# Put your dog's name that you rescued.



## beaglesarethebestdogs311

What is your rescued dog's name and what's his/her story? I have a rescued dog named Miley, she is a very cute Beagle. They were going to put her down because she was neglected and nobody would rescue her. We got her last summer and she would not eat or drink for 3 days. Three days! Every time someone would walk up to her she would be so scared she would pee. She spent her days whining in front of a mirror, she hand nor fur at all on her rear end. Now she's happy, carefree, and loving. I'm so glad we rescued her, or she wouldn't be here on this earth now!


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## borzoimom

The last one rescued is Femka. Not too much is known really. She was whelped ( born) in the Netherlands, and about two years old, came to the states for show. Things in the family were not good, and at age 5 she was placed up for adoption by the breed rescue. At some point since coming to the states, she was attacked by the familys other dog, and we do know at some point she has had a serious blow to the chest ( vet thinks hit by a car or something similiar in impact. ) 
She was a basket case and most of the stuff the rescue was told from the previous owner turned out to be untrue. It took her several months to have any confidence at all.. 
Now she is a confident little girl, and quite full of herself as well as entertaining..


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## lovemygreys

Most of our dogs came to us from adoption groups and most of them were not in any danger of being put down either by their original owners or the adoption group...our true rescues:

Annie - was dying from kidney failure when the family that had her for 10 years returned her for peeing in the house. The adoption group had no room, so my hubby took 13 year old Annie in sight-unseen after reading a plea for help on a greyhound message board...$2000 later and major dental surgery to remove rotten teeth, she was as healthy as a 13 year old greyhound can be! She was with us for 2 years before she went to the Bridge.

Star - 14 year old Star was going to be put down by her owner. The husband had died and the wife didn't want/couldn't care for Star anymore. She came to us filthy, SEVERELY underweight, a mouth full of rotten teeth and nails so curled under she could barely stand. We had to cut her disgusting collar off of her. Unfortunately, Star was with us only 10 weeks...but she made a remarkable recovery in that time. She went from a dog that could barely stand to a greyhound that ran again.

This was Star, the day we rescued her:









I guess some would consider Harmony a rescue - she wouldn't come out of her crate at the track so the racing owner said to put her down. The trainer at the racing kennel held on to her until she could be squeezed onto a haul to an adoption group. When an extra dog jumped off the hauler, my hubby agreed to double up on fosters and take two. The other foster was adopted out, but Harmony stayed 

A few of the greyhounds, I know very little about their racing owner or the racing kennels they were at, so I'm not sure if they were rescued by adoption or just regular adoptions. The rest of our greyhounds had racing owners who would have held onto them until they were adopted, so they were never in any danger. 

Two of our cats came from kill shelters, two of them came from a no-kill adoption group. Our bunnies were adopted from their previous owners.


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## RonE

Esther the Plott hound came from a shelter about an hour from here.

She was a stray and had been there a week. We were the first to show interest, shortly after the shelter opened on the first day she was available for adoption. My son sat with her outside while I filled out the preliminary paperwork. There were some other people checking her out, so I had to move fast.

There is little chance she would have been euthanized, but there's a fair chance she'd have ended up living in a kennel with a half-dozen others and hunting bears for a living. That's what she was bred for, but she seems to like being a spoiled family dog and chasing tennis balls for a living.


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## Curbside Prophet

Elsa is from Missouri and the product of a puppy mill. She came out to California through a purebred rescue in my area as a pup. The rescue didn't have any mini's when I first approached them, and they actually referred me to a local breeder instead. Like many people I wanted to raise a puppy (I don't know why now)...but I wanted a mini schnauzer puppy. So, after doing some homework and looking around further, I did add my name to the breeders waiting list. 

Shortly thereafter I received a call from someone telling me they had my pup. I didn't quite comprehend what was going on, but I kindly told the person that I just added my name to a waiting list, and that they surely could not have my pup...I went on to tell them the sire and dam hadn't even met yet. The person on the phone said she wasn't Shirly, but she did in fact have my pup. When I found my wits, I realized it was the rescue, and not the breeder. The rest as they say, is history.


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## TheChinClique

My family and I rescued an American Eskimo Dog named Scooter. We had him for a few years before one day, my mother and her friend were walking in the park and Scooter, unprovoked, viciously attacked a passer-by. Scooter was put down because of the demands of the man he attacked. Scooter was an abused Eskimo Dog, had social problems and never really had a chance until we got him. He attacked me four times, unprovoked. I begged my parents to keep giving him a chance. He went too far the day he attacked the man...and I couldn't convince him to give Scooter any more chances. I've been apprehensive since then to adopt any other dogs. The rescue people made Scooter sound like he had "slight" issues...yeah right. They weren't up-front and in all honesty we should have given him back right away, but I couldn't do that, and neither could my parents. The only time they wanted to give him back was when he attacked me...but I swayed them in that decision and Scooter stayed. If only he hadn't attacked the man in the park...well, I guess there's no sense in thinking about it now. 

Here's his adoption story: http://www.eskiesonline.com/scootera.htm

The story also mentions our first dog, Finster Von Furball, who died at the age of ONE (not two as the story says) from a rare blood disorder (immune-mediated thrombocytepenia. We are now on our third Eskimo Dog who is also neurotic but luckily isn't people-aggressive (he is large dog aggressive).


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## LeRoymydog

I rescued my baby that passed away this last Feb. He was the sweetest, gentlest English Bulldog I have ever met. He was 4 years old whe I got him. The previous owner was a local cop and put him in rescue with a Pug. He said Max had ball ggression and bit him and his son when they were playing ball. When I got him, his nails were so long they curled under his feet (which ultimately gave him arthritis in his front shoulders). His nose wrinkle was so infected that the bacteria and yeast were growing in his ears and it made his ear drums swell so he could not hear. His tail pocket was so bad that whenever he would sit, he's leave "butt marks" on the floor.

I got him all fixed up and was slowly trimming his nail, and lo and behod he could hear me and his butt wasn't sore that he could actually do the butt wiggle. I don't think he knew how to paly cuz we got him alot of toys and he never played with them. I remember the day the first time he played like it was yesterday.

And ball aggression? NEVER was he ball aggressive around me or my family. He liked to play with balls and pop them all if he had a chance. He would sleep when my daughter slept (at the time she was about 10 months old). And had to be around her when she was awake. They were the best buddies.

Max started having breathing probs and I had him on tons of meds for that. We did lots of tests and EKGs and what-not. Then he started having grand-mal seizures. I had him on meds for that which were not helping. He starting loosing strength in his back legs and couldn't hold himself up. Hestarted potting in the house- which he would NEVER do.

I put my baby to sleep Feb.1, 2007. I held him while he took his last breath. He had a rough 4 years of his life. But when my family found him he was a perfect fit.

RIP Max. I love you. See you at the bridge.


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## Renoman

Buck is my rescue dog. He's a white German Shepherd. All I know about him is that he was dumped from a car at a park where there was a group kids and moms. He was taken by one of the mom's to a local GSD Rescue run by a woman who happened to be a friend of hers. The rescue had him vetted, neutered and cleaned him up and she posted him on petfinder.com. The adoption was finalized just one week after he arrived at the rescue. He was just 1 y.o. From day 1, he has been the best dog you could ever wish for. He came into the house and made friends with Chazz my other GSD right away. He's a 100 pound lap dog and a big clown. He's now 2.5 y.o. and he just keeps getting better. 

He is also my shining star when it comes to training. 

Somebody did not see what a treasure they had. But I thank them every day because if they had not been such cold, callous jackasses, I never would have had the opportunity to bring Buck home.


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## Dogmom07

My 3 dogs were all rescues:

Alibabba left us in November after 16 1/2 yrs. My husband found him, or should I say, he found my husband. He was delivering baked goods to a bakery on Alibabba avenue and when he came back to the van, there was this cute Beagle fast asleep in the back! Guess he sniffed out the bread! We turned him in to the local shelter hoping his owners would claim him and 3 days later when they did not, we went back and adopted him. He went from a street dog to king of the house! My husband spoiled him so much! He was with him constantly. He was my husband's heart and he had a very difficult time when he died. 

8 yrs ago, Mel, short for Mello, was running loose on the highway at 4am. My husband pulled over and called him over to him. (Bless his heart, he is just like me when it comes to dogs!) Mel was a 90 lb Rott mix when he found him, all he kept saying was, please don't eat me! He just wanted to get him off the highway before he was hit. Mel climbed in his van and he took him to work with him. To his surprise, this giant dog was so sweet and he stuck very close to my husband. We brought him to the humane society thinking someone has to own this beautiful dog, he is so well behaved..2 weeks later, we went back and adopted him. He now weighs 115 lbs. He was great with Alibabba, he let Ali run the house and him, he was cool with that. He became very depressed when Ali died also. 

3 months ago we adopted Buddy the Beagle from a shelter. His owners did not want him after they had a baby...can you believe that one? What is better for a child than a Beagle???? The husband was abusing him so the wife brought him to the shelter afraid for the dog's life...and she's still with the jerk??? The shelter is a no kill shelter with very limited funds, so Buddy lived outdoors with 60 other dogs, full of ticks and worms and dirt. He is now very healthy, with a shiny coat. He is a happy little dog with an enourmous heart and loves his big brother Mel.


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## mike

Our little girl is Roxie. She is a 1-year old shepherd/lab mix. We got her from a rescue organization in CT. She had been surrendered by her previous owner who had taken ill. She was at the shelter for just about a month when we first met her, and fell in love with her instantaneously. We were so surprised that no one had scooped her up sooner. She is settling in quite nicely.


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## smoke

well the first dog we rescued, her name is Darrien, she is by far the sweetest dog. We had gone to the shelter because our previous dog had past away and saw her in her cage, scared, nervous, and completely anti-social. well we asked about her story and the people there said that she was given in because the family developed allergies to the dog. the there was Chubba, he was adopted about a year ago, the lady at the american Eskimo rescue told us that he was beaten by his owner, as was the whole family. both of these dog were american Eskimos. Then our most recent rescue, a blue nose pit bull mix, 8 weeks old, and completely gorgeous. i had to buy her off this dumb ass kid that wanted to train her to dog fight. after paying him i called the police, and i dont know what happened to him. i named her angel, and she is by far the sweetest dog i have ever owned, also the first puppy.


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## dogman741

I did not rescue her but the Humane Society rescued her,and one or some of her siblings from a box with no holes in it although not all of them made it!She is a German Shepard and we adopted her!


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## rsculady

All of my dogs have been rescues either from the Pound or a rescue group. Angel is our oldest and we have had him almost 8yrs and he is a wooly sibe and has had his eyes removed when he was about 2yrs old due to juvenile glaucoma. He was in rescue for 6mo because no one wanted a blind dog(he just looks like he is always sleeping) and my husband even fought me on it for about 3 weeks until I forced him to go meet Angel and within about 10minutes Bill was filling out the paperwork. Unfortunately Angel is very old now(about 16) and he is showing his age. We will probably be helping him to the Rainbow bridge sometime this year and it kills me but he is not always comfortable and it is not fair to him.
Makita is a foster that will probably be a permanent resident and she is about 2yrs old and a Siberian too. She was taken to the pound by her owners because she chased cows. It turned out that she also was heartworm positive and even though the owners had pet health insurance on her, they never bothered to have her treated. She is now on her second round of heartworm treatment and we hope her tests next week will show that she is cleared of it.
Fuzzybutt aka Shadow aka Blondie is a gold en retriever that we found while on vacation at the coast and had no collar but a microchip but the chip was never registered. Long story short, she is here with us and I have FOUND posters and ads all over in the area we found her and it has been three weeks so unless someone comes forth in the next week or so, she will be a permanent resident too. According to Animal Control in the town we found her, she has been running loose for about 4mo and they could never catch her. She came straight off the highway and into my sons arms when we stopped the car to help her. She is also quite attached now to the rest of the family. 

I work with Norsled so I see a lot of dogs that don't deserve to be abandoned and have heard every excuse in the book but especially the "We got him/her for our sons/daughters 3rd bday and now the dog is big" Well hello Stupid, 3yr olds don't need animals as gifts and dogs DO grow. Silly, stupid people


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## 3212

"My" first rescue dog was Sandy. I say "my" because she is our family dog and my dad rescued her as our first dog many years ago. He found her in our local humane society and she was 4 months old. The workers informed him that she was going to be euthanised the next day to make room for more puppies since she'd been there a while! There was no way my dad could not pick her, so that's how we got Sandy. She now lives with my family in California and is a very healthy soon to be 12 year old!

Bridgette is also a rescue. My old roommate and I had Billy (her red-heeler mix) and I knew I wanted another rescue dog at that time. We went to PetSmart first to see if they had any dogs at the time (they take dogs from our humane society there, often as their last chance at adoption). I fell in love with Bridgette right away. All they really knew was that she was a stray and 1.5 years old. She was incredibly skinny and they said that she had gained weight since she'd been at the shelter which was hard to believe. We had Billy with us at the time and they immediately took to each other. Bridgette put her paw on Billy's head and it was like friendship at first lick!  

We don't live with them anymore, but Bridge will be 3 in August and the rest you probably already know!


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## serenedee

My last dog Max (sadly passed away 3/07) was a greyhound rescue. He was 4 1/2 when I rescued him and 10 1/2 when he took his last breath in my arms. He was the sweetest dog who endeared himself to everyone he met. 

Charlie, who I rescued 5/07 from the local Humane Society is now approx 8 months old and is a playful, loving, sweet, smart, goofy, super friendly dog! He was found by the Humane Society employees tied to the front door when they arrived to work in the morning. He was there for 3 days when I saw him, and wasn't officially up for adoption until the next day. I knew he was mean't for us so I filled out the application and told them I would be there for him first thing the next morning. I told them NOT to let anyone else adopt him! lol They explained that it didn't matter how many people were interested in him, that THEY made the decision on his forever home, and that it was mine! They just said to make sure to bring the kids with me the next morning and he was ours to take home. Well, I knew as soon as the kids met him they would love him and that Charlie would steal their hearts.
The rest is history!
Now if only he could overcome his car sickness......


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## robkyx

My fiancee and I just recently adopted Sweetie from a second chance shelter, she's a Blue Heeler mix, approx 18 months old, we really don't know anything about her history at all. She seems like she was at the second chance shelter for at least a month, they had done her shots and all of that a month before we adopted her. She seems to favor me over my fiancee, and is missing her tail that's all we know. She's really well behaved though.


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## blackrose

Renoman said:


> Buck is my rescue dog. He's a white German Shepherd. All I know about him is that he was dumped from a car at a park where there was a group kids and moms. He was taken by one of the mom's to a local GSD Rescue run by a woman who happened to be a friend of hers. The rescue had him vetted, neutered and cleaned him up and she posted him on petfinder.com. The adoption was finalized just one week after he arrived at the rescue. He was just 1 y.o. From day 1, he has been the best dog you could ever wish for. He came into the house and made friends with Chazz my other GSD right away. He's a 100 pound lap dog and a big clown. He's now 2.5 y.o. and he just keeps getting better.


 That sounds a bit like Blackie's story.

Blackie is mainly our only rescue. He was dumped on the streets around the age of six months. Some friends of ours found him and picked him up. They kept him for two weeks while they tried to find his owner (he is thought to be purebred Lab, a puppy, and had a collar on...they thought he had just gotten loose from someone's yard). After the two weeks and no one was claiming him, they called us up and asked us, "You guys wanted a dog right? Do you want a Lab?" 
They didn't have the time and energy to keep up with a Labrador puppy (they had to retired Greyhounds and a young child and only had a small yard), and we had been looking for a dog (German Shepherds, actually) so we jumped at the chance. 
My brother and I played with him for about an hour and we said we'd take him. That is the best descion we've ever made.  He was a HUGE ball of energy and he didn't get the type of care he needed the first year or so we had him, but he has turned into the best dog. 



> Somebody did not see what a treasure they had. But I thank them every day because if they had not been such cold, callous jackasses, I never would have had the opportunity to bring Buck home.


 Amen. 

Brownie (GSD/ACD mix), was a stray that wandered over to our house. Come to find out, her previous owner was someone I went to school with and her dad just didn't want to deal with a dog anymore, so he drove off with her and dumped her out in the middle of the country (our house). We took her in, fed her, and loved her. She was a very good dog, although her bark was uber annoying. She ended up getting hit by a car (our fault...) when the pups were just starting to be weaned.

Rose is a puppy from Brownie's litter, and we also have a kitty, Rush, who was a kitten out of a stray's litter.

Chloe wasn't really a rescue, but in a way she was. I got her from a friend of mine who's dog had a litter of puppies. This was the dog's second litter and even though they complained about the puppies and their expense, they still didn't get their bitch spayed or their dog neutered. They puppies were ten weeks old and had never been off of their farm and had never seen anything but the inside of a barn and the surrounding feilds. They hadn't had any shots and only had one round of dewormer. They were filthy, stank to high heaven, and extreamly skittish of people. I was scared that if someone didn't get Chloe soon, she was either going to a.) end up hit, b.) end up Coyote chow, c.) get flea and tick problems, d.) be so undersocialized she'd end up fearful, e.) be picked up by some loony since they were giving the puppies away for free, or worst of all f.) kept by the family, not be spayed, and have litters through her every heat with her father being the sire of the litters.

She's now spunky, sassy, healthy, clean, fluffy, and not the least bit fearful at all (well, except of loud noises and large rocks lol). 

The rest of the critters (birds, rodents, ferrets) were either bought at a breeders or at a petstore.


