn't have it any other way cause we rescued each other!

A little over three years ago, we decided to adopt a dog for my son as his beloved pit bull had been stolen a year before right from our backyard. It was tragic at the time, but the story has a good outcome. We looked at our local shelter's website and found a small beagle mix who was around a year old and looked adorable. As a surprise, we didn't tell our 9 and 11 year old children where we were going. One of my daughter's friends happened to be along, as well. When we arrived at the SPCA, our kids thought we were going to volunteer, but nearly exploded when we told them we were there to adopt. When they brought this little powder keg of a dog into the visiting room, she jumped from lap to lap without hitting the floor for at least three times around. She chased a ball and was extremely hyper. My husband gave me "that look" indicating that he wasn't sure of such an energetic dog. We noticed that she had a crooked back leg and seemed to be very anxious. We learned that she had been at the shelter for over 5 months and we guessed the fact she hadn't been adopted was because she was so hyper. With the children's overwhelming approval, we adopted her on the spot. Upon arriving home, she settled in right away and got along well with our laid-back cat, while our big black boy, Kiko, wanted to make it clear to the interloper that he was in charge (that never changed!). My 9 year old daughter and her friend slept on the living room floor that night and "Trixie" slept under the covers between them. She was in heaven. When my daughter's friend went home the next day, Trixie wandered the house looking and whining for her. Three years later, she still explodes with kisses and whimpers whenever she sees her! Thank goodness she and my daughter are life-long friends. As time passed, we deduced that she was abused, because we can't raise our voices around her (even to reach from one floor to the other) without her looking nervous or cowering. The worst form of discipline we can use is the rare stern look and a quiet "Trixie" before she just melts on the floor. Our vet told us that her crooked leg was from an unset break when she was a puppy and she was obviously abused. We are so happy we picked her. About a year after we adopted her, her muzzle began to grey, so we think she is much older than they indicated. We don't care, we love her and hope she lives a long, long time. A year ago, we adopted another pit bull and Trixie "raised" her and keeps that rambunctious pup in line. It really is true, the best dogs come from the shelter.

Interesting! I hope that everyone's weekend is great and safe! Good luck with Chooey!

Over the years, I have adopted many dogs and cats from my local Humane Society or through my vet but the latest one adopted me. November, 2012 must have been Adopt a Human Month. I had noticed a large, white cat wandering around my neighborhood. He did not look familiar and for the first few days would not come to me. One day, I pulled in and stopped my car to collect my mail. Once again, I saw the white cat but this time, I could see that he was meowing at me. Once I called to him, he came right over, rubbed against my legs, and purred loudly. He then made a beeline for the garage where I found him waiting at the back door. Despite my many attempts to eject him, he made it very clear that I was to open the door. The minute the door was opened, he walked right in and immediately looked at home. I left him in the utility room while I let my three dogs out into the backyard. I then let him into the family room and he made himself right at home. He checked out the other cats and when I showed him the litter pans, he very neatly used one of them and then proceeded to help himself to almost a full bowl of dry food. This occurred over two months ago and Jack the Cat is now a fully integrated member of the family. He is a very large and handsome boy with white hair and big green eyes. He is also one of the laziest, most laid back animals I have ever met and only moves fast when food is involved. I have no idea where he came from, if he was lost or abandoned, but he was not micro-chipped and I have never seen any fliers or ads for a missing cat matching his description. He is about two years old and has been neutered. Clearly, he was an indoor cat and since he has been with me, the closest he has come to the out of doors, other than trips to the vet, is when he lays by my desk and gazes out the window. I think it was fortuitous that we found each other and, after all, what is one more cat when I already have five of them plus the three dogs? Jack has found his forever home with me.

