Cooper

Our 5yr old pit-bull suffered two life changing events within a months time. Firstly, the loss his “buddy”, our 14yr old Cocker Spaniel. Then(a tractor trailer our only guess & probably unaware of anything having happened) rolled him out in front of our house. While he didn't have any life threatening injuries, the muscle and tendon damage had him laid up, and all this put him in a depression, for lack of a better term. All it would have taken was him going on with everyday activities to get better, but he didn’t even want to try. I had not intended to add another puppy to our household so soon, but I thought it might help. A lady just south of us had rescued a pair of lab/border collie mix pups from the streets near her home, and it turned out to be the best thing I could've done. This energetic, enthusiastic pup not only has a wonderfully crazy personality that wins my heart/joy/and laughter everyday, but more importantly he won the fight for our Brody. He wouldn‘t give up on Brody and wouldn‘t let him give up either. “He's back” and we owe it all to "Cooper."

Julia S. 
Belleville, IL

My Peanut

Several years ago I attended a meeting with my fellow homeschool moms. One mom brought in the cutest little puppy, a miniature pinscher mix, for another mom to adopt. She decided that the puppy would not be a good match for the dog that she already owned. The puppy passed through two other moms, including my best friend, who couldn't take the puppy home. Finally, I told them to give me that puppy - I'm taking it home with me! At that time I already had three dogs. I did not need to add a puppy. However, something told me that it was a good idea. I named her Peanut (after comedian Jeff Dunham's puppet). She has turned out to be the BEST dog that I have ever owned. Well, actually she owns me! She is sassy, stubborn, and definetely the boss! She is also beautiful and loyal. I was diagnosed later with an auto-immune disease that eventually left me unable to work. Peanut is my companion and takes care of me when I don't feel well. What would I do without my Peanut?

Tracy 
Seneca, SC

Gemma - Our Sweet Lil' Ol' Lady Patron Saint

In August, 2011, we (john & suzy) took in a dog to foster it. She had been picked up by a dog catcher in April, 2011, and remained in the shelter for 4 months. She was Senior in age and nobody wanted her. She was slated to be euthanized. Some friends intervened to adopt the dog. Eventually, they, who already had a dog, discovered that having 2 dogs was too much for them and planned to return "Roxy" to the shelter. We then offered to foster Roxy.

We quickly became attached to "Roxy". She's the sweetest little old lady dog, with a cute freckled nose, a wide skinny legged stance, long flowing white and blonde hair with a pretty, bushy tail. When she runs, she has a rapid frantic happy gait like a wind up toy.

We didn't care for the name Roxy. Suzy "felt" her name should be something "G" like, and pulled out of the air the name "Gemma". We believed it to be original and unique.

Back in July 2010, I had over 4 hours of surgery to fuse a couple of lower lumbars. The operation was successful. Unfortunately there was some unknown underlying nerve damage. July 2011, I started a new job in the Maintenance Dept. of a local hotel. The job turned out to be very physical. It was brutal on my new spinal parts.

As the job progressed, so too the pain in my lower back. The pain increased to the point where I couldn't walk, stand, or work anymore. It became necessary for more surgery.

My Sweetheart Suzy, feeling helpless about my pain, began doing research on the "Science of Prayer", and as she Googled around the internet, she came upon the Patron Saint of Back Pain... her name is "Gemma Galgani".

John Brennan 
Owego, NY

Gemma - Our Sweet Lil' Ol' Lady Patron Saint

In August, 2012, we (john & suzy) took in a dog to foster it. She had been picked up by a dog catcher in May, 2012, and remained in the shelter for 4 months. She was Senior in age and nobody wanted her. She was slated to be euthanized. Some friends intervened to adopt the dog. Eventually, they, who already had a dog, discovered that having 2 dogs was too much for them and planned to return "Roxy" to the shelter. We then offered to foster Roxy.

We quickly became attached to "Roxy". She's the sweetest little old lady dog, with a cute freckled nose, a wide skinny legged stance, long flowing white and blonde hair with a pretty, bushy tail. When she runs, she has a rapid frantic happy gait like a wind up toy.