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## kendallj

I only rescue dogs. I don't like the idea of "buying" a dog... too commercial, and impersonal. I recently rescued a dog that was siezed from an abusive home when the owner went to prison on drug possesion. She FORTUNATELY does not seem to have been affected by the drug use. THANK GOODNESS!! She is a very timid dog who is also very protective. She has protected me against a few creepy guys already in the 3 months that I have had her. All the homes that she has been in have done nothing with her, no shots, no spay, nothing, not even a traditional dew claw removal, this dog is COMPLETELY unaltered (on the 23rd that will change, her cousin, my brothers male dog, and her are both getting fixed on the same day so that they can play together!) She barks at every little noise, not excessively just a quick "HEY" she lounges around all day long and is just great. She is however not good with dissipline. The way I was raised was the "flick and praise" and we called it. I flick on the nose for bad and a good rub down for good. This dog CAN NOT do that. Even if I just raise my hand to put it out to her to tell her to stay she freaks out and thinks I am going to smack her. She avoids my feet at all costs, and attacks them if they get too close (she's getting better at that and will now sit ON my feet while I relax after work) We have a lot of trust to build, but she's getting along, and can even say hello to a man withou freaking out! Before she used to hide behind me and bark like crazy and even growl and snap. Now, unless I am uncomfertable, she just wags her tail and does ANYTHING to give a big hello jump up (training that outta her). She has come a long way. Trust first, then manners, then tricks.



FORGOT HER NAME!! I was so wrapped up in telling the story that I forgot to tell you her name..... RAVEN! lol


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## EXBCMC

we have an 8 year old GS named Hannah. She and her litter were dumped in a park near our home. Great dog, very smart. She does like to bark, though.
Spends most of her day chasing squirrels/possums on our block wall. We now have two lab pups that she is not too sure about. She puts them in their place.


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## Inga

I have done rescue for many years and have come across so many wonderful dogs. I will never understand how anyone could possibly hurt one of these wonderful animals. 
I currently have a now 12 year old Rottie ( I got her at 11 months old) She weighed in at 44 pounds and had been shot. (pellet) Owners said "she won't come when she is called." Hard to imagine when you shoot her. She now weighs 102lbs and is the best dog anyone could hope for.
I also have a now 2 year old Rottie that was brought in to a local shelter to be put to sleep. (at 4 months old) He had a very bad leg injury and his people didn't care to deal with it. He is also a great dog. He is sooo sweet and loves everyone and everything he meets.
I lost a 3 year old Rottie a few months ago to a stroke. Vet thought it may have had to do with her past abuse. When I got her she had been hung in a mans garage after being used as bait for a local dog fighter. She couldn't even stand up on her own and was bruised and raw and huge swollen area on her head. She was the most gentle, loving dog I have ever met and I can't say how much I miss her.
I continue to do rescue several times a month I with several friends drive to an area we call "Dog town" it is known for dog fights and neglect etc... The names are far to many to mention. The faces haunt my dreams and each day I wake with the need to continue fighting for these poor animals. God willing we will make a difference. I pray constantly that people will see the injustice in what is happening and help to stop it.
God Bless all of you who help animals.


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## Wimble Woof

Bailey, him and his "brother" Charlie were in danger of being euthanized because their owner no longer wanted them due to them peeing and pooping in the house...
Puppy, not a sad rescue story, an elderly gentle man was afraid that he would pass on and his puppy not have a wonderful home, we took him in.
Kita and her 5 litter mates, helped a friend place the pups after an "oops" breeding, due to not spaying her dog and having an intact male around ( wont happen again I assure you)
Echo, tied to the fence at the end of our driveway... not tangled there, but tied. Found her a wonderful home with a vet.
Petty, found as a stray wandering around town, kept her for 16 years until she passed at home one night from old age.
Toby, resued from a reserve far up north. Found a wonderful home with an elderly gentle man.
I could go on, but Puppy, Bailey and Kita are the ones that still live here.


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## sobreeze

I have been rescueing dogs along time . sherman my little westie mix is a rescue got him from a women at a animal action she gave him to me he will be 11 in jan 2008 . Then I adopted Merlin a Dalmation was told about him from a gal that does rescue he was 7 years old his family was moving and could not take there 2 Dalmation had left them at the vets to be put to sleep or find them a home . The older one had already been put down I called vet if I didnt come and get him by 5 p.m. that day he would be put down also. It was 4 p.m. when I called . I had Merlin for 3 more years before he passed away great dog glad I knew him . 
Them my life started with Boston Terrier rescue I am in love with this breed . I do foster work for 7 bells I adopted Izzy in Dec. 2006 she was a puppy mill breeder lost 2 litters cut her lose from mill I adopted her from 7 bells . She truly is my heart dog I love her so much . Thats how my BT fostering started I have 13 dogs at my home and my rescues are Sherman Westie mix,Izzy Boston, Magnaliyn Boston mill breeder,Babs boston mill breeder , Anakin a Boxer mix fron a unwanted little someone brought to pet fair a day rescue trys to get dogs adopted . So I brought him home adopted him great pup . Then my fosters one 10 week old boston puppy cut lose from breeder because of eyes she has been a very sick little girl will have to wait till better to be adopted . Did get her brother adopted aweek ago he has a great mother , Jessie a Boston mill dog older girl very loveing waiting for her forever home . Then Sir Phillip a Corgi pup 4 months old will go to his forever home in a week in a half he too is a specail needs baby but oh what a great little boy he has cateracts has some vision loos but gets around just great. I have had a few other fosters that have went on too forever homes. 
I love rescues and I love this work I save one life at a time any one that has never rescued should try if you can  The pictures are just a few adopted and fosters


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## Puppy_love_122

Shadow a shihpoo was rescued from a puppymill here in MO. Belle (beautiful in french) a rottie mix was a owner surrender as a puppy at a local humane society.


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## IslandMutts

I rescued two dogs from the animal shelter on the Caribbean island where I was living. First we adopted Nico, who was 2 yrs old at the time. He had been living at the animal shelter for 9 months before we took him home. His previous owner had brought him and his brother to the shelter because they would jump over the wall surrounding his property (his brother had already been adopted). Living at the animal shelter really made Nico a "dog's dog". They don't house them in individual cages there, just a large outdoor pen with a shelter from the rain and sun. Nico was the dominant dog there, but not aggressive. When we took him home, he was *very* shy, especially around my husband. He would also jump over our wall, particulary when he got frightened or when we were leaving, he'd jump and chase our truck down our street. It took him a few weeks to warm up to me, but he still was not seeking attention and was scared of my husband, especially when Tim would stand up from sitting or make a loud sound. We decided that another dog would help him adjust.

So we went back to the animal shelter and saw some puppies who had been brought in with their mother when they were less than a week old. THe mother was a street dog. We picked the most out-going pup, a female we call Cuda. We brought her home when she was 8 wks old and instantly Nico was a changed dog. Suddenly he was jealous of the attention the puppy was getting and came to us, seeking attention. Nico was an excellent big brother to Cuda and today they are the best of friends.


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## momamy

I adopted a black lab mix Shadow a few days ago. We are encountering a few bumps but im sure they can be worked out!

She is a beautiful dog very healthy. She was born at the broward humane society adopted out left to run the streets brought back to the shelter adopted out a second time brought back because they were moving. She has spent alot of time in the shelter. Im really hoping to give her the life she deserves. She is 2 and never taught anything. ( my dh thinks when she was owned she was shoved outside in the florida heat and never bothered with) 
I dont know how people can make a commitment to thses pets then toss them away!


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## patrickandduncan'smom

About 8yrs ago I went to our local shelter to adopt a small dog/puppy as my mom kept telling me that if I was going to get a dog that I needed a small one. This was going to be my first dog that was only mine--I have had dogs all my life but they were always family dogs. I went into the shelter and was looking at all the puppies and they were all pointer/labs/etc. and there were no small dogs or puppies. All of the puppies were hyper and jumping around exept one black puppy that I hardly even noticed who was curled up sleeping. For some reason for the next 2 days all I kept thinking about was that black puppy who was totally oblivious of my visit. I decided that if the puppy was still there and was a boy (I wanted a male dog as I prefer them) that I would get it. He was still there and I adopted him that very day. He is a black lab/red-bone coonhound mix (he is definitely no small dog which of course I knew he wouldn't be and he is the first big dog that I have ever had--except an Irish Setter briefly when I was 6yrs old) and 8yrs later my Duncan is the best dog I could have ever gotten---even though my mom still doesn't understand why I like big dogs especially since I now have 2 dogs that weigh over 100lbs! Here are a few pictures of him.


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## chul3l3ies1126

My girls' name is Guera...

The story on my baby is that, one day I found her behind my school being kicked in a circle of 5 guys that attened my school. I ran into the circle and got kicked as well, but I grabbed her. I grabbed her and tried to get out, but they were pushing me around, so I placed her in my pack and punched at kicked my way through. The hardest hit of theirs knocked me to the ground but I kept on and ran to my fathers classroom. Bleeding... I pulled out the little white fur ball that became my Guera. We went to the control room and found that the cameras had caught the incident, 3 of the 5 guys were found and charged with animal cruelty, assault, and battery. 1 of them is still in jail 4 years later, because he was 18 and was the one that gave me that horrible blow to the head. 

I later found out that my friends house had been burglerized, and they took stuff inside, and 3 puppies. They confessed to that and were charged on that also. Guera, was the last puppy that they had kept alive, and my friend let me keep her.


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## darlin

My daughter and I went to the local shelter and found shadow. He was a four month old lab/rottie mix. The worker there told us he was going to be put down at the end of that day. When he was put in my arms he peed all over me. I was in love as was my daughter and we couldn't let him be put down. The people at the shelter were glad not to have to put him down. 

Well we brought him home with our other two dogs and he brought with him giradia, skabies, ringworm, mange, and kennel cough. He only weighed 16lbs. he was a stray and still had his dewclaws. All the dogs got sick and it has been hell for the last two months with meds and special diets and such. The good news is he now weighs 36lbs, everything is clearing up and he is a wonderful dog, sweet smart loving and a good companion to my other dogs. He has more tests due to make sure he hasn't suffered too much damage with the skabies and mange,(fingers crossed) and he's an incredible member of our now four dog family.


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## Mdawn

I adopted Baby 10 years ago from the animal shelter. She was only six weeks old and no other puppies were brought in with her. The reason I picked her is because she DEMANDED attention. I saw her but my eyes kept wondering over to these other puppies that looked like German Sheppard's. She just kept yapping and barking that I was forced to pay more attention to her. I ended up taking her home because I liked her "spunk". My mom still has her.

I didn't rescue Eddie from a shelter, he was a stray, but I still consider him a rescue because he would have ended up dead eventually (A neighbor that lives a ways down our road has been known to shoot dogs). Anyway, last February, I was sitting in the living room watching T.V. and I kept hearing this noise, like barking. I didn't pay much attention at first because I thought it was my dog Dan just barking. Then I thought, "Well, Dan must want in". So I go to the door and I see this little Black wiggling puppy with his tail between his legs. I yell to my boyfriend that there is a puppy outside . He starts cussing and grumbling (we get frequent strays) all the way to the door to check it out. We bring him in and make the calls around to the neighbors to see if they lost a black lab puppy. No one had, but several said that they had seen him by and on the road for the past two days. We tried to find out who he belonged to, but no one claimed him. We called the shelter to ask if anyone has called in about a lost lab and no one has. They practically begged us not to bring him in because they had no room. I assume it was because it was February and people were getting rid of the dogs that they got as gifts for Christmas. 

Fred the cat was a stray that showed up last January. I'd seen him around the house for a week or so. One day it was REALLY cold outside and he finally decided that he was going to try coming to the door. Of course, we let him in and he's been here ever since. He would have died if wouldn't have. He was SEVERELY ill when he showed up. 

Max the cat, we adopted from the animal shelter awhile after we had our other cat Hank PTS due to stomach cancer. There were several kittens from his litter that were brought in with him. There isn't a major story about him, except that he has a major fear of children.

Gus the cat, we found. My boyfriend and I were coming home from a friends house one night and we almost ran over him. He was just sitting in the middle of the road. I think that his mother was there because we caught a glimpse of something running in the high grass along the side of the road. Fortunately, we were able to stop the truck before we hit him. We got out of the truck and went to pick him up. His eye was matted shut with pus looking stuff coming out of it and he was FILTHY dirty. My boyfriend and I stood in the middle of the road holding this kitten debating on what to do. We felt bad because we figured it was his mother that we saw a glimpse of and we felt like it was bad to take him from her. But then again, his eye was in REALLY bad shape and we didn't figure he'd survive long (diseases, getting hit by a car) and we took him. We got him medical attention the next day. He had a bad eye infection and respiratory problems. He was on antibiotics for awhile. After we bathed him, we found that he had suffered some sort injury to his back leg. He has a nasty scar and still gets aggravated when you touch him there.


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## sheltiemom

Penny was a stray that I found while taking a short cut to the lake behind my neighborhood. There is a church camp there that is no longer in use, and she was living in what used to be the maintenance shed for the camp. Someone had left a whole bag of dog food out for her, but it was crawling with ants. I was hesitant about what to do. I kept an eye on her for a few days, and finally took her home. She was under weight and covered in fleas, but otherwise healthy. She cleaned up nicely and is fitting right in.


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## fuzzie

this isn't realy my rescue, but it is a rescue and I feel she should be mentioned. gimpy was a stray mixed breed (gsd x rottie maybe?), huge black and tan dog, we used to joke she looked like a bear. because of her size she looked pretty alarming, but all she wanted was to know you loved her, not a mean hair on her body. When she was found she was limping badly. as far as we can tell, she was probably hit by a car and then shot while running away (maybe as a crude way to end her misery, maybe by some crazy farmer) but they took her to the vet, saw the bullet and her messed up pelvis in the x-rays, and became her forever home.

I just think this rescue is remarkable because, even after all that she remained so trusting and eager to love.


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## cgarriso

I adopted my Pippin four years ago this Friday. I was attending my nephew's first birthday party at a home near a local lake. Unfortunately, because the house sits at the end of an isolated country road, people abandon pets there all the time. It was almost 100 degrees out, but we were having watermelon with lots of kids and so were eating outside. This little black and tan puppy, about 10 weeks old, kept coming up to me, snuggling up to my legs, then falling over on his back between my feet, looking up at me as if to say, "If you don't take me home, I'll DIE out here." He was adorably cute and such a sweetie, cuddling up to me so desperately. All of his pads were injured and he was such a pitiful sight limping around and panting so terribly in the heat. I was preparing to move out on my own at the time and had planned to adopt locally from Petsmart or our humane society. Pippin saved me the drive. 

The first few days he was with me in my parents' house he was known as "the little monster" because everywhere he ran (a playful hopping scamper) he'd make this silly growling sound, and also because he'd chew up or through just about anything; he has jaws like a hyena. He LOVES to play with other dogs and drove my parents' Bernice nuts (she's a spoiled only child). He was quickly dubbed Pippin, from Tolkien's _Lord of the Rings_, due to his playful nature and tendency to get into all sorts of trouble.

I took him to the vet a couple of days after I saved him to get started on all his shots and to have him looked over. I thought his paw injuries had come from walking a long way on blisteringly hot pavement, but the vet said it looked more like he'd been tossed from a moving vehicle out in the country where I'd found him. His pads healed fine and he's been the best dog anyone could ever want. He's still the biggest cuddler and thinks he belongs in my lap, even though he's 70lbs now. Unfortunately, due to his rough abandonment, his ankles and hips are somewhat fragile, and we have to be careful not to walk too far or play too hard. He's also developed head tremors over the past eight months, which my vet thinks may be related to his rough abandoment as a puppy.

I can't imagine what I would do without him.


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## PuppiesInPink

Bailey was found through an ad in the paper for "free puppies." Melissa called the ad and the woman on the other end of the phone told her she had found a litter of puppies on the side of the road in Naples, FL and the puppies were at most 4 weeks old. She went down to look at them. She called me so I could meet her there and of course we went home with a puppy. I can only hope the others went to loving homes. The lady was very nice and seemed to know about dogs, she had 3 of her own. Bailey is now almost a year old and is healthy as can be. We dealt with a small mange issue on the tip of her tail. She is by far the most loveable dog I have ever owned, I wonder if she somehow understands that we saved her.


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## Mandarin_Orange_Mandy

My new rescue dog's Mandy. She was a stray and was put in the pound. It was her kill day and Adopt-a-Pet saved her and we adopted her. She is 2-3 years old and is a Jack Russell. She is really timid around men, we think she was abused sadly.


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## cshellenberger

Xena (Bulldog) is a rescue from the Chula Vista shelter. She was relinquished in Leiu of medical attention. When I got her she had a serious skin infection, severe cherry eye and was under weight. I've gotten the cherry eye taken care of, discovered she's allergic to grass and gets skin infections every summer (she's currently on septra and 50 mg of benadryl) and put 10 lbs on her! 

She's tons of work, but we love her to death.


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## Loywi1

Yukon. He is a GSD. He's a bit neurotic and crazy but was going to be put down by the shelter the day we got there and we took him home that day to foster him for the GSD Rescue club here but we didn't have the heart to send him to another home so we adopted him officially. We figure he's been in 6 homes or so since birth and he's only a little over 1. We're not sure on his background but he's so shy and startles easily that it's almost like he might have been abused. He was adopted out once and returned because she said he bit her and she was afraid of him, I've only seen nippy! and I have 3 kids that I trust him with! He also hides under our tables or desks. He's quite funny! Getting better though.


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## K9krazey

My husband and I rescued Taffy from a humane society. We adopted her in March of 1999. She was a little over 1 years old at the time. She is a German Shepherd/Basenji mix and is very sweet!! Apparently some man owned her and I think they said he had to move and couldn't take her with him so he dropped her off at the shelter. Well, I knew she was the one for us because 1) my hubby couldn't quit smiling when he saw her and 2) she was born one year before we were married (1/9/98...and we were married 1/9/99)  She is still with us today and will be 10 years old this coming January. She is still as playful as ever.