Before my husband and I got married I begged him for a puppy. He told me to start lookin around. I, of course, immediately went to shelter websites and began callin all local rescue centers. I knew I wanted to give an "unwanted" puppy (all dogs are "puppies" to me, no matter their age) a forever home. I have always been good at training dogs so I knew that I would be well suited to give a traumatized animal a second chance. A few days after my birthday at the end of September in 2010, my best friend, Jessie Norton of Memphis, called me with concerns. She had a friend that had been attempting to sell the final two puppies of a recent litter. Jessie knew I was lookin for a puppy in need and when she was told the story of these two poor puppies, she knew that she had a to bring us together. Two solid white, six month old, male pit bull puppies had been shut up in a garage belonging to a friend of the owner. They had never seen grass before and were said to be "very skinny" just like their mother. The owner was on the verge of turning them over to a local shelter. She claimed she "just couldn't deal with two more dogs right now". After playing phone tag for about a week, a meeting was set up. My husband and I went to my friend Jessie's home. The two puppies owner met us there with the dogs. It had been settled before hand that she would not be charging us for the puppies. She had already sold the litter mates for a rather large profit but since she had already decided to give them to a shelter, she agreed to give them to us. When we walked in the house, the tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife. Jessie and her boyfriend, Nick, were both extremely upset. When I saw the "skinny" puppies I instantly understood. My husband and I were given two of the most abused puppies I have ever seen. They had not been victim to physical beatings, but the abuse was very apparent. The "owner" left soon after we arrived and I assume she realized she was standing in a room with 4 extremely angry animal lovers. Every rib stuck out half and inch. You could see the knots in their tails. They were six months old and had hit several growth spurts so they had long legs that could barely hold up their malnourished bodies. Their heads were so large in comparison to the rest of them that they looked like a bobble head toy and actually moved like one. They were very uncoordinated and had very poor balance. Their gums very so pale they were almost white and swollen around almost every tooth. They had worms that I discovered when I was examining their tails and happened to look at their rectums and actually saw worms crawling out. After that I was having difficulty containing my horror, grief, and anger for these two loving puppies, because even in such an inexcusable condition all they wanted to do was climb in my lab and give me kisses. Jessie and Nick helped me get both of them fed before we embarked on the hour and half long car ride to their new home in Northeast Mississippi. When I thanked them for supplying them with much need nutrition, I was informed of the most disturbing fact concerning this entire ordeal. With these poor malnourished puppies literally starving to death in her garage, when she gave them to us she included a 100 pound bad of dry Puppy Chow and 2 cases of extra large cans of wet dog food, which was 24 cans approximately 16 oz each. When we put the food in front of them the fear in them was obvious. I don't know what all those two were forced to endure, and I am honestly glad that I never found out. They gorged themselves on the small amounts of food I gave them. I knew they were likely to eat very quickly and make themselves sick in the process, so we have them a quarter of a cup every 20-30 minutes. With huge swollen bellies and new loving parents and god-parents (Jessie and Nick) we loaded up to very sleepy and much happier puppies to bring home for good. They both sleep the first night with hardly a single move or noise. The next morning I fixed their breakfast, which included their canned and dry food in which I added some extra fatty things for a treat and to help fatten them up a bit. I noticed that Killer didn't eat much of his but assumed his tummy might not be feeling 100% after such a poor diet for so long. I took them to play outside, which was a much bigger ordeal then I would have imagined. Neither had ever seen so much as a single blade of grass so our 80 acre farm was overwhelming to them. A few hours later they were running through the fields, splashing in mud puddles, and barking at the two horses we own. Literally having the time of their young lives. Then they both took a turn for the worse. I hoped it was just the medication, radically different diet, or the drastic change in their living environment, but Killer continued to eat and drink very little that first day. I warmed milk, offered pedia-lite and powerade, tried to bribe him to eat with tuna, freshly prepared deer meat, anything and everything I had in my kitchen that I hoped would help. By the end of the third day, Killer couldn't hold his head up and wouldn't even drink the fluids I was pouring into his mouth with a syringe. He refused to eat anything at all. Kilo continued to eat small amounts of the food I gave him, never eating all of it, and drank in a similar fashion. I think he was making sure Killer had something to eat and drink. The vet my family uses was very helpful, even though it was the weekend. We had an appointment for the next morning. During phone conversations, the doctor told me that I was doing everything possible with the exception of an IV. He was no afraid of disease or illness but of permanent damage that had been done from the malnutrition. I had been keeping them separated from fear of a contagious illness but accepted that night that if one had a disease, the probability was almost certain they both did. I didn't see the point of keeping them apart if it was their last night. They were very dependent on each other due to the was they lived for their first 6 months. When Killer finally fell to sleep I but him in the bed next to Kilo around 10 o'clock that night. At midnight I noticed Kilo moving around a whimpering. I knew immediately that we had lost Killer, but then a miracle happened. I honestly assumed that with Killer being gone, that Kilo would not be long behind him due in part to the grief of losing his brother. What happened could not have shocked my husband and I more. When my husband took Killer to his final resting place, I gave Kilo a bath and a fresh bowl of food and water. He instantly devoured every bite of the food and drop of the water I set out for him. He came to life with a vengeance. He was running around the house and playing like I had never seen him do. We took him to the vet the next morning as scheduled and he was given clean bill of health. Killer was to far gone when we got him. The doctor said there was just nothing that would have saved him by then. He told me that my vigilance is what spared Kilo from the same fate. Today Kilo is a very loving 80 lb. 2 year 9 month. He is the smartest dog I have ever owned. I have him trained to specific key words as well as hand signals. He has no linger effects from his mistreatment during his first few months. He loves people and other dogs, especially children and babies. He is very protective, primarily of me, but does watch out for anybody that I consider a friend. He can sense my feelings and emotions concerning people and instantly loves my friends even if I haven't seen them in years. I love that dog with all my heart and every time I think about the life he had before Jessie found him and brought us together, I consider violence. It absolutely breaks my heart just thinking about kind of animal abuse. Everyday I do what I can to end any abuse that I am aware of. It amazes me how forgiving animals are when it comes to their own mistreatment. Kilo has no lasting effects from his abuse, neither emotional or physical.