We didn't care for the name Roxy. Suzy "felt" her name should be something "G" like, and pulled out of the air the name "Gemma". We believed it to be original and unique

July 27, 2010, I had over 4 hours of surgery to fuse a couple of lower lumbars. The operation was successful. Unfortunately there was some underlying nerve damage. July 2011, I started a new job in the Maintenance Dept. of a local hotel. The job turned out to be very physical. It was brutal on my new spinal parts.

As the job progressed, so too the pain in my lower back. The pain increased to the point where I couldn't walk, stand, or work anymore. It became necessary for more surgery.

My Sweetheart Suzy, feeling helpless about my pain, began doing research on the "Science of Prayer", and as she Googled around the internet, she came upon the Patron Saint of Back Pain... her name is "Gemma Galgani".

John V. Brennan 
Owego, NY

Sawyer aka Little Fellow Apr2012-May 19, 2012

I adopted “Sawyer” on May 11 2012Sawyer was a Shep/Mal mix. He only weighed 9lbs and approx 8wks old. He was so happy and very mellow little boy. Extremely sweet natured. I took him to vet on Saturday 05-12 2012 to have all his shots. He was fine Saturday & Sunday night he didn’t eat much and on Monday night 05-14 2012 he would not eat at all & was very weak & right away I took him to vet & he had Parvo. They kept him & everyday I went on my lunch break & after work went to see him. He was very weak, but he knew I was his momma. He would perk up and give kisses. I lost my beloved Taylor on May 17, 2012 to ruptured cancer in the spleen & I lost my Chipmonkie to rattlesnake bite on May 18, 2012 that same week he was at vet fighting for his little life. The last time I got to see him was the day my Taylor died on 05-17-2012 which was the same Chipmonkie got bitten by snake and died the next morning on 05-18-2012. I just knew with all the bad that had happen he was going to make it and he died the very next morning on 05-19-2012. I am so distraught over losing my babies. Sawyer was the most loving little puppy. I only had him for 3 days before he became ill with Parvo. The short time I had with him has left a lasting impact on my life. I so wished he had been given a chance at life .He deserved it. You were only a baby and I will always remember you little fellow and I love you and miss you. Your momma loves always.

Love,

Momma

Teresa Shew 
Attalla, AL

Sweet Boy Chipmonkie aka Monkey Butt - Nov2002-May 18, 2012

Chipmonkie was a 9 ½ r Lab/Rott. I got him when he was 5-6wks old. He had the personality of a lab and loved everyone.He grew up with Timber & Taylor I got 2 months later, He was such a sweet good boy. He would kill any snake that came in the yard. He went bonkers & I wouldn’t even have a chance to get to the snake before he killed it. After getting back from the vet on 05-17-12 from losing “Taylor” his companion of 9y ½ yrs Chipmonkie attacked a rattlesnake under the bldg & he actually crawled on his belly & fought this snake and threw it out from under the building and kept attacking and run with it and keep banging it in the trees. He wouldn't let any of the other dogs near it. This all happen in a matter minutes. I finally got to the snake and chopped head with shovel. Chipmonkie had blood on his face from where he kept hitting his head on the building trying to get up under it. He broke off his tooth and bit his lips and busted his nose. I was trying to check to see if he had been bitten when he started shaking uncontrollable & I got him to the vet instantly. He had been bitten 3 times in the neck. My sweet boy passed on Friday morning 05-18-12. He saved my life as well as my other dogs life ONLY to lose his own life. Thank you for a wonderful 9 ½ yrs and for always watching over & taking care of Timber & Taylor. Thank you for protecting Timber, Bella & Diesel & your momma that day. Momma loves her Chipmonkie. My sweet boy, I promise Momma will see you again.