In March of 2004 we decided to adopt another dog. We went to the APA shelter in St. Louis. We were wanting to adopt a small dog around a year or so old. Well, we went through the puppy section just to look and I saw Missy (that is what I named her). She was in the front of a cage with her 2 other sisters. She is a black lab/border collie mix. She was about 10 weeks old at that time. The shelter volunteer asked me if I wanted to hold her. How could I resist?!?!?!? So I did, fell in love with her and so we adopted her. She is our kisser!!! She is our big lap dog (all 65 lbs of her). I believe they said she was born on a farm and someone brought her and her siblings in (she had a couple of brothers too). 

I plan to always adopt from shelters. I'd LOVE to have a third dog but hubby says 2 are enough for now. Maybe he'll eventually let me have a 3rd one.


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## onyxdaily

We found Brandy, our little hound, in our barn on October 23rd, 2006. She was incredibly skinny, very fearful and obviously sick. We kept her in the house that first night because it was evening time when we found her and the vet was closed for the night. We took her to the vet the next day. They kept her 4 nights to get her well. Not knowing if she just got loose accidentally, we checked around for missing dog ads and posters during those 4 days. But when I picked her up on Friday and was told about the physical findings of the vet when he examined her, I knew that even if we saw an ad for her, that no one was taking her away again to do the things to her that had been done in the past. We decided then and there to keep her and we've slowly but steadily made progress in getting her to trust us. I don't know if her issues will ever resolve totally, but I know that we love her and try to give her a happy, healthy and safe life.


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## adidasgirl13

I have 2 beautiful rescue dogs.

Hailie is 4 years old now, she's a german shep/rottie mix. I got her when she was about 3-4 months old. Hubby was stationed in GA and the MP's had picked her up. Someone had dumped her over the fenceline. Up to this point my daughter had been terrified of dogs, but we decided to look anyway at the shelter on post. She just totered up to this dogs cage and said "mine." So we took her home after waiting the 5 days to see if anyone claimed her. We never had to house train her or teach her any commands and she is calm as could be - she is our perfect dog. So of course I had to have another.

Nimitz is 10-12 weeks and also a german shep/rottie mix. I have had him for a week now. He is a spunky bundle of energy. But he is learning very quickly some of the basic commands.

Both dogs are trained for Czech commands - Nimitz is being trained exclusively Czech and Hailie is bilingual.


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## shell07

Our first rescue was Yellow, a yellow lab, probably about 12-13 yrs old..A friend of mine saw him wandering the streets of a neighboring town, and being a foster home herself, she had her quota, so we took him because of his age, and being in the country it is cooler and better for him instead of the city. He sadly is no longer with us. He started having seizures, and blacking out, and our vet, really could not find a medical problem with him, just old age, but we decided to put him to sleep because of his age, and it just wasn't fair to watch him "wake up" after a seizure, and try to get his barrings, and try to stand up;which sometimes took up to half an hour, and he coughed, and wheezed, spit up, etc..anyway, a very hard decision to make, but we decided it was indeed the smartest.

Max, our 5-6 yr old (I think)Border Collie, showed up on our doorstep one day with a neighboring dog, and after making phone calls the following morning to neighbors (he stayed, and the neighbor dog went home) I found where he came from, and apparently it was a renter who moved out, and left him there by himself with no food or water, and not sure for how long. So the landlord said he would come pick him up, and as he was talking to me about him he said since he had a bum leg he wasn't a good cattle dog to him and he was going to just put him down himself. THIS is where I came unglued and told him NO WAY, (many expletives as well) he was going to be living with us. Max, has been the best dog we have had. He is super smart, very happy, healthy, and is very devoted and protective, and ever so gentle. Oh, I also ended up having to pry the collar off of his neck, because it was too small, and his hair had started to grow around the collar..very sad, but he was ok. He goes everywhere with my hubby. He hears his truck start up and he is right there beside him, ready to take his place next to his dad

We had a cat, that found it's way under our porch one day, many years back, that was whining, and scared. When I looked at him, you could see there was something wrong with his leg, and he had maggots and flies,and who knows what else in there, so I took him straight to the vet. They ended up amputating his leg..not sure what really happened, but he came home to live with us, and was there for a few months, and one day he went outside (like any other day)and he never came back He was very sweet, and you just knew he was great full for us, but living in the country, any predator could have gotten him, even in the daylight. 

We also have a tortoise shell calico we found as a kitten who had been born in the underbelly of a modular home and the mom must have left her there, and just never came back. It took us hours to get her out of there, but we eventually caught her and we named her TT (short for tater tot) because at the time we had gotten lunch and that is all we had left and she was super hungry so we had given her a tot, and she devoured it, and almost fingers as well She is a bit ferrel, so she is kind of grouchy at times, but she loves our kids, and will cuddle up with them the minute they sit down anywhere. I am sure there are others, but those are the ones to come to mind. The best pets are the ones we rescue I think, because they are the most greatfull!


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## freki

My Kenya came from a local animal shelter, which is a kill shelter. I was looking for a dog to adopt because my previous dog of 14 years had just passed away. I randomly went in and fell in love with this massive beauty. The shelter was hesitant to adopt her out, they were already planning on putting her down because they thought she was a wolf hybrid. I talked to them for a while and convinced them that I was able to take care of her. They had to talk to city council first to see if they wanted to allow a dog of "her nature" within the city, but a few days later when I went back all was good to go. They assumed she was about 4 years old and the person that brought her in said she was lingering around their back yard for a few days so they called the shelter because she was scared.

Kenya turned out to be about the most lovable thing ever. She loves interaction and formed a bond with me almost instantly. I don't believe she's a hybrid at all, but more likely an Akita/Shepard mix of some kind. I've worked with her a lot and she is now fairly social and listens well. She's very independent, intelligent, and happy.

_This was the day I brought her home_


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## Dutchie

freki- that is one beautiful dog!!!


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## Gauge23

I adopted Gauge 8/04/2007...he is my first rescue dog. He's a black lab mix (chow maybe) and was about to be euthanized. He is heartworm+ but we are getting him treated for it. He started his first round of treatment 8/06/07 and went back today for the second round. I wish I could up load a picture! He is so sweet. He has a cauliflour ear from having an ear infection and no one treating him for it and a scar going across his eye from a fight or something I assume. He's a character!


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## _Jack_

freki-that is a gorgeous dog!!

We just rescued Jack from our local shelter! he is a german shepard/lab/hound dog mix. He was surrendered because he jumped! He's now 5 1/2 months old and so far he's doing really well with the kids and is catching on to his training amazingly and he's only been her for a few days!


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## magldg41

Remmington (Remmy) was "rescued" from a lady that is a dog trainer, she had 5 dogs already. She resuced him for real where he was just in the woods, and she said it took them about 3 hours to catch him because he was sooooo timid and scared. It took him a week to get off the back door mat and come socialize. I just let him be and he came around, and now has the labrador lean  The other, Django was rescued from another no kill shelter and he is a mastiff cross, but I am not really sure what he is. He was found by the shelter with 4 others in a box in the target parking lot. Hes a playful goofy puppy, and they are both SOOOOO good with my kids. My one year old just lays all over them and they are patient with him. Hopefully these couple of pics will come out.  BTW my son is inspecting the Django's


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## TeddieXRuxpin

I have four dogs all of which are rescues. 

Mahalo is a Corgi/Malamute and she was a reacue from one of our SPCA's. She was rescued along with her twin brother because their owners weren't taking good enough care of them. 








Buster Brown is a Lab/Doberman mix and just a big baby. He's 80 lbs of pure love and joy. He was an owner surrender when he was just 8 weeks old. 








Duncan Hienz is a Heeler and he was also an owner surrender when he was 8 weeks old. He's our muscle man. He's like the energizer bunny!








And Teddie Rxupin my baby. He is an almost two year old stray Shih Tzu. Our other three babies are family dogs, but Teddie is all mine. I just finished making a thread all about him if you'd like to know more.


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## Jak

I got my Husky , Jak, from a Siberian Husky Rescue in CA. He came into the shelter as a stray. After that he was rescued, but they felt that he wasn't active enough and returned him. Luckily for me, I saw him online and was able to get him. It's been a little rough so far. He had gotten infested with ticks, so we're still trying to get rid of them. He's also gnawed through a collar, and caught a opossum. But he's the best, it still boggles my mind that such a great dog was just waiting to be adopted in a rescue. He can be snoozy, but when he snaps into play mode his power is just crazy.


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## Yvette

DaKota a nieghbor of mine had (with 4 other dogs). They were evicted & moving out of state. They couldn't/didn't find homes for all thier dogs & were going to drop them off on the highway. DaKota was the worst looking of the bunch. My boyfriend convinced them to bring DaKota to our house instead & 
that he would have the vet at his work put her to sleep. We weighed her at 33 lbs. She was 1 1/2 years old. When he took her to work to be put to sleep
the vet looked her over & asked why we were putting a healthy dog to sleep?
She was only starved, sevrely beaten as we found out & was drugged with illegals that the teenage boys have given her. That was in 2001. She is now a happy healthy girl who loves to be loved & praised. 

Glitzie came from my work. Her owners go away alot & she was boarded with us alot. About 90% of the time they had her. They felt bad for her as they knew she was a great family dog. They knew that I rarely go on vacation or go away, so they asked if I would want her. I said most definitley! So here she is.  DaKota just adores her! Even though I had them both spayed. DaKota takes on the Mama role with Glitzie. It's kinda funny to watch a German shepherd protecting a little Pug & reprimanding her also.


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## JTLABMIX

*Re: JT, Kate, Apollo*

JT is a pound puppy. He was brought into the pound with his mom and five siblings. When I went to get my puppy he was in a kennel with a brother and a sister. He never had to be alone so that makes me happy. 
Kate was a golden retriver we found as a free to good home ad. We got her when she was 10 months old. Had to house train because she was an outside dog at her former home. It turned out she had very bad sizures(paralized her esophgus) and we had to put her to sleep.
The very first family dog we had was Apollo. He was also a free to good home dog. He was 2 years old when we went to get him. It was raining,and being an Old English Shepard, he was a mess. I took him in to get groomed and was questioned as to why my dog was in such bad shape. With the matted, soaking wet hair we couldn't tell that his previous owner had almost starved him. He was all angles with no roundness anywhere on him. We got him home, fed him up and he ruled the house for 8 more years. It was the worst day when we had to put him down but he will be at the bridge waiting with Kate and my chilhood dog Yo YO.


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## starry15

*Re: JT, Kate, Apollo*

nice pups!! Star was a shelter dog. I rescued him. If I wouldnt of gotten him that day, they would of put him down.


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## Love's_Sophie

Well, both of my pups are rescues.

Sophie came from our local Humane Society. She was from a litter of 10 that was dumped off at the shelter. Her other siblings had already been adopted out by the time I went looking for a dog last June. I was looking for a younger dog, then she was (6 months), and they had some, but those puppies weren't ready yet, and none of them 'clicked' with me. I moved onto the other kennels, stopped in front of Sophies run, and she at there and looked at me through the bars with her big soft brown eyes. I knew then that she was the one. I took her out, played with her for a little bit, then moved on, and looked at the other dogs; making sure, that my 'gut feeling' was right about this one. There were some cute dogs there, but I kept returning to that little spunky black Border Collie mix. I went to the front desk and told them my fiance and I would be back later to look at Sophie again, and possibly take her out on trial. Well, we never took her out on trial; we brought her home that night...Lol!!! 

And Dominoe...well, he was a 'true' rescue, in that one day, when I was sitting at home, and I was heading out the door to go pick up my husband from work, I heard a high pitched yipping howl from the side of our apartment. I followed the sound and here was this little imp of a dog. He had this little body, and big head that made him look so goofy. I picked him up, and he was nothing but bones, and hide; he had a pot belly, indicating a belly full of worms. His coat looked horrible. I didn't know what our landlord was going to say, but I couldn't just leave him out there. So I plopped him in the backseat of our van with Sophie and took off to go pick up hubby. Got there, and told him I had something in the car to show him; he fell in love instantly. We bought food, a collar, leash, etc. Then called around and asked if anyone had lost a puppy (doubtful...we figured he'd been dumped), then informed our landlord. He made the mistake of holding the pup, and looked at Sophie, and said, "well, it's no good to be alone"...we knew then, it would be okay to keep him...Lol!


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## Cooper's Mama

My boyfriend and I rescued Cooper at a shelter in Lake Ariel, PA. He was 8 weeks old. He will be 3 years old in January. Time really flies! 

There really isn't much of a story. I found his picture on petfinder.org and we went down on a Friday night after work to see him and left with him that night. No questions asked. The lady at the shelter told me he had been with a foster family. Other than that, there is no info on him. Being how he was only 8 weeks old, there probably wasn't much to tell!! He is now a very spoiled, well taken care of dog!

Health wise, he was underweight (he weighed 13 pounds), had worms and was in desperate need of a bath.


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## blitherngidiot

Meet Bounder, or Boundie, as he's affectionately known. Boundie is a Lhasa Apso that my late husband and I adopted in December 2005. He was picked up off the streets in Orlando, FL and was to be euthanized except that some kind soul called Yorkie Friends Rescue. His hair was so matted he had to be completely shaved. On top of his head it was so bad, it was causing his eyes to bug out, resulting in cherry eye. YFR named him "Bob Marley" because of his "dreds". He was also extremely malnourished to the extent that he spent 10 days at the vet's being fed through a trach tube inserted in his throat. He actually wasn't expected to live. But he did!!!!!!! When he was finally stable and well enough to come to us he weighed about 16 lbs and still had virtually no hair. Today people are amazed when I tell them he's a rescue baby. He's +/- 4 y/o, 23 lbs (a pretty big boy for a Lhasa) and if he's not groomed on schedule---once a month---well, he's just a mess. He's very social and thinks EVERYBODY's his new best friend. He's as stubborn as any Lhasa has ever been. Right now he's on a kick that he's not going to eat unless I hand-feed him, but I think that's because he's still grieving the loss of his Daddy. Since he's best when he's got a constant playmate, I'm adopting a sibling for him that we're scheduled to pick up tomorrow, another rescue, this time a Lhasa/Westie mix. This should be interesting! Munchkin, aka Munchie, is only about 12 lbs and +/- 2y/o...solid white (typical Westie). While I'm not particularly looking forward to maintaining a white baby, I'm very excited for Boundie because I know he needs the company. And we'll both love Munchie---he'll be a wonderful addition to our family!


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## Addison

My baby is Addison. I had been going to the anti cruelty shelter in Chicago for weeks looking for a dog. On the day I found her, she had only been there a week but was transported from another shelter. There really was not much of a story behind her except that she was not wanted due to her high energy level (but what can you expect from a husky ) I love her to death and now I volunteer at the shelter and my boyfriend and I hope to find another great puppy soon.


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## zoesmom

You all have touching stories and it's so nice to see all of the compassionate hearts out there 

I have 3 dogs, 2 of which are rescues from www.abtr.net American Boston Terrier Rescue.

Fenway, was found as a stray, he had bad cherry eye, un-altered, and was very skinny and malnourished. A few surgeries and a whole lot of lovin and he's a chunky, happy pup like he should be 

Piper was owned by people that didn't believe in dogs in the house, keeping her (6 month old puppy) and her brother outside in Texas heat, with little food and no attention. She too ended up with American BT rescue and thankfully made her way to our home as well. She has severe seperation anxiety, and a few things we are working on, but she is a sweet cuddly little girl.

I am the lucky one, to be able to give these wonderful souls a home and share my life with them.
We also have 4 cats. The most recent made his way into our yard, and hasn't left our house since


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## Obstacle

When my boyfriend and I decided to move in together we knew that we wanted a "dog friendly" abode. Once we got everything settled and unpacked, we decided it was time. The stipulation I had was that we had to get a puppy/dog from a shelter, and not just get one because it was cute, I wanted it to have interest in us when we were checking it out. We looked at local shelter for a few weeks on Saturdays, and met nice animals, but no one that we thought was for us. My parents were visiting us for Labor Day 2006 and we had no solid plans. When we moved my parents weren't able to help us, so I think they were really interested in helping us with a different "big moment" in our lives. We went to Petco because a local shelter is there on weekends, and no luck there either, only a dog that wanted to attack and scratch me. While there we looked on Petfinder. My boyfriend really wanted a Weimaraner, we did all of our research, but knew the odds of finding one in a shelter, and one that liked us, weren't good. He then was looking at Labs. By a stroke of luck perhaps, at a shelter in a small town I had never heard of (this is Southern Illinois afterall  ) had a Chocolate Lab/Weimaraner mix listed, and on the site he was quite handsome. We called Ginny (the lady who runs the shelter from her house), and had to leave a message. She returned our call, said that Chili (his name is now Boskydell) was still there. We drove to virtually the middle of nowhere to meet a dog that we may not even like, and we met. It was perfect! He was energetic like we wanted, he wanted attention, he liked to play, and was in need of a home. We left with him about 30 minutes later. 

He was quite sick when we got him, had two types of worms and had been in some sort of fight by the battle wound under his eye. But after a few weeks of meds and proper diet.....13 months later the once 37 pound dog is now 70, and just as happy as the day we met him. Although I think a bit happier, he's pretty spoiled. We have no idea where he came from or what his story is, he was housebroken when we got him, about 9 months old, and knew a few commands. He does act oddly to the sound of horses on tv though, so we like to believe he once lived on a farm or around horses.


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## Max'sHuman

I grew up with dogs. My first best friend was a miniature poodle named Heba. After he died I relentlessly begged my parents for a dog of my own. We subsequently had two dogs, but neither of them were "my" dog. Don't get me wrong, they were great dogs but they were devoted to my Mom and mainly tolerated me. Now that I am older my parent's dog Trina likes me a lot more, she just doesn't particularly like children and I was 9 or 10 when we got her.