When one of my relatives passed away not too long ago, I ended up with her dog. I figured that I would find a new home for the dog, but one night I was up on the living room couch with a worried mind, crying and very depressed, and this dog just came right up and gave me a kiss and sat with me for hours. I decided that this little guy was a true friend to me and resolved to make his life as joyful and he made mine. Not only did I end up keeping this dog, but I adopted another dog from the pound (whose family had left him after HIS owner died). I'm so blessed to have my two poochies. We go hiking every weekend and when we're together on a walk or even just watching the world go by from the front yard, I've learned to just enjoy the sun, the air, and just elemental things from them. It's like the Doobie Brother's song, "without love, where would you be now?"

Well my latest addition is Apollo.. a brindle boxer that is just so amazing. I love him so much. We still do not understand why he led the life he did but we know it was a hard one. He is our dancing fool.

My dog Frankie was brought up from the south and adopted by a single mom and her teenage son. The gave him back shortly after because he barks to much. I found his pic online and saw he was fostered an hour away so I made an appointment to meet. Love at first sight and what a ball of energy. I have had him 2 1/2 years and I would never look back he is the best. Spends his weekends at his "Nana & Papa's" so Dad can work and brings joy to all of us!!! Oh yea the barking isnt even an issue he barks very very rarely

i feed all the animals that stop by my porch every night. most are feral but every once in a while i meet a dog or cat who is clearly domesticated. when this is the case, i either find a no-kill shelter with space for them or i find them homes myself. one such domesticated cat began to spend all her time in my backyard. i called her vice president bitsy (because she always has something to say). i asked around the neighborhood to see if perhaps she belonged to someone. she did. some college girls a few doors down said she was theirs and verified that she was spayed. well, the vice president continued to spend all her time in my yard and i just assumed that my cat food was tastier or she got more attention from me and my family. i loved driving into my garage after getting off work and seeing bitsy race in after me meowing and purring. a month passed like this and the weather started to get really cold and rainy but bitsy was ALWAYS outside. i hated it. i stressed over it. finally i went and knocked on my neighbor's door to see if maybe they couldn't keep her in when the weather was terrible. THEY HAD MOVED! they unabashedly abandoned my sweet vice president. so i took bitsy to the vet and made sure her shots were updated and she didn't have any contagious diseases before i added her to my family of 5 other inside kitties. she was healthy except for some severe dental disease. my vet fixed her up though and finally she came home (minus a few teeth). she has been a loving and essential part of my family for the last year. i am glad those girls left her because now i have the most amazing cat!

A few years back my wife and I "adopted" a little mutt that walked up to our place in the country. We have always had cats (indoors) and had a Himalayan already inside. But this amazing & precious little dog captured our hearts. She was an adult and had obviously already given birth to a couple of litters. We took her to the vet and had her checked out. She had a bad case of worms and our vet wasn't sure she would live. But she did and we then had her "fixed" and kept her indoors as well. She always seemed to favor me (according to my wife), maybe because I usually walked her and talked to her. In fact I could barely make a move without her follwoing after me. If I laid down for a nap she would lie down either on the bed or right next to it. We moved to Missouri a few yaars later and took her with us of course. Then after having her for around five years she became ill and we had to have her put to sleep. Her kidneys were failing and it was breaking our hearts. Though I am normally a cat person this little mutt (we named Missy) has forever changed me. Never have I enjoyed or felt this much love and devotion from an animal. There is no grander feeling than coming home and having a dog (or cat) come running toward you excitedly! Missy gave us five amazing years of love, devotion and memories to last a lifetime. Someday I trust we'll be reunited and I'm sure she'll come running as I enter the Pearly Gates!

It's always nice when they're adopted, but I have to point out that at least someone left the dog outside a shelter. Out of the 4 I have right now, 2 were drop offs, one was a "rescue" and we just adopted a senior yellow lab who was found wandering on a deserted mountain road, skin and bones, horrible skin infection, hair falling out, cataracts, missing front teeth...if only his previous owner had done the responsible thing and taken him to a shelter. So let's at least give a little praise for the effort of someone to give the dog a chance at the shelter.

If you think Wanda`s story is amazing..., last week my auntie's boy friend also made the small fortune of $9773 working 10 hours a week at home and the're friend's step-aunt`s neighbour has done this for four months and got more than $9773 in there spare time from a laptop. applie the advice on this site... FAB33.COM

Congratulations Chooey!

mlhot <a href="http://www.beatsbydrenewsale.com">dr dre beats</a> hkejq http://www.beatsbydrenewsale.com bnjkl <a href="http://www.beatsbydrelo.com">beats by dre</a> jufda http://www.beatsbydrelo.com nvhjf <a href="http://www.beatsshop2013.com">beats by dre</a> iihqd http://www.beatsshop2013.com ugebk <a href="http://www.vip-beatsbydreoutlet.com">beats by dre</a> yghkb http://www.vip-beatsbydreoutlet.com otpju <a href="http://www.beatsbydreonsale1.com">cheap beats by dre</a> llhhs http://www.beatsbydreonsale1.com eibcy <a href="http://www.cheapbeatsbydreonsale1.com">beats by dre</a> txjqz http://www.cheapbeatsbydreonsale1.com fgnhy