Love,

Momma

Teresa Shew 
Attalla, AL

My Sweet Baby Girl Taylor Dec2002 – May 17, 2012

Taylor was 9 ½ yr Female Shep/Husky. I found Taylor & her brother Timber on the side of the road .They was less than 2wks old; their eyes were not quite open all the way. I always said she was a boy trapped in a girl’s body because she had the meanest growl of any of my male dogs, even as puppy. I had to bottle feed her and Timber. I had 2 months earlier taken in a 6wk old lab mix puppy & I named him Chipmonkie. Monkie took you 2 under his wings like he was an adult & he was only 2 months old himself. I feel so fortunate to have found you two and I know Chipmonkie was. On May 16, 2012, that night she wasn’t feeling good and I assumed she played hard that day and her hips were hurting her and by midnight she couldn’t stand up and I took off to vet early next morning on May 17, 2012 and she had a ruptured tumor in her spleen and was dying, her kidneys had shut down. This girl ran and played that day & never showed any signs of anything being wrong with her other than her hips she slowed up when it came to the stairs. I was in uch shock; I had recently lost my 13yr Shep to the same cancer in March of this year. Taylor was an extremely intelligent very loving sweet girl. I love you and miss you so much Taylor. Thank you for the wonderful 9 ½ yrs you gave me. I hope you have found Bailey, Cooter, Shep, Chipmonkie (died 05-18-12) and Sawyer (died 05-19-12. Momma loves her baby girl Taylor. I promise momma will see you again. I miss you so much.

Love Momma

Teresa Shew 
Attalla, AL

Update on Jesse James Winchester

I've had Jesse going on five years now, and we have moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. Neither one of us likes this summer heat, but when we moved here last October it was beautiful, so it seems that six months out of the year are wonderful and the other six months; not so much! The trip was a snap, Jesse slept almost the whole time, lightly sedated, in his carrier, he was the best little trooper. Even when he woke up, he just looked around, made no sounds, and dozed off again. He seems to love his new home here, and his friends moved here too, so he gets to see them too.

Linda Collard 
Las Vegas, NV

Our Three Amigos

We already had two dogs, but then were asked to foster a mini-dachshund, Flash. I was thrilled because I had a black/tan dachshund growing up and was fond of the breed. Didn't take long and we fell in love with Flash and adopted him ourselves.

A year later, Flash was running outside, yelped, and 24 hrs later lost use of his back legs. We immediately took him to the vet and found out this often happens in "long-backed" dogs - a ruptured disc in their back. (So be careful if you have those breeds and don't let them jump off high furniture!) We could opt for drug therapy or the more expensive back surgery. We chose surgery even tho it was still a 50-50 chance he would regain use of his back legs. No matter the outcome, we would deal with it - we just wanted our little boy back home with us.

Weeks of praying, quiet kennel containment, then therapy, Flash began to regain use of his back legs. When we took the other dogs for a walk, we'd wrap Flash in a blanket and wheel him in a wagon so he could enjoy the outdoors too,

Three yrs later, Flash is a happy, healthy boy who walks/runs/plays. Granted, it's a somewhat wobbly walk, and he more hops than runs, but he gets around fine. We built ramps for the deck outside, have to carry him up and down stairs, and have him do laps in the pool for therapy. But we are so thankful for the progress he has made.

Pictured are Maisy (big,black dog) from Humane Society, Manny (brown dog) an adopted foster, and then little Flash. We love them all dearly, but have a particularly special spot in our hearts for our somewhat special-needs dog, Flash.

Karol 
Circle Pines, MN

Flash, My Heart

We have a little dog – some call him a Weiner – but I don’t.

He’s beautiful like a flower – so I call him my Tiger Lily

He hops when he runs – so I call him my Bunny Rabbit

He digs many holes - so I call him my Honey Badger

He buzzes around playing with his toys - so I call him my Bumble Bee

He sits in his pet bed, as if on a throne – so I call him my Prince

He cries for attention – so I call him my Baby Boy

I love him So Very Much - I call him My Heart!

Karol 
Circle Pines, MN

Our Little Man

In 2007 we started fostering. We already owned one dog, Maisy, and had no intention of actually owning more - strictly fostering. Manny was one of our first fosters. I wrote a nice bio and cute pics of Manny to post on the adoption site. Got a few calls for him and was going to meet an interested couple at the next adoption event. It was kind of sad, because our dog Maisy began to get Very attached to Manny. Nevertheless, I was still on the mindset that we would only own one dog, so off we went to the adoption day to meet Manny's new prospective parents.

As soon as we got there, Manny just clung to me. If I put him down, he would jump and jump until I picked him up and then wrapped his paws around my neck. When the interested couple arrived, I tried to undo Manny's stranglehold from around my neck so they could pet and hold him, but Manny wanted nothing to do with them. The woman said, "I think Manny's already found his forever home - with you!" I said, "Oh no - we're not going to keep him..."