When I was a junior in college and moved into my own apartment the idea of getting my own dog returned with a vengeance. My roomate hated dogs and didn't want me to get one, so I didn't and it was probably a good thing because as an undergrad I wouldn't have had the money to take care of one.

Now I am in graduate school. A lot of my friends have dogs and I have a little bit better of a financial situation, at least I'm financially independent (give or take some student loans ). I started spending every day on Petfinder, Craigslist and shelter websites looking at pictures of dogs. I saw so many cute faces but kept talking myself out of it because I wasn't sure if these adorable puppies would be more than I could handle. Until I saw Monty (now Max). 

The shelter volunteers described him as a move in ready special. He was said to be house-trained, pretty well socialized, friendly, with car and leash manners. He had the terrier look I love and was small enough for my apartment. When I emailed the shelter and described my living situation they said he could be a great fit. As soon as I got that email I had to go meet him. I was at the shelter before they opened. This adorable little brown dog came into the visiting room, put his paws on my legs and stole my heart. Now he's at home and we're getting used to each other and I'm learning to be a good dog mom. Max is MY dog and I'm HIS human and I'm so glad I could give him a home.


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## ar3151

Melody - adopted from the SPCA - got her at around 4-5 months.

Ceaser and mickey - rescued from a lady that was housing a bunch of dogs from a SPCA that was overcrowded. at first only wanted 1, but i couldnt split 2 brothers that have been together since birth.


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## ACampbell

Oh where to start...
Jessie - Catahoula/greyhound mix - got her from the shelter (grandparents still have her, she's 5 or so) because I felt bad for her, really skinny and covered with fleas to the point when I washed her in flea shampoo (she was too young but it was so bad my vet said to go ahead with it) and she howled for about an hour and scratched herself raw with the dying fleas...it was so bad you could see everywhere she'd been because there was a trail of dead bugs.
Tigger (cat) - Saw some approx. 10-12 yr old kids throwing a furry baseball, pulled my truck over to see it was a kitten...took her home, covered in fleas, ticks, missing an eye and respiratory illness. She was barely able to walk so she was really young but she healed up nicely and survived...those nasty little twerps weren't found by the police. My mom has her now, I'm allergic to cats, and Tigger is the meanest damn cat I have ever met in my life.
Carl - Border Collie gotten from the shelter (he had been returned to teh shelter 4 times by the time I got him)...could not stand this dog, too hyper for me, so gave him to a friend with a ranch...he loves herding cattle!
Meatball - GSD/sneaky neighbor dog mix - got him at 5 weeks old from someone who was going to "drown" him as they had already given away the rest of the puppies, I was shocked they were that young. I bottle fed him with left over baby formula as my son was 3 months old...I still have him but he is being rehomed with a friend of mine who needs a companion and loves him.
Sparky and Sweetie - Came as a pair, Sweetie has a large tumor and her owners were sending her to the pound because they were moving...I felt so bad for her I begged my husband to keep her...his reply "Yeah ok whatever, but I'm not taking care of the damn thing" - she is now his favorite dog.
Smokey - Bullmastiff/APBT mix - My mom "rescued" him visiting a friends house, their neighbor had him chained in their gravel yard with about 4 feet of chain, he was severely underfed and was abused because he wouldn't fight...you can't tell from the pictures, but he is covered in scars, from his head down to his chest...she brought him up here because she has 9 dogs already (all rescue) at the ranch for me to get him a good home...he found one, I once again, begged hubby to let me keep him.


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## dane&cockermom

buddy (my cocker) was a rescue. he was an owner surrendor. he was owned by an older couple since he was a pup. they were a little too old to be handling a little rambunkious cocker. we adopted him when he was 3 and he really was a piece of work! aparently the couple couldn't really get up to take him out, so he pottied in the house all the time...he was just a little terror! even at the age of 3 when they're "supposidly" coming out of that state. a little more than a month before that, we had put our first cocker down. he was my mom's mother's day gift because she was very upset about putting the other one down, but when i moved out, i took him with me. lol

gwen (my dane) we just rescued about a month ago. we met her a "meet and great" for the Great Dane Rescue of the Common Wealth at an adoption event in a school yard. we had gone that day with every intention of getting a dog. we spotted her with her bright yellow "adopt me" bandana on and went to check her out. she came right up to my husband and i and leaned up on my husband. it completely shocked and surprised everyone at the tent because he was terrified of men. her foster family said she would cower and growl at foster dad, and were so excited she came right up to my husband that they were like "so...she's up for adoption! =)" i feel for her hard! but we decided to continue to look around, but always ended up back at the tent with her. we couldn't resist, we had to have her. a week later, she was in our home. she was also an owner surrendor. her previous family's mom got very sick and was on $650 worth of medication a month and could no longer afford to feed her, and knew the best thing for her was for her to go to a new home. 

i could not ask for better dogs. either of them. buddy took a lot of work. he obviously had no discipline before us, but he's perfect now. and gwen, omg gwen is amazing. i haven't done a single thing with her yet as far as training goes, and she's perfect! <3


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## all4thedogs

Ryder- I rescued Ryder when he was 3 weeks old. He was at his breeders house, and she thought the puppies were old enough to go home (she has all ready sold one). She advertised them as being 75% weaned. I contacted her and convinced her to give me the whole litter and their mother. I kept them until they were 9 weeks old, fat, healthy, and fully weaned. I found Ryder's siblings and mother WONDERFUL homes, but couldnt part with Ryder. 

Kaiden- Kaiden lived his first 6 months in a puppy shop (thats literally what it was, a shop full of puppies all running around). He was abused by the owner (beat for eating, not pooping on the floor (he would dart out the door to use the bathroom), and for playing to rough (imagine that 6 month old GSD vs 6wk old Min Pin)). He was VERY sick (major URI, ingrown toenails, enlarged heart etc). The man decided one day he was sick of all the inspections (we were trying to get him closed down), and left one day, all the dogs still in the shop. I happen to work next door and my boss and I went in and got the dogs. I decided right then and there Kaiden was coming home with me, and here he has been for 4yrs.


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## rockys_mom

I rescued Rocky he is 2 years old minpin x chi. I'm from Ontario and Rocky is from an Ohio high kill shelter. The rescue group drove down to Ohio to pick up a whole bunch of dogs ready to be killed. I think they are doing a great thing, and I'm so happy that they gave me Rocky. He is a sweet heart. I just wish I knew his whole story. Like was he loved at one time or was he just a stray. He's got such sad eyes...makes me wonder.


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## hollysmom

Just rescued Holly from Arkansas. She flew up on Friday night. SHe and her siblings were abandoned...she's a lab/boxer mix...only 3 months old. Adorable and a real love.


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## Lonewolfblue

I rescued Betty about 7 weeks ago. Currently we are now going to Dog Socialization classes for her fear of other dogs. She's been to 3 classes so far, and is progressing fairly well. Her last class was her best, the trainer told me she made a huge step forward. But it's still going to take some time. I drove several times, a 3 hour drive each way, to visit her and walk, then decided on bringing her home. Glad I did, she's awsome...

As for what she knows, she does know all her commands. That made it real easy on me. She must have had classes before, but there was no history known about her. All they had was that she's about a year old, and she's a Blue Heeler/Australian Shepherd Mix. Here's her pic....


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## Shaina

We adopted Kim from a rescue in the hills of Tennessee...a family called in to the rescue that they had a bunch of dogs that had been living in their ditch for the last couple of weeks. When they arrived they found a mother chocolate lab, what appeared to be her half-grown daughter, an adult toy mix, and a apparently unrelated puppy. The family that lived near there said there originally had been several pups like the one remaining, but they would disappear overnight (probably picked off one by one :-( ). The last one would crawl up to the house at night and hide in the space under the porch, so it had survived. They wanted to keep the puppy because they thought it was cute, but the rescue talked them out of it considering the lack of concern they had shown for these 4 remaining, underweight and obviously neglected dogs. 

So we saw Kimmy (the vet-proclaimed "3.5 month old sheltie-german shepherd mix" (read: mutt) on Petfinder, talked with her foster mum a lot, who agreed to meet us halfway (about a 4 hr round trip for each party). She was rather terrified of car trips (maybe dumped off in a ditch from a car?), and people in general, but she's come a long way since June


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## max1

My very 1st dog was a rescue dog from the Humane Society. At the time I was moving out for the first time on my own and I wanted our family dog Krystina to go with me but my sis-in-law and brother didnt want to give her up so my brother went to the shelter and picked out my GSD Zeek. He was waiting for me to rescue him, at the time if I hadnt adopted him he would have been put down the next day! He was about 6 months old and he was an awesome dog. He died on Sept 2006 from old age after being w/me for 13 years!

My youngest brother and I lived together at one point and he had his own dog, Pepper she was a beagle/cocker mix that he got from someone that was giving away dogs in a parking lot. After he moved out and she had been socialized w/Zeek they couldnt be separated so I kept her until she had to be put down Oct 2007 due to health problems.

My puppy Maxx we got from our friend. Her dog (Ruby-is a black lab) is Maxx's mom and she was giving the puppies away after her dog had them. Maxx has been with us since May 2007 and was inseparable from Pepper up until she left us in Oct. We miss her a lot!!! But I know that she is w/Zeek and feeling much better.


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## titaniummd

Devi said:


> *Cera* _(pronounced like "Sara")_
> 
> This little, chubby english cockerspaniel-poodle mix (or cockapoo as most call them) caught our eye. She was quiet and dirty and looked very scared. Apparently her owners turned her in the night before because they "didn't have time for her" and didn't even give her the honor of having a name. We decided to take her out to meet Jiffy and when we saw them together, everything seemed to just fit. Sure they weren't really playing, but they weren't in disagreement with each others' presence. So, long story short, we went in to meet two big, burly dogs and left with a "cockapoo". I also like to joke that we got a "designer breed", that people pay crazy amounts for, for 25 bucks. Not only that, she came to us spayed, UTD on shots, treated for fleas and parasites and microchipped. I cleaned her dirty, tangled coat and fluffed her out, clipped her nails and she's being treated for an ear infection. Basically, she got a whole makeover and we're not done yet! She's on a new, _healthy_ diet and now gets to go on at least 2 long walks a day with me and my Jiffy boy (and sometimes Drew) because she needs to get in shape! So, all-in-all I feel like I won the jackpot because she is just the best little pooch (next to my Jiff man of course) and seeing her happy and fulfilled is so incredibly rewarding!


Your baby looks just like mine and mine is a Bichon.

We have a 1 year old Bichon that we adopted. He is such a sweet boy. He was pretty 'aggressive' at the pet store today with 2 days 3 times his size.

We named him Snowey.


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## Dutch5352

Casey is my rescue story. My therapy dog Molly (also a rescue) and I were at a "Blessing and Adoption" function that sponsored the therapy organization we belong to. There were all kinds of rescue organizations there. The lady that owned the facility where the function was being held, walked up behind me, tapped me on the shoulder and told me "Karen, I've found your new daughter". I turned around and she held the sweetest little longhaired doxie, who was skinny and obviously terrified. She was shaking and so scared it was pitiful. Ilene handed her over to me and in a matter of minutes that sweet little girl cuddled up against my neck and I could feel her whole little body relax. Casey's story was that she was purchased from a breeder in Missouri (a puppy mill??? I don't know) and it looked like she was scheduled to become the mama in a breeding pair that we can only assume was going to be a dandy little backyard breeder facility (another puppy mill, who knows). Casey was way underweight when she was rescued and completely terrified of men, of feet and of hands reaching out to her. The minute I saw her I was a goner. She came home with me that day and although Molly wasn't thrilled to have this new sister, they do get along. Casey and Molly now work as a therapy pair in an Adult Day Care Center where all the sweet old folks think they are just the best things in the world. They go in dressed for holidays or just to spend time with the folks. I just have to say, Bless every one of you that has rescued any kind of animal.


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## Cheetah

Eevee was dumped at a local shelter at 8 months of age, with the usual excuse of "we're moving." She had been there for a while. I was 15 when I adopted her, and she's 7 1/2 now. Unfortunately, she was abused by my family before I could move out, so she's really submissive now, and sometimes she still flinches when I go to pet her. But I have been working with her a lot and she is happy.


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## case sensitive

Sally, my basset/shepherd mix.

Charlie, the bagle (beagle/basset). - RIP

Then we went and got a beagle puppy, not from a rescue. I don't think we'll ever do that again. rescue dogs are so much better than bred dogs. They love you much more than any other. Even though my Sally-girl was only in the shelter for an hour or so, she knows that we saved her from whatever her fate could have been (it is a no-kill/low-kill shelter, so no worries there). She's so much more loving than our beagle is.


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## Pip & Alfies Mum

We got Pippa from Battersea Dogs Home 12 years ago this coming January, and she is just the most gentle clever dog I could of wished for. All we know about he is that she was dumped at around 10 weeks old and we got her when she was around 16 weeks. She was so easy to train and won the award at obedience class for the best dog. The kids could take a piece of steak out of the mouth without her batting an eyelid. It was pure chance that we got her as we were due to have another dog but just before we picked it up it attacked another dog over food and because we had young children at the time they advised against us having that dog and offered us Pippa instead. 
Have had a bit of a scary time with her this year, she's been suffering with infected anal glands which have been stubborn to remedy, had a lump removed from her eye lid and while doing blood tests the vet found a heart problem which thankfully due to tablets is fine now. She also had a tumor removed from her chest which was beign. I lost my cat Harry who was 12 earlier this year from a bladder tumor and couldn't bear to lose another one of my pets so soon. All I can say is thank god for pet insurance, I should be on my vets xmas card list this year as I have seen him nearly every month this year......think I have paid for his new car


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## Shastar

We got Sassy a husky mix from the Lexington Humane Society 6 years ago. We had finally moved to a place were we could have a pet without a huge pet deposit. I remember walking into the shelter and telling my husband and 4 yr old son.. I only have 3 rules.. 1 no young puppies, 2 no females, 3 no northern breeds. Yup Sassy was 9 weeks old, female and husky mix. She has been the best dog with the kids. As we tell everyone Sassy is not a dog she is one of the kids, a few people even said she acts like one of the kids rather than a dog. 

Star Yorkshire mix came from a place that lied to me and I learned my lesson. Star (as we found out later) is from a puppy mill. This place said they were a rescue but I later found out they ain't.

Koko our black cat was a present for our daughter as she wanted a black cat. He came from a shelter we found on petfinder. Yes we already knew we (meaning I) would be the ones taking care of the kitty.

Mario, well Mario adopted my husband. We went to our local shelter to look for a friend for Koko so he would stop trying to get out. Mario jumped on my husband shoulder and would not get off. 

And last but not least is Sweety, she is a kitty who was a stray at our old house for over a year. Hubby and I both said no more cats in the house as we already had 2, but when we were moving I just could not leave her behind. She came with us to the new house and the funny thing is she does not even try to get outside. I think she is very grateful to be in a house now. She loves to talk and is really a Sweetheart.


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## threedognite

All but one of my dogs are rescues. My first rescue is Koda who was born in Hawaii, lived in California then ended up (with his family) in Florida. His male owner became very ill with severe diabetes and could no longer care for Koda so he relinquished him to a German Shepherd foster home here in central Florida. I aquired Koda when he was little over a year old and he immediately bonded with my husband and not me. Koda is an excellent watch dog, very obedient, was easy to train, remembers everything he's taught and because he is an extra large GSD, he is very intimidating to those who see him. He weighs 130 lbs. which is down from what he used to weigh. 140.
My next rescue is Maggie. She is a Sheltie/Aussie mix girl, not sure how old she is but the vet guessed she is around 2 or 3. Maggie comes from South Carolina and was found by her foster mom living behind an abandoned gas station with some other dogs. Maggie apparently had given birth but all the pups were gone when the foster found her. My husband and I rescued Maggie when we were on vacation a couple of years ago. Maggie has some issues though and probably always will. She is very shy, timid, extremely needy and doesn't like her backside to be touched. She hates to take a bath and doesn't like being brushed but her hair is long and she sheds like mad so grooming is a must. Maggie has no interest in toys and spends her time sleeping or laying around. All she wants to do is sleep and be petted.
I just adopted a rescue from Petsmart last week and had no intentions of adding another dog to my pack. I went into the store to buy some chewies for my other dogs and of course I had to look at the dogs that were there on adoption day. In the bottom crate was this little terrier mix laying there with one front leg crossed over the other and he was very calm and just watching the world go by. He wasn't barking or anything and I knelt down to get a closer look. He is a mix of Welsh terrier and Border terrier so he has tan and 'blue' wiry hair and a white curly 'mohawk' on the top of his head! He has the big brown eyes of the Border terrier but everything else is Welsh terrier. He has a severe under-bite so his bottom teeth stick out and he is so darned cute!!!!
He is six years old and was rescued by this foster group because he was about to be put down. This was the second time this dog had been rescued by this foster group. The first time was long ago when he was found wandering around the streets. He was picked up, vetted, micro-chipped, neutered and put up for adoption. A family adopted him, but later gave him away to someone else. THAT family didn't take care of him and the dog was once again found wandering the streets. After being scanned it was discovered that the owners never registered the dog with the micro-chip company so the animal shelter contacted the original foster group. This dog had made a full circle!!! 
No one wanted to adopt this dog probably because he is older and because he looks funny but I couldn't resist. I wanted to give him a loving home and because he was already housebroken and because he is small (26 lbs.), I figured he wouldn't take up much room and I wanted him to live out the rest of his life off the streets.
His given name was Scruffy and it fits him so I didn't change it. He is very loving, well behaved and crate trained. He likes to curl up on the couch and bury his head in a pillow. Being a terrier, he loves to run outside with the other dogs especially when the squirrels are active. Scruffy runs with my Shepherd to see what the heck is going on.
Today is Scruffy's vet check up and I'm going to find out what can be done about his teeth. He has a great deal of tartar build-up so his teeth must be cleaned and I think his two lower canines could be removed because they stick out of his mouth and are of no use to him. He chews his kibble with his back teeth so there's no reason why these teeth should stay in his mouth. His teeth stick out like a Bull dog and if these teeth are causing him any problems, they will have to be removed.
Although Scruffy is my fourth dog, I have a very large 'pup' that I purchased from a breeder in Missouri eight months ago while on vacation. Gordi is a Bernese Mountain dog/Great Pyrenees mix and is my heart and soul. I bought him the very day he turned eight weeks old and he is the light of my life. He is so beautiful, so soft, big and cuddly like a teddy bear and his personality is so great. He makes me laugh at all the funny things he does. He loves to plop on me when I'm on the couch and will lay upside down and put his paw on my face. Since he was big enough to jump up, he likes to lay across my large ottoman. Now that he's huge, his front paws are on the floor, back paws on the floor and his body is on the ottoman. It's the funniest thing to see. Gordi is a really good watch dog and has a very deep, loud bark just like my Shepherd. 
I love all of my dogs but Gordi is my heart.


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## robndeb

Our dog's name is Missy, rescued from the shelter when she was three months old.


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## 5dogsandahuman

We have three that we rescued.

Squidgy is my lab mix. She was at Town Lake Animal Shelter, which at the time was a pretty notorious kill shelter. (I've heard that they are trying to switch to a no kill.) She was found in a ditch by the side of the road with her sister (black lab puppy) at 4 weeks of age. She use to freak out when I would leave for work, but she's gotten a lot better with training . . .and the realization that I always come back. She is my baby through and through and has helped me through some very rough personal times.

Molly was rescued from under someone's front porch by my husband when he was visiting Colorado one year. Not much is known about her other than she was abandoned by her mother who was a stray. . .and the person who lived at the house told my husband that they weren't going to give her any food. She was VERY shy and he didn't socialize her very well . . .but after training, she's become a new dog. Now she has a new best friend, Trooper, who has completely gotten her out of her shell.

Trooper is a new addition we brought home just before Thanksgiving. He is a pit mix and the biggest goofy ball of love you've ever seen. He is estimated to be 1 1/2 years old, and was found as a stray, so I don't have much history. He was at the shelter for at least 2 1/2 months with absolutely no interest in him. My husband loved him from the first time he saw him . . .and after keeping tabs on him for 2+ months and knowing he was at risk for euthanasia, we decided to bring him home.


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## reynosa_k9's

Of my current group (my previous 'groups' have come and gone w/age) the first one is Dingo. He was in a shelter in Nevada for a couple years and no luck there in finding a home. One of the employees relocated to Texas and took Dingo w/her to a shelter there hoping for better luck. After nearly a year there we stumble on him and he has been with us ever since.
My second is a GSD who was found as a stray. I started out as a foster home but when he wasn't claimed I ended up keeping him despite the fact he was the sickest dog I had ever seen in my life. First, how can anyone keep a dog for any amount of time and not fall in love with it? Secondly, he was so sick I don't think anyone else would have taken him. It was a long road but he is finally healthy. Hoooraaahhh!!!!!
Helios, my third, was a returned adoption. He's a beauty but his border collie personality isn't for everyone. I fell in love with his stunning eyes and funny personality and he has been a perfect addition to our family.
Last of all, so far, is Bohrah. She was another stray with unknown history. She's my only girl and our home needed her feminine sensitivity.
Each of my babies has such a different personality but they have blended to a perfect balance.


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## JHB

*Two years ago, I rescued 4 border collie/goden ret. pups. They where all scheduled to be put down prior to me getting them. I adopted out one, gave one to my grandfather and have two. They are by far the best dogs I have ever had. They go with me everywhere, are so smart and so loving. When I took all of them on, I thought I was crazy especially having to wake up 4-5 times a night to take them out to potty. But I will never regret getting them and saving there lives. *

*These are the two that I still and will always have -
Bandit is the mainly white one with black spots and Harley is the one with mainly black and white spots. They turn two Christmas Eve.*


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## scintillady

The first dog I ever had was Susie. I got her when I was 48, and was a real novice dog owner. I fell in love with her at the shelter, and couldn't resist. She was scrawny, terrified, and very neurotic. Her coat was dull and drab. She was a Schipperke mix, and only weighed 19 pounds. The only info I had was that she had been locked in a cage in a garage for about 3 years and a neighbor finally persuaded the owners to let him take her to a shelter. She was about nine years old, and she was terrified of children, which makes me think that she was abused by kids in the past. We went through a lot together. She was definitely my baby, and followed me everywhere. I took her to the boarding home where I worked all weekend and she got lots of love and attention. She had a lot of health problems, 3 urinary tract infections, Lyme disease, a mast cell tumor removed from her thigh, an attack by a Husky while I was walking her on a leash, which resulted in deep neck wounds, and eventually, she got a pulmonary embolism and heart failure. When it got so that she couldn't breathe well and she was getting panicky I had to do the hardest thing I ever had to do, and put her down. I was with her at the end, and I felt terrible, but I knew it had to be done. I only had her for 2 years, but I like to think that the last 2 years of her life kind of made up for the rocky start she had before I got her.

My friends encouraged me to adopt another dog, so after awhile I got my current dog, Ruby. She was a rescue who got shipped to Maine from a kill shelter in Georgia. I really wasn't looking for a big dog, but when they fall in love with you, what are you going to do? She's 8 years old, a Rottweiller/lab mix, and she's really sweet. She was heartworm positive but has been treated and just got off restricted activity. I am still battling ear infections that she has had off and on since I got her. This is her first Maine winter, and with the huge snowstorm we got this weekend, she is getting used to it, and actually likes to run in the snow. My friends told me that I should get a younger dog this time, but I feel a special affection for older dogs, even if I know I won't have them around for as long a time.


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## Aussiefan

The Border Collie i adopted back in the first of November i named "Zip" He is just over a yr old, and was surrendered by his original owners because he jumped up on their 7 month old baby. No aggression or anything, just because of the jumping.


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## Vixen16

*Our Bonnie was on her way to the pound when we got her... Her whole life she was either abused, dumped of or moved from home to home... so we were told.
Her first owner had her for about 2-4 yrs that we know of and he beat her and let her get preggers constantly ((hence her large mammaries)) then she was taken from him, rehomed then rehomed again, had another litter than those owners desided they wanted one of her puppies over her. Thats when her previous owner approached us and asked if we wanted her... and if we didnt take her they were ganna take her to the pound... and knowing the pounds in Pasco County FL. she would have been put to sleep for sure. So we took her.
She was really shy, scared and skiddish. She would hide and whimper at any loud noise or yell. She never showed any aggression though.. ever.
Shes opened up a lot though in the past 5-6 yrs we've had her.
She doesnt like strange Men, young kids or dogs larger than her... Otherwise shes an awsome dog!!!

All the dogs we've owned were all rescued in some way. 
I know this may sound pretty bad but if you knew the situation youd'v done the same thing... I stole a Doxle [[Dachshund/Beagle Mix]] Puppy once... She was only about 12 weeks old. 
She had gotten out of the people yard and me and my friend happend to be walking home ((my friends house was right across the street from them)) and so we grabbed her and took her back to my house ((about 4 blocks away)).
The thing with the people was... they were a bunch of Teens/Young Adults who were barely living off what they had, they sold and did drugs, my friend had seen them giving drugs to there Bull Terrier and the guys had actually came into my yard and started threatening to kill my brother because he happened to look at them driving by... I really did not like these people. So I thought it was only right to take the one dog I could save from them.

About 4 months after we had taken her ((we ended up keeping her for 1 1/2 yrs before being forced to rehome her)) I was hanging out at my friends house and the kids came up to talk to my friends older sister and Lucy, the Doxle, was brought up and he was all like "you have my dog?" and i was like "yea but there is no way your getting her back" and he was all like "im ganna get it back and im ganna beat that dog" and I yelled at him and i was like "there is no way your getting that dog back, youll have to take me to court" and he shut up then i was like "you really hit her?!" and he was like "yea and i kicked her" and I cussed him out and walked away... they never attempted to get her back.
[[The Lucy Rescue only happened about 3yrs ago, shes in a happy home and I still check on her every couple of months]]
Her and Bonnies stories are the most dramatic out of all our Rescues.*


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## tirluc

Saoirse i adopted from the HS on Dec 4 '06.....all they knew is that she was running the streets but no one knows for how long (only a few days, wk at most).....the owner(s) never claimed her and a friend saw her on Petfinders.....knowing i was looking for another to train for goosing (and maybe agility) she let me know about her.....

my true rescue (IMO), however, is Heather.....she was running the streets in MN when the HS there picked her up 2 days b/4 pups were born....she was extremely aggressive and they were going to destroy her and all the pups when a rescue group there took her in.....they were going to wait till pups were weaned then have her PTS when a friend of mine wanted to go "look at the pups" (we're 5 hrs away).....he had talked w/ the foster lady and knew Heather's story, so we went.....i "assessed" Heather, had people petting her w/in a matter of 5 min (till then only the foster lady and one other gal could get near her).....they brought her to me on the 17 of Sept and she went to a friends home (hopefully forever) on the 4th of this mo a totally different dog.....even tho i didn't keep her, she was saved from being PTS......


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## doxies13isenough

Scooter a dachshund that was already neutered and housebroken was left tied to a pet store door. I friend just happen to be there and brought him home. that was 8 very blessed years ago.

Charlye is a dachshund that is blind. The breeder (that is not what I call him)
and put her in a cage all by herself and was not feeding her or anything. because she was blind. I handed him 50 and told him where to put it..... She is now 3 and loves to dig up the back yard and we let her... She is happy.


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## Cindy Joffrion

mike said:


> Our little girl is Roxie. She is a 1-year old shepherd/lab mix. We got her from a rescue organization in CT. She had been surrendered by her previous owner who had taken ill. She was at the shelter for just about a month when we first met her, and fell in love with her instantaneously. We were so surprised that no one had scooped her up sooner. She is settling in quite nicely.


I have a shepherd/lab mix rescued dog. She is the best dog I have ever had.


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## JennC_24

Our rescued dog is Lenny. He is approximately 1 1/2 to 2 years old, 45 lbs. and black with a white chest patch. We have no idea his breed (let me know if the attached photos give you any clues as to what he might be), but what we do know is that he was abused and abandoned. When we visited the shelter, all of the dogs were barking except poor Lenny. He was terrified and cowering silently in his cage. He was afraid of men and so very timid. But, we knew we weren't leaving that kennel without him. He's been with my husband, me and our other dog (a 1 1/2 year old mini doxie) for going on a year now. His dull coat is now shiny, he's a healthy weight, and he's happy and healthy. He's still a little skittish around men, or if he hears loud noises or thinks someone is going to hit him, but he's doing MUCH better. We sure do love the little fella!!!


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## GermanShepherdMama

My pound puppy is Cody (full name is Codis... like National DNA index system and the registry for missing persons... I'm hoping to do some search and rescue with him in a few years). He is an 18 month old GSD who was surrendered when his previous owner could no longer keep him. He is amazing! Not only is he gorgeous and brilliant (no, I'm not bias, lol) but he is a sweetheart and has become very bonded to me and also my two children. He had no manners (like Day 1 he jumped onto the kitchen counter) but the trainer has been working with us and he is quite well-behaved these days. He was improperly trained by his previous owner (he has had some protection training which was done at an unreasonably young age) and his suspicion level is very high, but he is settling in. From what we can gather, this is his fifth home in his so-short 18 months. He is learning to trust that he won't be dropped off at a pound yet again, but, as I expected, it is taking a while. He is an amazing dog.


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## dreamhouse

We have 2 rescued dogs. Sam was left with his 3 siblings on the side of the road and my sister's rescue group picked them up. After being vaccinated and neutered, they were placed up for adoption. We saw his picture on their webpage and knew he was the one for us. He is a german shepherd/malamute mix who loves to pull us on the sled down the driveway!

2 years later, we added Sable to our family. She was taken from a shelter and put up for adoption by a rescue group. She is chow/german shepherd mix. 

Bless the rescue groups who live to see as many dogs put into forever homes as possible!



JennC_24 said:


> Our rescued dog is Lenny. He is approximately 1 1/2 to 2 years old, 45 lbs. and black with a white chest patch. We have no idea his breed (let me know if the attached photos give you any clues as to what he might be), but what we do know is that he was abused and abandoned. When we visited the shelter, all of the dogs were barking except poor Lenny. He was terrified and cowering silently in his cage. He was afraid of men and so very timid. But, we knew we weren't leaving that kennel without him. He's been with my husband, me and our other dog (a 1 1/2 year old mini doxie) for going on a year now. His dull coat is now shiny, he's a healthy weight, and he's happy and healthy. He's still a little skittish around men, or if he hears loud noises or thinks someone is going to hit him, but he's doing MUCH better. We sure do love the little fella!!!


He looks very much like our previous dog, Smokey. She is a chow/lab mix who is grayish/black with the same over-the-back tail. Does she have any black on her tongue!


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## JennC_24

Actually, Lenny has zero black on his tongue--all pink! But, we've thought some lab all along because of his temperment and many have suggested some chow. Thanks for the info!


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## all2760

our rescued pup's name is Jackson. He is siberian husky and german shepherd mix. He's one year old and is black and tan. He also has a beautiful blue eye and brown eye! The story behing how we got his is, one night i was looking online for animal shelters. I just recently got married and moved to Jacksonville, nc (my husband is a marine). I had been begging him, probably for over a year, to get me a puppy. we would go to pet stores and look in news papers but on his military salary, we couldn't afford to buy a brand new puppy, nor did we have the time to potty train it. So that night we went to the shelter. We were only going to look, he really didn't think we were ready yet. when we walked in there was a girl there that said we could walk down the hall and look and all the dogs with "Xes" would be put down tomorrow. of course as we're walking down and i see the big black Xes I start crying and we almost left. then I saw him, all the way at the end. He was beautiful. We took him outside and played with him. He was so sweet and we both fell in love with him. So we took him home that night. I've been so happy with him. He is an amazing dog but he does have a little separation anxieties. But we love him to death. 









hes so handsome!

Oh we named him jackson because we moved to Jacksonville, and this is the place that we are starting our life together!


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## Dharlee

I have a poodle that we got when he was 8 weeks old in '97. I got the black one; my sister got the white one. Their mom was Chocolate Annie and dad was little peanut. My dog is Snickers and hers is Reesie. They will both be 11 next month.

In October of this year I had been trying to decide if i wanted to get another dog. I wanted it to keep Snick company and maybe keep him young. I had been checking the local shelter online for a while and was looking for another small dog. On the 30th I made up my mind to definitely get a rescue. That evening a neighbor I did not know came to my door and asked me if I had lost a dog. I told her "no" and the she asked me if I wanted the stray that she had. It seemed the mailman had found this lively little terrier mix who absolutely LOVES everyone and had been looking all over the place for his owners. He gave the dog to her and she had taken up the task. Her hubby wasn't happy since they already had two large dogs. He was bound for the shelter the next morning. I took him in praying that Snick and he would get along and told her I would continue the search in the meantime. I took him to the vet the next day and called all the local and surrounding shelters and vets. I placed an add in the paper and waited the 10 days. 

After having him in my home for a couple of days I knew he most likely had been owned (he had a very tight puppy collar on) but also abused. (He freaks at the site of a newspaper, and even slight scolding sends him hiding and trembling). He also whimpered in his sleep for the first month I had him. I am totally amazed that he loves people so much. He will jump or climb the fence to follow anyone who so much as looks his way, so now he has to be tethered. He is finally starting to understand potty training, but goes a minimum of 5 times a day. That's not counting pee. I am hoping to new food will help straighten his poor little tummy out. 

Boy is he ever lively. He doesn't run, he ricochets off the walls. It's amazing to watch. I wish I could do more for him than just walking, but I am disabled. He is about a year old and weighs not quite 15 lbs.

Here is my Scruffy:


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## mrssqueek

Summer my Golden ((god bless)) recived her from a golden rescue. 6 weeks to 4.5yrs
Storm my yellow lab came from the pound.
Boo and Squeek my two greyhounds from "Amonica Hearts" in Altoona, PA. The greys were from the W.V. race track.


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## xfactor78

Duke, his name was Happy but we re-named him Duke, it suits him much better. We rescued him for IMPS and he's a Miniature Pinscher, but we think he has some German Pinscher in him. Here is a pic:


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## doggone6

Our rescue is Jack and he's right around 2 years old now, 60 pounds. My husband wants VERY much to think he's some kind of Akita mix, but my feeling is GSD & Pitbull. He was picked up wandering the streets and apparently was out there for awhile as he was basically on animal control's "Most Wanted" list after giving them the slip a half-dozen times, lol!

He was housebroken and crate-trained when we brought him home but needed a LOT of work on basic manners. We think someone just abandoned him because they couldn't handle his high energy level. Fortunately, he's smart and friendly and very eager to please, so aside from an occasional pull on lead when we first take him out he's a perfect gentleman now. If someone can tell me how to add a pic of him I'd be glad to - he's a VERY handsome fellow!


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## Muttly Crew

Meet Nala our rescue Merle Dane.

A bit skinny but other then that the vet says she's in pretty good shape for the shape she's in. 



Now the rest of the story

Nala's original owners most likely had the best of intentions ...I hope.... but how could they know how big she would get or how much she would eat.....First clue would be te name ... hummm GREAT Dane ... Anyway off to the pound with her .

One of the employees at the pound thought she would make a good guard dog so thing are looking up right ?? ... well not quite who'd have thought a dane wouldn't like to be left outside alone all the time also who would guess a dog thats 33 inches at the shoulder could and would jump a 7 foot fence when she got hungr enough... thick as a brick...

So the employee at the pound gives her to his niece who also had no clue how much a dane should be fed every day ...see above

So this is how we adopted a dane for $40 bucks ... thas just about 40 or 50 pounds under weight 

some people a just dirt stupid.