Long story short, it's five yrs later and Manny is still with us. We didn't have the heart to give him up and adopted him ourselves. I sometimes jokingly refer to Manny as our "adoption mistake" as we've had many other fosters that would have been So much easier to deal with/adopt as Manny is vocal, extremely sensitive, has separation anxiety, and a problem with "marking his territory." But Maisy adores and protects him, we love him, can deal with his "quirks" and would never give him up. Just goes to show - sometimes it IS the dog that picks you!

Karol 
Circle Pines, MN

Meet Percival Puss Platt

One day a couple of years ago I walked into my vets office & there he was – up for adoption, an 11 year old diabetic from a 17 cat household whose owner had died. Our eyes met & I was smitten. I was not looking to add to our happy 6 cat household but Percy gave me no choice & I’m glad he didn’t. I called my husband who was hesitant until he met him then fell too. He settled in quickly & now rules us all with those huge fluffy paws. He’s gorgeous & goofy & quite the talker. He can be bossy but he loves to be loved & loves us back. I’m so glad I didn’t let the diabetes scare me off. The insulin shots are really easy & he’s so good about it. Adopting a special needs older cat was one of the best impulse decisions we’ve ever made. I highly recommend it & so does Percy!

Judy Platt 
Pasadena, CA

Biggggg Snapper

While driving home one day I saw a HUGE snapping turtle crossing the road and of course I stopped traffic and watched while this BIGGG Snapper made her way into the creek bordering my property. Each time I drive by I wonder how "MY Bigggg Snapper" is doing....

Joanie Wilson 
Southern Pines, NC

Maeve Meets Finn!

The day we brought Finn (top) home he loved his sister Maeve immediately. They are both adopted from different animal rescue sites, but they look like brother and sister. They are such great dogs and we love them both as if they are our children!

Ellen McCabe 
Rutherford, NJ

Bitty Cat and Dexter

Bitty Cat (14 yrs old) lost his best buddy & Dexter (13 yrs old) lost my Mom and came to live with me. They seem to have bonded in their time of need. They can be found sleeping together most nights while I watch TV

Jo 
Florissant, CO

Whiskas

I found Whiskas when I was just a little girl. It was the middle of winter and it was extremely cold outside. I woke up early that morning and as I went downstairs, I remember hearing a strange noise coming from the front door. I opened it and saw a tiny little kitten, desperate to come in. My mother was convinced he came from a near by park and had lost his way from his mother, but I noticed a tiny bowl of milk and food in the bushes. Someone had left him there in the cold during the whole night. We've been best friends since then and I don't know how my life would have been without him by my side.

Chiara 
Sao Paulo, Brazil

Hootie Happy Dog

One day I was simply "driven" to look at the JRTs on Petfinder.....and after a few pages I saw a cute young JR boy looking up; but, not at the camera. It seems his "owners" had turned him into a High Kill Shelter to be euthanized with a note saying he was "too near sighted to be good for anything". Well, Hootie came to live with me and I took him to the Vet to have his eyes checked, got an Opthamalogist friend to refract his eyes for a prescription. Now Hootie enjoys seeing clearly through his "prescription Doggles", chasing his basketball and living with my other Rescue Russels, a dog that "came with the farm" and a rescue Cat. Hootie sleeps next to me and is a WONDERFUL dog in every way.....and I think he is good for EVERYTHING! Thanks to a marvelous Volunteer in that shelter who took him to a Foster Hootie has a chance to be happy AND "see"......

Joanie 
Southern Pines, NC

Princess Braveheart

About 6 months ago, the rescue I work with, Pink Paws Rescue and Adoption, had gotten a call about a cat that desperately needed to be rescued.

This tabby and white girl had gotten stuck up a very tall tree, requiring the owner to call the fire department to get her down. They set up the ladder and one fireman went up to get her. She calmly allowed him to pick her up and carry her back down the ladder. They reached the ground and he put her down. Not one instant later, the aggravated owner (extremely angry his cat had caused him such 'embarrassment'), came over and kicked her so hard he broke one of her back legs. The fireman immediately scooped her up and told the man that if he was going to treat this cat like this, he didn't deserve to have her. Luckily, the man readily the fireman take the cat.