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## Equest94

We adopted our current dog - Sabina (as we came to call her) this past August from a local SPCA shelter. Her adoption papers say she is a German Shepherd/Lab mix...but idk, I see the GSD, but not so much the lab (we're thinking maybe a Rhodesian Ridgeback or boxer mix???) Supposedly her previous owner was arrested for abuse and neglect of his animals as well as for some criminal charges. From what I was told, Sabina, along with other dogs, was caged all day and night... he'd only let them out for a bathroom break and to eat... feeding time required putting a can of food in the middle of the room and letting all dog out to fight to eat. She was also beaten and as a result is very suspicious of strangers (especially males) and becomes very skittish if someone takes of their belt or drops something near her. 

Although we haven't had her for very long, she is proving to be a wonderful addition to our family, she's extremely lovable, playful, and a great watch dog... there are a few things we have to work on, but she's off to a great start.


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## Aisha's Mom

My BF and I rescued our beagle/lab mix Aisha Klan-Klan of the Ctarl Ctarl from the local HS this past Oct. Not much is known about her...she was 8 weeks old when we adopted her, and had been at the shelter for 4 weeks! The police dept. animal control had picked her up wandering the streets of the downtown area...poor baby!! We were in just browsing and decided to play with her and another puppy that was only 4 weeks old. She just took to me so quickly and when it came time to leave she cried and cried! I filled out an adoption application and got a call three days later saying I was approved...my BF and I talked about it and went back to see her the next day. We wanted her but didn't have the money until Friday (2 days away), but they said there was a hold on her by someone else and the only way to get her was to pay right then...well...we all know what happened next, my bank account went down and she came home 4 days later (after her spaying, shots and microchipping). 

Aisha has been a wonderful addition, she's smart, funny, sarcastic and VERY literal (I'll tell her to liedown and stay, well she'll stay lying down, but will army crawl across the floor. My BF will joke that she needs to "shut her mouth when she's talking to him, so now she'll close her mouth and grunt and roo through closed lips!!) Still training and working out the kinks, but for a 6mo pup, she's doing great!!


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## artisticvoid102

Our first dog is a 2 year old daschaund named Kendra. She lived in a mobile home with her owners, when they were evicted they left her there. The owners of the park did not know about her until 2 weeks after the old owners moved. Kendra had been living off cockaroaches and freeze pops! She even scrached a hole in the wall so she could get fresh air. We've had Kendra for a year and shes gotten much better then when we first got her. Sadly she will always have teeth issues due to what she had to eat during those two weeks. Shes much happier.









Our second rescue is our 2 and a half year old german shepard/blue heeler mix. We found her at the dog shelter, she had been there for 2 months which blew us away. She has an amazing disposition and is as smart as a whip.










Our third and so far final resue is Oreo, our 6 month st. benard/blue heeler mix. I was leaving work one day and there were a few girls with a box full of her brothers and sisters. They told me they found them under a shed around their house and their dad was making them find them homes. I took her to the vet the next day and she was only 4 weeks old!


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## BriMac35

Isabelle was our little rescue . We intended to get my wife's father a little dog to keep him company , but he changed his mind and said he didn't want a dog . We found her in the back of the shelter all by herself cowering in the corner shaking . After seeing her , and all the other unwanted dogs , my wife went out to cry in the parking lot . She hates going there . I went out with her to make sure she was all right and went back in to tell the people who run the shelter that I had to run to the bank because I forgot to stop and get some money . The man asked me which one we wanted , so I took him back and pointed her out. He told me she was due to be PTS the next morning so he picked her up carried her out to our car handed her to my wife and told us to give her a good home . When I asked about bringing him back the adoption fee , he said not to worry about it ,he was just glad she went to a good home and not put down .









I found out later that the original owners took her to the pound because she had repiratory problems that a vet check and a little medicine took care of . I'm truely amazes me the reasons people take their pets to pounds and shelters . It's probably a good thing I don't work at a shelter , because I would more than likely go across the counter at some of these people .


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## Dharlee

xfactor78 said:


> Duke, his name was Happy but we re-named him Duke, it suits him much better. We rescued him for IMPS and he's a Miniature Pinscher, but we think he has some German Pinscher in him. Here is a pic:


LOL Ima gonna sneak up on that pillow...


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## matthelimech

my rescue is named Hope. I found her in a ditch cold, wet starved, mange, hookworm,and heartworm+. Someone Had dumped her like trash I guess. She has recently had a litter, but they were nowhere to be found. She is a little black lab, sweet as she can be, stole my heart as soon as I picked her up and put her in the truck. The vet helped me out on meds, got her shots, dipped and we are doing better. I have only had her a little over 48 hours, but she is a keeper! I can't understand how anyone could abuse such a sweet dog. She already sits and shakes, and seems to be potty trained!!! and loves chicken treats!!! She is sound asleep all sprawled out on the floor like she owns the place right now. 










notice the tail is just a blur in the pic....I don't think she has stopped wagging it since she found me!!


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## scintillady

Hope is such a sweetie. I can't imagine anyone abusing her or neglecting her either! My Susie (R.I.P.) was 9 years old and was kept in a crate in a garage for 3 years before I got her, and she was extremely neurotic, but we loved each other and made the best of it.









My Ruby,







a Rotti/Lab mix, is 8 years old, a stray shipped to Maine from Georgia, and also was heartworm positive when I got her, but she has done really well with the treatments, and is recovering nicely. If I could, I would take them all, along with my 5 cats, Tommy, Chet, Desi, Howie, and Bob (all rescues or strays) and when I die they would do a story about the crazy old lady who collected cats and dogs.


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## redshoe

Lady was a border collie that my other half rescued from the shelter several years before I met him. She was that One Dog - you know that dog that everyone seems to have, that they judge all other dogs by? She was mine. She passed away in early February of last year, of lung cancer. We tried everything, but it was very aggressive and the doctors couldn't get the whole mass. I still cry for her, and I'll bet I always will. I did earlier today, in fact. And yesterday. I miss my Lady-girl so much.

Buster was a stray. He found my other half at a convenience store and decided to keep him. I'll never forget when he (other half, not Buster) called me at work and said, "honey, I just wanted to let you know that there's a beagle in the laundry room." We searched for his family for a month, and turned up nothing. By that time it was obvious that he fit well into our household, so we decided to keep him. 

Lucky was a foster. He was a mixed breed, possibly beagle / dalmatian. Other half found him under a dumpster behind the store he owns on Christmas Eve a year ago. He was a young dog, maybe a year old, but we couldn't tell what color he was because he had such a bad case of mange that he was completely bald. No hair whatsoever. And this was in the middle of winter, mind you. There was freezing rain that night, and we doubt he would have made it until morning. He had a couple of different kinds of worms, also, and his stomach was messed up, presumably from having been eating garbage for however long. We spent the next several months nursing him back to health and finding him a home with a family that was as energetic as he was (which is considerably more energetic than WE are!), so all's well that ends well with Lucky.

Rhett was a shelter dog and another mixed breed, maybe golden retriever / afghan. He was a wonderful, wonderful dog. He was intended to be my dog, and he knew it...when the shelter workers brought him out to us, he immediately came up to me and buried his head in my lap. When I pulled out his new collar to "show" him, he stuck his head right through it and held his chin high like the king that he was. Rhett had several health issues...hookworm, roundworm, a nasty cough, and he had just been neutered. He had licked his underside to the point that it was raw, bleeding and infected. He had no fleas, but there was a tick embedded in his muzzle. A week after he came home, he developed a twitch in the top of his head, and it soon became evident that he had contracted distemper before his vaccinations were given to him. We fought so hard for him, and he fought too, but ultimately we lost him. The day after he was gone, some of his lab results came back and it turned out that he'd also had rocky mountain spotted fever. I doubt he ever really had a chance, my poor beautiful boy.

Carly came home from the shelter a week ago tomorrow. She's an 8-9 month old golden retriever puppy, and she's my dog. She's such a sweet girl...a little rambunctious and chewy, but actually less than I'd expect from a dog that age and breed, and she learns very quickly. She's going to be fabulous! 

Riddle came home Thursday. We were at the shelter visiting Carly when we ran across him...he's a border collie mix (probably has some german shorthair pointer in him), and because of Lady, we have a huge soft spot for border collies, so we knew that he had to come home with us too. He's a phenomenal dog. He's got a couple different kinds of worms, and kennel cough. Because of Rhett we're a little gun-shy about the kennel cough (that's what Rhett's distemper started out looking like), so we'll be on pins and needles for the next week or two. Our favorite thing so far about Riddle is that he sleeps on his back with all of his legs poking up in different directions. It doesn't look comfortable in the least, but who are we to judge?

Those are our rescues!


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## MushPuppies

I was station at Redstone Arsenal and my husband and kids went to the pound. I told them I wanted something like a younger German Shepared, Rott or Dobey. He ended coming home with this skinny, petrified, little Collie. He was past his kill date, but the shelter had enough room so they kept him. They said he only had another day. Well hubby felt sorry for him and brought him home. This guy was just a fur covered skeleton. His backbone, hips and ribs were so protruded. His coat was one big knot. He was scared of everybody and everything, so much so that he would lay in one spot, shaking and peeing on himself. Whoever had him before really did a job on him. He was to scared to move and would definitely not walk through a door opening. It took a few months to get him physically looking like he was supposed to, but the mental issues took a lot longer.We would have to pick him up to take him outside or through any door, but he eventually learned that he wasn't going to get hurt anymore. He is the sweetest, smartest, most lovable dog and I don't know how anyone could have treated him how they did. He was just a puppy when we got him. He has went with us from base to base until we finally settled down on a small farm. He now spends his days lounging by the side of the lake, keeping the other dogs in line and giving us unconditional love. Maxx is 16 now, but still doing great.


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## Ruby'sMum

This is my beautiful little boy, Teddy. Teddy is a chow mix and is 3 years old and weighs about 50 pounds. We got him from the Humane society which was a 3 hour drive from us. We got him a few days before he was going to be put to sleep, all because no one wanted him . I saw him online and just had a feeling about him. My poor husband indulged me and drove the 3 hours each way so we could meet Teddy (who came home with us that day!). He is extremely cuddly and very obedient. My husband and I (and my girl dog Ruby) love him very much. He's such a character!!


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## scintillady

I have a rescued girl dog named Ruby also! This her "adoption" picture! (about 4 months ago)


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## aag620

*Mister* - We recently rescued a mix puppy after we saw adds at the local hospital looking for famillies for 5 puppies that were found freezing and starving in the cold Saskatchewn winter. He comes from an area where puppies are not treated with much love, they're kicked out into the cold or they are skinned alive and stabbed to trees. The rescuers even told us that people had been cruel enough to open all the windows in the house, chain the dogs up, and to make matters worse, plug the drains, open the taps and let the water flow onto the floor. They had found a few puppies with their paws frozen in ice, and they had to be put down. 

He is a small creamy white colour puppy with the curiousity that far exceeds Curious George. He is into everything... and especially likes to chase the cat because he knows he's still small enough to go under the bed. 

The only thing is, he has these scabby-like boils all over his skin. The people we got him from had given him some flea baths, and said that has irritated his skin and the itching will stop, but the itching is getting worse and he's at the point where he's trying to pull his fur out at times. We were recently sprayed fo bed bugs in our apartment and i was just wondering that if he had fleas on him, would the fleas have been killed by the bed bug pesticides? I'm starting to wonder if he's getting these boils because of flea bites and the flea shampoo... I dropped a bottle of body lotion onto the ground the other day and the head broke off. When I looked into it today, there was a bug, but I'm not sure if it is a flea or not. It sure is small enough to be. Any thoughts?


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## dogs daddy

*Mr McGregor*

I need to tell "Mr.McGregor's" story. I found this little cole black Cairn Terrier running in a big highway intersection. I stopped and picked him up! After know one responded to notices in the paper I kept him. I tried to take him into the house and he panicked. As I have a lardge fenced yard he was happy there for 15 years. He never did get to like inside. He was gray and snow white after all those years!  He was always ready to romp and play with the family and the other dogs You couldn't ask for a better little friend and watchdog. He's gone now and it will be a long time before I get used to not being greeted as I enter the back yard!


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## progirlz

I went to the Pound and brought home a Husky/Malamute mix. He was found roaming around. He was 53 lbs when we brought him home. He was dying, had a bad case of Kennel Cough. Poor guy...well 3 yrs later he is 105lbs and VERY Healthy. He's a good boy. Thus his name...Good Boy Scout. I also have a Keeshond BooBoo...he is not a rescue. 

My "kids"


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## MartiMcBeagle

Marti, Female Beagle...our lab picked her out at the pound!


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## Gypsy22

Ours is named Luna (after the character in Harry Potter). Thanks to some helpful people on here, we've determined she's at least part English Pointer.

She's a lovely puppy. Sweet and good...smart as a whip at just 11 weeks. 










Too bad the person who turned in or abandoned her & her littlemates in North Carolina will never know what a gift they gave us. She's going to be raised as a true Yankee dog! Up here in Vermont we say Yankee with pride!!! And we LOVE our pets.


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## gizmobaby

Her name is Ariel. She's an Australian cattle / Australian shepherd mix. She's really nice and obedient. My mom loves her. Unfortunately, she has high heartworm positive and my mom and I are going to treat her after 2 weeks (she just got spayed recently).

The shelter told me that animal control found her off the highway and so they brought her in to the shelter. Not much is known before that. I'm kind of interested about her past..but I'm happy for her present  She is truly a beauty!


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## Sunshyne

12 years ago, when I was 19 and living with a good friend in a not-so-good part of the state (we were young, single and broke!).... we met a 9 month old pitbull named Tyson (of course!). We later found out he was being trained to fight but he wasn't getting as big as they hoped (friends of a friend were doing this horrible dog fighting). My friend asked them if we could "buy" the dog off them, as we were horrified at what was going to happen to him. They agreed. Tyson was the best dog ever, very well trained and sweet as pie.

Two months after, just driving around, we came across another pit wandering around. He was bloody, scarred, full of cuts and very scared. Bravely, and maybe a bit stupidly, we scooped him into our car and rushed him to our vet. The vet thought we were crazy and told us he should be put down as he is a fighting dog and always will be. We didn't care, if he could get well, we wanted him. After a quarantine, stitches, shots, looking for his "owners" (what a joke), he did get well and we named him "Scarface" as his poor body had scars everywhere. He, as well, turned out to be a very sweet loving dog.

A year after, we heard about another young pit - kind of the same story as Tyson. We "bought" her too and she was great!!!

Scarface developed cancer and was put to sleep 5 years later, my friend took Tyson when we went our separate ways and he passed a few years ago from natural causes. The third puppy is alive and well, though pretty fat! She is with a friend in the "country" and enjoying her senior years.

I know how hard it is to rescue, and all of you who do are awesome!!! Because of my personal circumstances at this time, (32, single parent to a ten year old girl, full time social worker) I decided to go with a pug puppy and it is working out well! You all have my respect!


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## K9 Conversation

Rescued a Belgian Malinois that was headed for the Dept. of Defense..but the contract fell thru and was basically given to the rescue group.. Her name is Tara.


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## minrice41sec

Macie!

Found her at the Humane Society of Missouri in St. Louis (great people by the way!). She was picked up as a stray, so no one really knows her history. She was very thin, you could count all of her bones! She was cowering in the corner of her kennel looking very scared.
When they took her out so I could get a better look at her she immediately came over and curled up on my lap! I had to take her home! 
She remained at the humane society for the next few days to recieve treatment for her kennel cough and worms. Then my husband and I brought her home and on the car ride she curled up on my lap and went to sleep.

She is a sweetheart of a dog, so loving. She also has a silly side and she keeps us laughing. She has fattened up, and as the only "child" of newlyweds she is very spoiled and doted on.
Her biggest issues are housebreaking and shyness, I'm working with her on both and she has made great progress since she came home. We just love her!


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## Mac'N'Roe

Hello. Thought I'd share this wonderful story with you guys...as it appears that it would be appreciated here. It's kind of a long story...but worth the wait. It may even make you cry a bit...a happy cry. And, the pictures are great too!

Late last summer I began seeing a stray dog roaming around my house. I lived in a duplex apartment in a large historical home in the city. I would see her once a week or so, then more often. I onced saw her crossing a busy street and I began to worry more. I didn't want to start feeding her, because I knew I'd get attached..but after a while and seeing her more often, I knew she was living nearby and I just couldn't take it anymore. I also noticed that she was pregnant (I was a gonner). There was an abandoned home next to my house and she apparently had found the crawl space underneath the house and was living there. 

The day I began to feed her, I was so scared that she hadn't made it through the 30 minutes that it took to go get the food...she looked that bad. Well, days went by. and weeks went by. I was feeding this dog that wouldn't let me 20 feet near it. She would bark at me and then run into the crawl space if I got too close. She wasn't very friendly looking. She got into the habit of coming up to my backyard if I hadn't fed her yet and notifying me that it was feeding time. It was pretty funny. 

About 6 weeks went by. I hadn't seen or heard any sign of the puppies. Her teats were definitely there...but couldn't see or hear anything. And then, my world changed. While she was out roaming, the most adorable little things finally emerged to the entrance to the space. So adorable. I immediately went to get puppy food. I wasn't sure how old they were. Looking back, probably 5 weeks. A couple of them followed mama to the food bowl and I bravely approached. Mama stepped back to the crawl space and let me pet one of her pups. I was amazed (and scared). I decided to try to get the pups the next day, late in the morning after my tennis match. (I know 5 weeks is early...but in this situation there was really no choice. It was better than the alternative of her moving them.)