Unfortunately, the fireman lived in an apartment that did not allow pets, so he called us. We agreed to take her in and took her straight to the vet. The ex-owner had kicked her so hard, he'd actually shattered her leg bone. The leg had to be amputated, there was no way of repairing it.

After some therapy, love and a special kitty friend, the 3-legged lady (named Princess Braveheart) showed us just how special she was. She learned to walk on only three legs and even played with her foster.

Luckily, she was adopted not long after her recovery- this time to a very loving family who continue to call her their brave little Princess.

Bree 
Simi Valley, CA

My Binxter

I first saw Binx (pronounced like Binks) at the petshop not far from my home. He was free of charge (I don't know what happened to the other cats, but I think they went to the pound), and I couldn't keep my eyes off of him. I knew I had to have him. My last cat Gabriel ran away when a dog chased him, and knowing I couldn't have animals in the last house I lived in, I thought it was pointless to try and get another cat. So, I waited, until I moved, and then I waited some more. I saw Binx at the petstore, and I knew I had to bring him home. I don't know why, but the first time I saw him, I loved him. I've always loved cats. Always, and I always want at least one around. So, I brought him home. Shortly afterwards, he started showing signs of an upper respitory infection, and off to the vet we went. He was so small. Underfed. Not properly cared for. But a few days later, he was as good as new, gaining his much-needed weight, and now, nearly a year later, he is my pride and joy, my baby. He is well-fed, maybe even fat, extremely ornery, and well, crazy. But I love him with all my heart. All my heart. And I pray that he will be at my side for many more years to come.

Jamie Teague 
Fort Smith, AR

Rescue in Progress

A couple of years ago, we started feeding an orange and white feral cat. He was an unneutered male, and we started calling him The Dude. Last spring, he suffered through two separate abcesses on his head from cat fights, and I decided before this year's breeding season, we'd get him neutered. By late summer last year, he finally began letting me approach him and pet him without the enticement of food. He figured out how to use the cat door to come into our garage, so we started feeding him there, and he slept in there most nights this last winter. He's very good-natured and gets along well with all of our other cats.

We were finally able to trap The Dude a few months ago and get him to the vet for exam, vaccines and neutering. Turns out he's FIV positive, but we decided he's just too sweet to be put down, so we'll take care him as long as he's with us. The domestication process with him progresses in baby steps. Last week, I was petting him in the garage and, twice, he let me pick him up and put him on my lap for 5-10 seconds, so I'm encouraged. Hopefully, by next winter, we'll have him staying in the warm house, instead of the cold garage.

T. Gage 
Salem, OR

 

 

From Deep in a Well to a Mile High

The very day that we had to euthanize our first dog, a racing greyhound named Pronto, thousands of miles away five galgos (Spanish greyhounds) were pulled from a 100 foot well in the Spanish countryside. It was the end of the rabbit hunting season and the galgos had been thrown down the well to kill them. This is one of the terrible ways that the galgueros (hunters) dispose of their dogs. Miraculously, a passerby who had stopped his car in the countryside heard their barking and alerted a local shelter, Scooby Refuge. I followed the story of their dramatic rescue and recovery and, incredibly, a little black and white girl rescued from the well joined our family in Denver, Colorado, a year and a half later. We adopted Prisa through Galgo Rescue International Rescue. It took time for Prisa to acclimate to life as a treasured family member from her near-feral state. But now, after six years with us, she is content and secure, loves to hike with us, has a great sense of humor and enjoys the comforts and love we shower upon her!

Judy Greenfield 
Denver, CO

Sweet Lily

One morning, the manager of the cat shelter saw a man carrying an all-white cat. When the manager came to the window, he threw Lily into the middle of the four lane busy street outside. I'll be forever grateful to the shelter manager, who ran out and truly rescued Lily. When I was visiting the shelter the next week, I picked Lily up and she immediately fell asleep in my arms. I fell in love.

Lily is deaf, toothless and clawless. Despite her hard life, Lily loves all people. Her favorite thing is to be held upside down like a baby. But she's scared of my other cats; because she can't hear them, she thinks they "sneak" up on her!

Lily knows sign language for "come" and "no" but, being a cat, she pretends not to see me sometimes - usually when I'm trying to show off her skills. Lily gives me all the love in the world - animals in rescue are just waiting for their chance, too.

Lisa MIllman 
Chicago, IL

Maisy, The Smiling Ambassador Dog of Goodwill

After our 15+ Springer Spaniel,Maisy,went to the Rainbow Bridge, I was going to "wait awhile" to get another dog. And I was "definitely" going to get another Springer. Then my niece came to visit. For fun, we decided to "just look" at the dogs at the local Humane Society. Half hour later, we were on our way home with a 3 mon-old black "cocker spaniel" puppy! "Maisy" had come in as a stray.

Six years later, Maisy is a beautiful 60 lb girl - certainly not a cocker spaniel-probably a Setter mix? We call her a super model, she's got glossy hair, long legs, but is a tad low on smarts. Took almost a year to housetrain her. She's afraid of thunderstorms, vacuums, brooms-anything with a long handle.

But she doesn't have a mean bone in her body. She actually Smiles at you (freaks some people out when she shows her big white teeth!) She loves people-especially kids-other dogs and cats.Maisy has welcomed, not only the two additional rescue dogs we've adopted, but 40+ more foster dogs we've had. She is a gentle, accepting leader who immediately puts the other dogs at ease when they arrive. Oh, if all people could be as gracious as she is!

I never thought I could love another dog like I did my first dog,Millie, but I have! I read stories where someone loses their pet and says "they're not going to get another because they don't want the pain from the loss again." But think of the Love and Joy a new pet will give you and the new chance at life you will give them! If that's all that is stopping you, I say - Run, don't Walk to your local shelter/petfinder.com and enjoy owning a pet again!

Karol 
Circle Pines, MN

Cordelia

Cordelia was about six years old when we found her one night in the alleyway behind my house. She was skittish, but looked well-fed and healthy, so we assumed she belonged to someone who had just moved to town. But when she wouldn't go away, it became pretty obvious that she had been abandoned. We started leaving food for her, and she gradually became more friendly. One night, when we forgot to feed her, she walked around the house and started meowing at the front door! That was when we realized that she had chosen us, and that she was our cat now. Nearly three years later, it's hard to believe there was a time that she wasn't here. I still don't see how anyone can abandon their pet, but in this case I'm glad someone did.

Nicole Jordan 
Birmingham, AL

Tutu The Baby

In September 2010, our family had undergone some big changes and we had lost one of our pets. A few months had gone by and in February 2011 my sister and I were talking about adopting a dog, so we went online and searched for Chihuahua adoption databases and started looking. We found several dogs that we thought were cute but we weren't agreeing on any until we came across a picture of Tutu. The shelter had marked her as a Fox Terrier with Chihuahua mixed in, we fell in love instantly with her big brown eyes and very large ears. We searched the site of the shelter that had her in their care and found that she was slotted to go to the kill shelter if a home wasn't found for her soon. We begged my mom to let us apply to adopt Tutu, she finally agreed after I promised to take care of Tutu and to act as her owner. About a week after we sent the application we heard back from them and were told that the adoption would need to be fast since we had a short amount of time until she would be gone. My mom scheduled a time to meet Tutu later that week and once we met her we knew we had to have her, we thought we would have to wait another week just to take her home but she was given to us right on the spot.

It's been a year now and she is happy and is the baby of our family, we couldn't be happier to have this little bundle of energy in our family.

Laura 
Duvall, WA

My "Baby" Makila

I've always loved animals - always wanted to own many (and now I do!). In 1986, I was in a rental home which only allowed for me to have cats. I happened upon my sweet baby Makila "MaKeela" when she was just 6wks old at a farm where they were giving away free kittens. She was an all black cat with a white star on her chest. (Forget about whatever is said about black cats-black cats are the nicest and the best!) When I brought her home in my car, she kept trying to climb up and be up by my head and purr - something that went on for the next 18 yrs. Makila was a petite cat, which made it easier when she would wrap herself around my head at night and tap me awake in the morning. She was very intuitive of my feelings and very loving. She always wanted to be near us.In my eyes, Makila was,and still is,the epitome of love,serenity and goodness in life - one of God's most beautiful angels who came down and blessed my life. In Sept. 2003, it was my baby Makila's time to go. We tried so hard to keep her with us, but again, you can't cure old age.