The next day (Saturday), I went over using the same method (feed and approach) and was able to grab two! Then went back, one of them approached me and I took her and ran. The other two were a little more difficult. They stayed close to mom and I started to get wary of her. My brother-in-law helped and was managed to grab one that afternoon, and the last one the next day. So, here I am with five adorable pups. We (my sister, niece and I) named them "Mac", "Roe", "Boris", "Connors", and "Lewis". 

They were Flea ridden!!!!!!!!! I bathed them all and tried to get rid of the fleas. Amazingly enough, I was successful and didn't get fleas in the house either. I got a little crate for them and carried them out to the front yard in a plastic bin to do their business . But soon enough, mom was around and I then had to start driving them down the street to go potty. She figured this out, and was CHASING me down the street every time we went out. It was a nightmare. Mama also got into my house once while I was gone...and she them began cornering me at the back door. SHE WANTED IN. Now remember, this is a stray, not so friendly looking pit mix (bully lovers...don't worry...it's a happy ending!). The mom scared me, so I called Animal Control not knowing what else to do. I would have taken her to a shelter myself if she would have let me get a little closer. Well of course, she ran under the house and wouldn't come out. So, AC couldn't do anything. The nice family next door (mom and two daughters...the dad didn't approve) came over and notified me that they wanted to keep the mom. Apparently, they had been feeding her also. So, I said okay and notified the AC. 

Outside my door, I looked at this mama and began to talk with her (baby talk, "hey there, etc.). She smiled at me and began wagging her little behind and I said to myself, "This dog isn't gonna hurt me" I faced my fear, came outside and sat on my front steps and reached my hand (slowly) out to ask her to approach (I may have even had a treat, don't remember). She slowly did, sniffed my hand and ran. She did this a few times. She even started to run towards me playfullly (scared the crap out of me) but I stood there and greeted her approach. I managed to get the dog to follow me to the neighbors and she let me put a collar on her too! 

Monday morning came around, I had to go to work..but how could I with five puppies to take care of? I couldn't continue with this routine...we (my SO and I) decided to take them to the local shelter for adoption (cute puppies, no worries, right?) When I originally found them, I had decided to keep two, then it went to one, and by the time we drove up to the shelter, my SO decided we couldn't handle even one. I wasn't prepared to let them all go!!!! I had already decided on the ones I wanted to keep. So, here I am in front of the local humane society with a bucket full of puppies. My two chosen ones in my arms...crying like a baby. What a scene. He walks out and says they can't accept them...no room. A smile covered my tearful face. Happy as I was, what was I going to do now? 

Well, the previous day we had gone out and taken pictures of the puppies just for this reason. Pictures of all but the one I was going to keep. At 10:00, I sent my first email. (The neighbor who owns the house happens to be the local person who distributes emails for animals in need of rescue...how convenient). I sent pics to him, local agencies, friends, relatives...etc. You wouldn't believe it, but within 24 hours, they were all claimed. Now, the first one claimed was one of the original two I was going to keep. Her new owner didn't show up that night. Three others were picked up at noon the next day (two went to the same home), and then there were two left. Unbelievable!!!!!

By the time we had only two left, and the mom safely contained..we had decided to definitely keep one (Roe). I had this funny feeling about the last one (Mac). I called the girl that was going to take Mac, and she had left work for the day. She was either sick, or home getting the house puppy ready. Well, she was supposed to pick up Mac at 7:00, and At 7, she called and said she was sick, hadn't been out all day and couldn't make it. I decided that she wasn't responsible enough...she couldn't even make a phone call to notify me earlier? She emailed me the next day to see if she could pick him up that night, I said no...I had decided to keep him. 

So, that's the story of Mac'N'Roe and how they came into my life. These were my original two I had chosen (hence the name making sense), and it was meant for me to have them. I'm the proud owner of these two beautiful puppies. The mom is in a great new home and take care of! Happy ending all around!!!

They are now 5 months old, house-trained, Roe is in obedience training (well, I guess you'd say I'm in obedience training). I'm going to work with Mac on my own. Roe is the more distracted one and needs it the most. Mac is SUPER SMART and is a quick learner!!! Much easier to work with! 

So, now I'm obsessed with my puppies, dogs in general. I'll post the pics now..as I'm sure you all (if you are still with me) are dying to see. Thanks for letting me share.

Here's the gang. From left to right (looking at the photo) are 
Boris, Roe, Mac, Connors, and Lewis









Mac









Roe


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## Jennofthejungle

My current rescue is Birdy. She is a Dalmatian. Though I think she believes she is human. 

I had lost my big boy to cancer only 4 months prior and really didn't feel ready to get a new dog, but a nosy co-worker kept e-mailing me her Petfinder Picture.

She was picked up off the streets of Tijuana Mexico and brought to the Baja Animal Sanctuary. There she was adopted by a woman who already had two dogs. Her two dogs hated sweet little 6 month old Birdy and she was put "back on the market". 

They said she was a year old and potty trained as well as basic commands, and this was FALSE. LOL. Birdy was a wild animal. Turned out she was maybe 6 months old, in the middle of her teething and was not trained to do a single thing, including walk on a leash or sit. 

It took about 3 months to get her reasonably trained, she destroyed half the house and drove us to our wits end. Once she crossed the 4 month mark, she became one of the most fantastic dogs in the world. On the 3rd of March it will have been a year. I could not imagine life without her. She is the sweetest most loving dog in the world. 

See her here:

www.sdhumane.org/goto/birdy

Great stories here.


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## symons

Troy is our last shelter dog. We adopted him from a local pound in NJ and had no information about him except that he came from a high kill shelter in Kentucky. He was 1 1/2 years old when we adopted him and he's a black lab. I rremember that the largest part of his entire body back then was his head - he was so thin. He was scared of everything and everybody (including us) and would pee all around the house. But we worked with him and gave much love and attention. We have never had a lab before so we learned as we went and vice versa. 

Now exactly 1 year later, he is a beautiful, healthy and happy dog. Sure he has his accidents now and then when strangers come to the house but he seems to be slowly overcoming it.


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## gills

I came across a picture of Turbo on the internet last October - she had been saved by a German rescue group who pulled her out of a killing station in Pamplona, Spain. I was still grieving (and always will) for my wonderful 16-year old border collie who died in late August, and I had promised myself I would wait six months before thinking about another dog. But not having a dog in my life left a big hole, and there was something about Turbo's picture that grabbed me. A couple of weeks later I looked again, and she was still available, and had been brought to a foster home here in Munich. I decided to go see her, and knew right away I would bring her home. She is a happy, extraordinarily loving little girl who has brought a lot of joy back into a sad house.


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## ILuvCanines

*Kenzie and Chubby*

We adopted both Kenzie (right) and Chubby (left) after seeing them on Petfinder.com. I really have to stay away from that site. They are both Bernese Mountain mixes, and very gentle.

Kenzie we've had for 4 1/2 years. Chubby we've had for almost 2 months. They are starting to really like each other, and even pay attention to each other sometimes. We are on vacation in our RV right now, so they have had a lot of time in close quarters lately without any problems. 










Rescue mutts. They're the best.


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## Doyles-a-Royal

All the dogs we've owned have been rescued

First is Henderson, a staffy/boxer. We had to give him back to the kennel because he kept attacking dogs =(. But he wouldn't have got put to sleep as in the UK, unless te dog is really ill, they wait until they get homes. Also we trained him a lot after the first attack, but then it was just ONE dog he hated, a little Westies, and yeah... =(
(sorry these pics are poor quality, I took a pic of a pic)









The second was Babe, a rough haired JRT. She was such a lovely, loya dog. We miss her so much xD <3
(again sorry for the quality)









And the current doggy Brandy. She was about 4 months when we got her. My uncle works for the police in Essex, and Brandy got handed in there (no idea why) so we my uncle gave her to us =)


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## bordercollielover

My famiy adopted Jack. At the time, he was only eight months old. We rescued him from a man that kept him in a pen all of the time (he said he had only been out once or twice!) and was selling him for fifty dollars! He is the most beautiful dog!


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## heidiann

We adopted both Onyx and Topaz. 

We got Onyx from the Humane Society, she was just a puppy and the last available female in her litter. Her name there was Opal. lol We got her in 2000 and she'll be 8 this year. 

We got Topaz from a classified ad on Petfinder. He was listed as a pure border collie...however, I think he's Aussie....so we're calling him that. His name was Barron when we adopted him. He was 4 months I think...maybe a bit older. 

I don't have any pictures of Onyx as a pup...well, I have plenty, but they're on floppy disks (I had a Sony Mavica at the time) and my computer doesn't have an A drive. lol

Here's a picture of Topaz on the day we got him.









Here's Onyx and Topaz a few days after we got Topaz









Here they are now.


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## Chindo_Gae_Cerberus

Well, seeing as how I foster. I'll just speak about the 2 dogs I have ADOPTED thus far. 

Jin-Sook (beautiful jewel):
She was found chained up, abandoned, emaciated outside in Baltimore City when Animal Control took her. 
She was adopted by a family around 6 months of age but they were unable to stop her from her constant escaping. 
I stepped in and offered to foster this dog for her and fell in love, ended up keeping her for myself around 9 months of age.
She's now almost 35 months old =)

Kyung-Soon (gentle and honored):
She was turned into a high kill shelter around 2 months of age.
I saw her listing online and volunteered to foster her. 
In an odd turn of events the previous foster parent showed up at my door step late one night to leave the dog with me (she had to flee the state immediately). 
I said ok, and with in days I knew that I had to keep her, it was just "right".
She will be 2 years old in 3 weeks!


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## JenTN

Bo came from a kill-shelter, but was lucky to have a foster mom for his mommy and her litter. He was the last of the litter, I'm guessing cause he was the biggest. I fell in love immediately. For some reason "Bo" stuck out in my head before I met him, and it seems to fint his perpetually-depressed looking face


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## bella's Mum

Bella shes 4months, her and littermates were found at 4 weeks alone and brought in to the shelter, she was one of six! but only three made it to eight weeks, we were told lab collie but there is no way she is! shes still tiny! shes a very lucky lady,


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## sobreeze

I too do rescue and foster a lot of dogs I have 9 dogs of my own of that 6 are rescue.

Sherman is like a son to me my little boy got him as a very small 4 week old pup from a livestock action . He has only known love . He is 11 years old now with health problems . 

Izzy she is a Bostom a kennel dog breeder could no longer have pups for them she lost her last little a year ago Nov. and was turned over to the rescue I now foster for . Izzy is my heart dog the love of my life .She is why I do rescue work to save the dogs like her sold into slavery for the profit of man .

Magnalyn a Boston puppy mill breeder adopted her from the rescue I work with .So messed us from being a breeder she is what happens when these dogs are used up and thrown away she will never be 100% ok .

Sheldon a Boston also from the rescue I work with came in as a pup healthy just not sellable missmarked brindle. He has been a job to raise he is now in his teenage mode a real hand full but a very loving boy.

Anakin a Boxer mix about 75 or 80 lb was helping out a different rescue a lady brought in a litter of these pups folks were picking them up with no adoption fee or paper work .So I took this one his dad was a white Boxer mother mix breeds he looks like a American Bulldog . Is so gentle love to play with the tiny pups I foster he is so loving and gentle he could have ended up in a fighting dog ring as he looks the type thats why I have him . 

Babble a Bostom puppy mill breeder . She has not been easy .Very dog agressive have had her near a year I pulled her from a shelter along with 2 other bostons all 3 had bad mill dog problems .The product of mans greed. I remember the first time I seen the wall come down around babs .I had a baby Boston pup she had been very sick almost lost her she was getting better the other dogs were outside babs was in the house so was the pup. I heard a noise in the kitchen looked around the corner to see a miracle Babs and pup playing that was the begining for Babs she is great with pups and so much better around other dogs now about 90% better and I never thought she would get that much better . 

Then I have had so many foster furkids all have great storys all are great dogs I have at this time
Little Art or Arthur a Toy Fox a great man with a gimpy leg love to be love and a long talk . I just love him hes been with me a while but someday he will find a forever home .

Jessie Boston a mill dog breeder messed up will never get her forever home .I
think she is related to Magnlyn they act so much alike and look alike . 

Trish came in a sick 4 month old Boston pup she is getting better will have to wait and see. She is the one died on me and doc. our rescue vet when we did her spay .

Cory a Boston pup got him in at 8 weeks . Though he was a liver shunt baby did all the blood work he is healthy inside. We now are sure a head injury before he came to rescue could have been droped could have been his mom did it to him . Will never know he will be going to his forever home in late May will be adopted by a lady that adopted a Boston before will be adding a 2nd pup to her family . 

Then last week I got 5 new fosters breeders from a kennel 4 mini Doxie 1 Pom

One was very scared agressive we just thought it best to transfer her to a different rescue 
so 4 still here
Olif a Doxie boy very sweet loves scratches under the chin
Price Eric pom boy very sweet boy also love chin scratches
Shatze got her forever home monday she was scared but her new mom will take it slow and give her lots of love .

Then dagmar the best girl ever a very small Doxie girl sold into a life of slavery .So glad we saved this one she is a true heart dog .Gives her heart so easy .
This is why I do rescue one at a time never look back just keep helping them


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## Jeannam2008

Hello!
I adopted Licorice from a rescue shelter in Martinsburg WV she was rescued from an abused home along with her sister [Porche] We assume they were beaten by a man because my dog Licorice doesn't take too well to men. We also assume she might have been shocked, b/c she's highly terrified of any object that makes a buzzing sound or vibrating sound. When I first got her she didn't take too well to anyone she was extremely shy and wouldn't really let anyone touch her. After awhile she became really attached to me and is by myside all the time. She's still a little skittish around new people and men, but within time she's getting better


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## *SibGirl*

My dog's name is Koda, which is Inuit for friend. It fits him perfect because since I have brought him home he as been the happiest, friendliest little fur ball! I found him and his six other litter mates in a high kill shetler and tried to adopt him from there. But a rescue from my hometown took all the puppies from the hill kill shelter to be fostered. When the rescue came for the puppies only three were still there. I'm unsure if the others died or were rescued. Koda was only four pounds when the recuse recievedd him. I've got him up to 10.5 now


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## Chelsea and Oskar

*Oskar*
Adopted from a no kill shelter, Queens Animal Shelter.
He and his two brothers were abondoned/stray dogs, I think all have been adopted. I adopted Oskar at 3.5 months, he was fostered before I had him.

Queens Animal shelter fixes, microchips, vaccinates, and gives heart worm prevention to all their dogs (and cats). If anyone is thinking of adopting a shelter puppy in the NYC area, this is the place to go. They are small, caring, no kill, have young puppies, and have a return policy.

Oskar had a wonderful temperment when I got him and continues to be a sweet dog.


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## ria221

the dog that was hung in the garage, Where do you live?? That's pretty sick. 

My dog was rescued almost 5 years ago. She was found at 5 months old eating out of someone's garbage in their backyard. She was from Georgia. I saw her on Petfinders and fell in love. She's a mix but a real beauty. She got on a transport north and she's been spoiled ever since.


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## John Eversoll

Our kids names are " Aaron and Bailee"

We got them both from American black and tan Coonhound rescue

Aarons mommy had been hit by a car and gave birth by the side of the road.

He has all four legs but has no hip socket or hip ball. He loves to run and 

jump. "bailee" is our newest she is 28 weeks old and weights 40 lbs.

Big girl". She was found at a Kill shelter in Va. We saw her on line and fell in 

love. Her personality is very dominating!! She wants to be the boss and has 

her way of getting what she wants. Both are Black and tans But Bailee has a 

little Blood hound in there.. Both, know when it is dinner time. 6pm

strange thing!! I wonder if they can tell time???? They both know that when 

Daddy sits in his Big chair they can come and sit on Daddys lap. We got 

Aaron because males are supposed to get close with women.. and Bailee

because feales are to get close to men.. FALSE" these kids have taken to 

me like crazy! I can't leave the room with out them . I go in the rest room 

and they come in and sit there and wait for me to leave the rooom. At night 

I will Yawn and say time for bed.. They go to the door to go out potty..

come back in and jump in to bed.I am just glad that the wife and I bought 

the Calif King bed!!!That is only the half of Aaron and Bailee Eversoll

there is more but You would get bared reading it! Take care you guys!!

Enjoy your kids while you have them// John Eversoll


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## Nezzra

Both of my dogs have come from animal shelters, Dixie was my first one, got her when she was somewhere around 5 months and she turned 3yrs Jan 08. Mya I got from a shelter Jan 07, she is the one that gave me a scare. I had adopted her and brought her home on a Friday night and took her into the vet on Monday morning cause she kept scratching at her ears. The vet asked me if she could do a test on her and after a few minutes she got the results and told me that Mya had parvo and might not make it. My vet asked me if I wanted to take her back to the shelter, but I couldn't do that cause even though I'd only had her a few days I was already attached (didn't hurt that she laid her head in my lap and looked at me with them blue eyes). My grandma lent me the money and she pulled through. Now she is a very energetic 2yrs and I gotta say that I've never regretted getting her.


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## Farore

Sarge is awesome.

He was originally from North Carolina where his owner abused him physically, probably with water, loud noises, kicks, and putting him in small places. Another man saw this and rescued him when he was only a few months old. He was probably abused because he was part pitbull. The new owner worked with Sarge a lot, brinbing him to his work place, which had loud noises and helped Sarge, who was originally "T-Bone." But the new owner didn't fix him, didn't give him any vaccines so he got heartworm and lyme, and in the end, he couldn't keep him because he moved. When we got him, he was skinny, had puppy bites on his ears, and we had to treat him physically and mentally, but he was and is today a happy-go-lucky dog. 