Since then,we have three rescued cats that we love dearly. But I will always deeply miss the special connection I had with my sweet Makila. So until we meet again at the Rainbow Bridge - remember, my sweet one, how much Mama loves Makila.

Karol 
Circle Pines, MN

The prettiest girl in the world - my sweet Millie

As soon as I owned my first house, I got "Millie,"my first dog - a springer spaniel from a farm that had both parents as pets. On the ride home with this new puppy, I wondered if I was ready for a dog of my own. I looked over at this smelly little puppy- shivering silently on a blanket beside me. I wondered if I had made a mistake. As if she read my thoughts, Millie let out one tiny bark, as if to say "NO! you didn't make a mistake!" My first house was a big ol' house in a not so great part of town. But I always knew when I got home, if Millie met me by the door-everything was ok. Anybody came to the door she didn't know - she'd bark like a ferocious guard dog. For the next 15-1/2 years, Millie was my little girl,my best friend, slept with me every night. We then bought a house with a swimming pool and a lake cabin. Millie spent the next 10 years of her life swimming as much as she could. We had 25 people for a pool party for Millie's 15th birthday - everyone brought doggie treats/gifts for her. I tried every supplement/vitamin/anything I could for her - but in the end, there is no cure for old age. I had to make the painful decision..On 1/28/06, we went for our last walk and then the vet came to our house. I held Millie as she quietly took her last breath and felt her weight fall into my arms. Since then, we've fostered over 40 dogs and love and own 3 rescued dogs and 3 rescued cats. But Millie - you will always be my special girl!

Karol 
Circle Pines, MN

Road Warriors

Last July, I was driving on a Friday evening around 7 pm, with the hard summer sunset in my eyes, toward my parents' house just outside their town. Just after I passed the city limits I saw something straight ahead of me, in the right lane of the four lane highway, that looked like a dead skunk-- until it stood up, separated, and started running! It turned out to be two nine-or-so-week-old kittens, a black and white one and an orange one. Thankfully, despite my shock, I had the presence of mind to pull over and pick them up and there were no other cars there at the time. Equally lucky for me, they had changed direction from their original flight to the center line and come to the grass on my side of the road. They stood there staring at me, as stunned as I was, but didn't flee when I went toward them. They allowed me to pick them up and drive them home at 25 mph on the 45 mph road, with the little guy I now know as Otis (orange) clinging to the back of my neck, and the madman I now call Rudy (b&w) sitting in my lap and jumping through a (very small) hole in my steering wheel. I didn't think I'd be able to keep them and pledged to foster them until I could find them a good home, and to get them fully vetted in the meantime (which I did manage the following week). But by the next morning, I told everyone who'd responded to my Friday night Facebook post that no, they couldn't have MY cats after all!

Jasmine 
Muskogee, OK

The Best Dog

My family and I had been looking to rescue a dog for a few months but no luck, when one day my friend called to say a puppy had jumped into her car while she was inside of her house. I immediatley asked her to bring the puppy over instead of taking her to a local shelter that youthanized. As soon as I saw her I knew she was very sick and had not eaten in days, she went to the bathroom on the carpet and nothing but blood came out of her. When we got to the vet they told us her chance of survival was very slim and she needed a test for worms in her stool. The test came back and she was positive for worms and have insects filled in her intestines. We knew we had to save her and we agreed to pay for the treatment and medicine. Today her name is Sadie and she is the most loving spoiled dog I really believe she is meant to be with my family and I. She is so affectionate and healthy and living the life every animal should have :-)

Liz 
Bel Air, MD

Itty Bitty Kitty

I found Bitty when he was about one year old, sitting on top of a wood pile at the edge of my backyard. He was very thin, his nose was crusty and occasionaly would leak a drop of blood. He was obviously feral but showed no signs of fear because I think he was desperate for help from wherever he could get it. I nursed him back to health, had him neutered and he joined his adopted brother Sweet Pea as a part of the family.

Despite being diagnosed with feline asthma and developing hyperthyroidism he lived to be 17 years old. Like his brother Sweet, Bitty developed a tumor that turned out to be cancer and I lost him a year ago this past February. He will always by my Bitty Boy and I miss him dearly.

Ginnie 
East Fallowfield, PA