We don't know why Maggie was abandoned. Most likely there was a pregnant dog that nobody wanted in Virginia (dogs in the south are usually allowed to roam free unfixed) and was born shortly after. Though we are currently trying to help her through her fears, she is a loving dog. She is some sort of shepherd/husky/beagle mix, maybe shiba 

Our previous dog, Duncan, was also rescued when he was around 1 1/2 years old. He was most likely abandoned due to his severe (and I mean severe) separation anxiety. He would start freaking, whining, tear up anything, chew on anything, eat anything, and accidentally lock himself in small places where he was defecate on the floors. Somehow, though, we managed to help him through this and he became a life-saving dog. On vacation in the mountains he would often prevent you from going into deep waters and go ahead to make sure everything was alright and then come back. Sadly, though, he developed a neurological problem where he lost control of his back legs and bladder, and eventually he could not eat. He became very skinny and we decided it was time at age 17. Our dingo will live forever.


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## aero4ever

All three of my dogs were rescue dogs (I'm biased but think they make the best dogs!)

Shiloh came from a kill shelter. He was 2 months old and had been picked up when someone called and wanted him and his two brothers picked up because someone had dumped them. Best guess is that he's Australian Shephard/Rott. He'd been in the shelter for two weeks and officially became adoptable 10 minutes after I saw him. I forced myself to look at all the dogs cause I really wanted one a bit older, but couldn't get him out of my mind. Needless to say, he came home with me and he's wonderful!

Rylie came from the same shelter and had been picked up as a stray. Best guess is that she's Great Pyrnes/Lab mix. Shiloh was 9 months old at this point and had so much energy! I'd take him to the dog park for hours and he'd still be cranked up, so thought another dog would help with his energy level. Went to the shelter with Shiloh to look at a dog that I had fallen in love with online. They brought her out and she started growling and didn't want to play. I was really heartbroken cause in my mind I'd already taken her home and gave her a new name. 

I told them the kind of dogs I preferred and they brought Rylie out. She and Shiloh got along great! I was a bit concerned cause she had been in the shelter for 2 months, was 20 pounds underweight, coat was dull and she just didn't look healthy. She wouldn't run much cause she didn't have much musle. It's been about a year and 1/2 and she's doing great. Love to run, play and chase the killer squirrel in the backyard.

Izzie She's a labradoodle and was adopted by me because her owner didn't want her anymore and didn't have time for her. The thought of her being in a home that didn't want her bothered me cause I know what happens in those homes so I put her in my car and took her home. She had an immediate bond with me and has been a great addition to the family. She's a bit neurotic (OK, alot) but I love that about her.


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## rocketdog

My dogs name is Dixie. My mom got her from Room For One More. She was only 6weeks old.My mom got her for Valentines day for me.Dixie had come from a kill selter in South Carolina with 6 other puppys.When we got her she was so small I could hold her with one hand.At 7 week we found out that she had a bladder infection and kennel cough.It was so sad to hear her cough.Now she is one year old and so big she is my best friend and I love her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## redinque

Meet Cody! 









I adopted him from a rescue called United Hope for Animals. He's only 3 1/2 months old and is supposedly a keeshond, but with his coloring, he must be a mix of some sort. He looks like a pomeranian right now. 

I feel so lucky to have him!


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## shell07

O my gosh- Cody is so cute!! I bet you are having so much fun with him! Congrats to you both for finding each other


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## Diane M

He is Adorable. Congrats to both of you, It sounds like you both got luck and Cody has the Perfect forever home. 

On a side note, I have seen some keeshounds with his coloring you may have just got luck with a little more rare color. I know we did with our Beagle BlackJack he is Black and Tan looks kinda like a blood hound  No white at all on him. 

Good Luck to both of you 
Diane


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## DebD

"Coko" is my rescue cocker spaniel. He was rescued about a year and a half ago. When I got him he had severe double ear infections, skin rashes and sores and scabs all over his torso. His teeth were BROWN! You could feel his spine and his vertebrae when you ran your hand down his back. His approximate age was just under a year old. He was very timid especially around males. You couldn't raise your voice or "talk with your hands" without him trembling. Apparently he was locked in a closet and beaten by teenage boys. Now he is soooo friendly it is amazing, and loves being around people-a real "lover" who is very affectionate! He is happy and healthy and gets lots of love and attention. I am so lucky we found each other!


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## blackrose

*Blackie* was a rescue boy, of sorts. He was found wandering the streets by a co-worker/friend of my dad's. The friend had two older Greyhounds who didn't appriciate the new additon, so after trying to find a home for Blackie for two weeks, they asked us if we wanted him. We said sure and took him in. He was a terror when he was younger, but now he is the best old man I could ever ask for. 
I assuming his previous owners bought him as a cute little Black Lab puppy, but when he got bigger (we got him around six months of age) and didn't have any training they didn't want to put up with him so they dumped him off. He had a collar on when he was found, but no tags. 

*Chloe* is another dog I consider a rescue. A friend of mine's dog had had a litter (again) and they were trying to find homes for the puppies. Chloe had never been wormed, never been off their farm, never had any shots, and was left to run loose near the road and around coytoes. Chloe was their favorite puppy and I have no doubt that if I hadn't taken her she would be an unspayed, aggressive mess that would end up biting someone and would probably have been inbred by her unnuetered father. 

Rose was a puppy of a stray dog we took in whom Blackie impregnated. Brownie (the stray) a month after she had the pups and we found homes for all of them except Rose, whom I wanted to keep. So while Rose isn't a rescue, her mommy was.


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## melgrj7

When I was 2 we got Tramp from lollypop farm (local shelter, lollypop.org). He was pts when I was in 10th grade because of health problems from old age. He was a great protector, we always felt safe with him around and loved us kids very much, but he was my dads dog. I guess a couple days after we got him a bunch of dogs at the shelter came down with distemper, so my parents had to keep him on the enclosed porch (away from me) for a few weeks. My dad sat out with him every night, so he bonded to dad very strongly. I think he was a grey hound lab mix. He was about 60 pounds, black with a white chest, white feet and had little spots on his feet.

Lucky I found when I was in 4th grade, well she found me I guess. She ran up to me while I was walking outside. It was saint patricks day, and as she was running towards me she nearly got hit by a truck. She was the best friend I could have ever asked for growing up. She weighs about 30 pounds and is black with a tiny white mark on her chest. Well, now she is mostly grey. Her teeth were all filed down when I found her and she was very dirty and had a huge choke chain around her neck. She was very easy to train and was *my* first dog. I trained her all by myself and she learned tons of tricks. She is now 17 years old and on her last days. She lives with my parents. When I moved out a few years ago they refused to let me take her because she is such an awesome dog. She is the dog I judge all others by. She had/has her problems but she is just so amazing. I go and visit her a few times a week. She won't be alive much longer and it is really hard not living with her.

Lloyd, Julie and I decided we wanted a dog (after I had been begging for about a year and a half for one). We went to Lollypop farm and looked at the dogs and when we started to walk away from him he barked at us. We really liked him, but were more looking for an already trained dog as Julie doesn't have much dog experience. We just kept coming back to him though, and he had already decided we were his. They wouldn't let us see him though, he was on a hold because he scratched someone up badly and he was bad behaved. They were considering putting him to sleep. I went everyday for 4 days and visited him through the fencing of his kennel. They finally let us see him, he learned to stop jumping and to sit in about 20 minutes. They let us take him home. He was was 8 months old when we got him, he is now about a year and a half. He is a good boy, he topped out at 75 pounds. He has lots of bad habits we have been working through, and he bit me twice the first couple of weeks we had him. Now however he is really good. He will be great once he matures a little more. His bad habits are mostly gone, but he still has a puppy mind and gets overly excited sometimes. He learns things really quick and has an excellent heel at attention!

Allie, she belonged to Julie's sister and brother inlaw. They had adopted her from a shelter in nevada. Her mom was a mix who was a stray, my vet thinks her dad was likely a coyote ::shrugs::. Amy and Sean had a baby 8 months ago and Allie does not like her at all. She nipped her twice, so we offered to take her. Amy and Sean don't know dogs very well and are not the greatest at training, and Allie is a very high drive dog who needs strong leadership. She is doing well with us, has a lot to learn (like that she can't nip people, kill small creatures or chase after bikes, Sean said she once caught and killed a fox at a park!), but she is improving. She is 5 years old. She has a tick borne disease, which probably also was not helping the problems with the baby. It can make dogs very short fused. With treatment we have noticed she is acting more normal again, giving warnings before she is about to nip. When we first brought her home she would nip Lloyd without any warnings at all (no lip curl, no ear movement, no tensing up), not she gives warnings. She starts obedience classes next week, and we will be working with the trainer on her reactiveness to . . everything.


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## Dwayners

We have an 11 year old Border Collie that my wife got from rescue 7 years ago. His name is Hardy and he's a pretty good dog, although he thinks too much. Border Collies I guess, always trying to be one step ahead of you. Hardy had a bad past and still screams a lot if he thinks you are going to hurt him. I'd prefer if he stopped thinking so much altogether.

We also recently acquired a 3 year old German Shorthaired Pointer, her name is Michigan because we got her from a shelter in Ann Arbor, MI. Michers is also scared of being hurt and she bit me really good just after we got her (she'd pooped on the floor and thought I was going to beat her, I guess...probably shouldn't have caressed her neck while she was in the submit pose) but we have not had many more incidents like that so I hope she knows I won't be mean to her like the person who abandoned her in the night, in a crate, outside the shelter where she stayed for 4 months. She does tend to growl a fair bit but that's pointers, always chatty. Michers is our second, a replacement, if you will, for the one in my avatar...

Andy was our first shorthair and came to us via shelter as an owner surrender of 8-9 years. we thought it odd that someone would get rid of their hunting dog simply for being too old. We put Andy down after she lost the use of her right front leg due to cancer. even at nearly 11 years old she was really active, happy, fun and probably the best dog ever (she made Chewbacca noises all the time). Very sad, the whole ordeal was awful, from the diagnosis, pills carrying her up and down the stairs and driving to the park. still, she's always with us so that's ok. I'm glad we had the time together that we did and I would do it all over again.


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## rocketdog

My dogs name is Dixie. I got her when she was 6 weeks old. She came from a kill shelter. With 6 other puppies.


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## Yvette

Recently adopted Chase the Puggle mutt
http://files.dogster.com/pix/dogs/94/796994/796994_1212972535.jpg
He's a Puggle I got from Craigslist for free.
I want to think that I did a good thing? There is a 2 dog limit in the city & this lady decided to give him up. She had 3 dogs. She originally bought him at a glorified Puppy Mill here in MA. She was intending on breeding him. He's 11 months, Not nuetered & has a cherry eye. I told her that I am not into breeding & that he will be nuetered. She was OK with that. She gave me all his puppy papers. She also mentioned that he was not housebroken. That's OK though. She gave me his crate. He's doing good so far. He is a neat little dog. Very friendly.


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## 3dogsplus

All four of mine are rescues of some sort!
Tripod is a "who-done-it" that came into the local emergency clinic after playing tag with a car. The owners could not afford to treat her and gave her to them. They amputated her hind leg and I adopted her. You would never know she only has three legs and she likes to think she is queen of our castle.
Izzy is a chow/border collie mix that a friend found wandering down the middle of a busy road. Rather than take her to the local shelter, I adopted her.
Dreyfus is a stray black lab that came to the local emergency clinic, thin and with an injury to his back leg (knee cap out of joint and top of femur borken off). We knew with his injuries that he would be euthanized if he went to the humane society. As my previous lab had just died, I adopted him and had his leg fixed. He thinks ANYTHING in a plastic is potential food!
And last but not least is Nora. She is a greyhound but never saw a track. She was bred locally and found to have a congenital liver problem. Although the breeder did the necessary surgery, it did not work. I adopted her so that she could get the proper diet needed for her liver (breeder had 14 other dogs and Nora would steal thier food) and thought she would live about 6 months. Almost 4 year later, she is still with me!


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## pittyluv

Our rescue is "spooky".

I April of this year I posted an ad looking for a furry friend for our now 4 year old American pitbull. A local woman came into contact with us and told us of the then 8 month old lab/pitbull mix that she knew of in Bancroft.

The family had been given this wonderful pup as a christmas gift and the parents absolutely refused to keep her because of her pitbull background. The woman I spoke with said if they couldnt find her a home they were going to have her euthanized.

So we took action, had a vet deem her "lab mix" and had her shipped here. We have Amada (the woman who told us about her) $150 towards her home run animal rescue business and have now completely fallen in love with our new addition to the family.

Upon receipt of Spook, we were informed that she had no leash manner and wouldn't come when called....but dogs are more aware of people than we ourselves are. They know when they are comfortable and when someone loves them and she came around no problem. She has those typical lab puppy problems ie/ chewing on things, barking at birds and squirrels and what not and being insanely hyper but all in all she is just a wonderful dog and we wouldnt trade her for anything else in the world. Also what is good about out deeming from the vet is that she safe from the "pitbull ban"...As if our 4 year old pitbull Zeus because he is under the grandfather clause.

Zeus was actually a rescue as well. My boyfriend was dating this girl a few years ago (before we met) and she was a drug addict and was constantly beating the dog. He has a 5 inch scar on this right hind leg from where she attacked him with a razor blade of some sort and when he left her, he took the dog with him...so I applaud him for that.

Anyway both of our dogs and extremely well-behaved and good mannered dogs. They are loving and so smart.

I love rescue stories....its good to know there are good people out there!!


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## knaptama

WE have Marley. He came to us from my brother. My brother found him wandering around his yard for a few days and took him in and fed and watered him. No one claimed him and the police oked it for him to do what he wanted with the little guy. Since he already had two big dogs and didnt really have time/room for a third, my fiance and I adopted him. Its only been a few weeks but he's sweet and he's getting on fine, little aggression problem but we are hoping we can fix that


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## MuttHunter

My only 'dog rescue' so far was of a puppy--maybe 3 or 4 months old? I am not so good at guessing ages.--that was outside a subway station near my home at the time (long, long ago). He was some kind of mix of GSD and a smaller rangy breed, maybe a hound ( I will try and locate a photo). He was standing about 30 feet away from the stairs searching the exiting passengers with this 'Have you seen my Mommy?' expression on his face. He was a bit frightened when I approached him but clearly wanted to find a human he could trust, so he let me get close after a couple of minutes of talking to him. He was dirty and underfed, and had no collar, just some plastic twine wrapped around his neck with a snapped end that I assume he must have been tied up with at some point.

He didn't really get the concept of walking on a leash (or twine) until aafter a few days, so I picked him up and took him to my apartment. I had nothing to feed or bathe him with and no other dog gear, so I stashed him in the bathroom while I made a quick dash to the local pet store, which, fortunately, was not far away. By the time I got back he had managed to get poop all over the bathroom floor and himself--I am sure he was scared, poor little guy. He hated getting a bath, but put up with it bravely, and by the time I had finished toweling him off he was crying to crawl onto my lap.

I could not keep him at the time as my lease expressly forbade dogs, but fortunately, my buddy Jim, the first friend I called about him after I had taken the pup to the vet the next day, told me he 'had been thinking about getting a dog, and might take a look.' Of course having actually seen my orphan, his will immediately crumbled. I had just been calling him 'puppy' but he was shortly dubbed Homer.

Although he was only fully 'mine' for about a week, I was able to enjoy Homer's company for many years, and he was a steadfast and enthusiastic hiking companion for me and Jim on many expeditions into the Catskills and Appalachians. When Jim later married and became a human father, after sniff and giving a investigative lick to the new baby's toes, took on the job of baby guardian.

Good boy Homer!


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## notamamayet

My husband and I adopted four month old "hurley" from a local no kill shelter at the end of May. He and his mom were seized by a vet from a puppy mill. Near as we can tell, they weren't abused at all- just terribly abandoned. Both mom and Hurley were underweight, VERY skittish, and terrified to ask for love. When we first brought him home he would sit 3 feet away and whine for love, but would run away if you moved towards him. Once you put your hand on his back, he would stop and sit, and then when you picked him up he would curl up and sleep for hours- he loves contact, he's just afraid to ask for it! 

Hurley is a papillon cross (we think it's long hair chihuahua, but not sure). We think he's going to be around 8-10lbs. He looks like a long lanky teenager right now, but he's finally putting on weight. He was named Hurley after the character from Lost as they have lots in common- bad luck, lovable, his mexican background... and he will eat anything! His favorite is the dust bunnies. 

Hurley is growing by leaps and bounds and we're so proud how much more sociable he's getting. He's even trying to assert his independence by jumping up on the couch, even though he gets yelled at by daddy. I can't wait until he finishes his shots and gets neutered so we can socialize him a little more, as they said at the shelter that he loved the other dogs there.


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## mcknkc

case sensitive said:


> Sally, my basset/shepherd mix.


I recently rescued a basset/shepherd mix, Bella. What an odd combination!  She is such a cutie! She's approximately 6 months old. Most people look at her at laugh but she doesn't care - she loves the attention. My brother-in-law says it looks like someone took a german shepherd and shoved it into a basset body. There is really no story to her ending up at the shelter - she was a stray. 

I also have Emma, a lab/rottie mix, who I adopted from Safeharbor which is the prison dog program here. She's about 3 and I've had her for 2 years now. Emma does have some issues but I sure don't blame her. She was tied to a tree stump in someone's back yard by about 4 feet of heavy chain. She would get fed "once in a while" whenever the owners decided to throw a bag of food out there. Sometimes it was a long time between "bags". She was "raped" while tied to that stump and had a litter of pups before she was a year old. Poor baby. She still has some food guarding issues but who wouldn't??? She loves Bella and it is so funny to watch them play together. Emma is actually teaching Bella some manners and Bella is teaching Emma how to be a pup! 

Rescue dogs rock!


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## alphadoginthehouse

Current animals:

Mortimer (4 yo) - DLH cat - from our local shelter (through PetsMart)...he was the quiet one (he had been neutered the day before!)

Butch Cassidy (5 yo) - JRT/Chi mix - at vet's getting Mortimer (long story), vet tech's aunt found him wondering in the country, couldn't keep him and the 1st day he was out for adoption, I fell in love with him.

Roxxy (3 yo) - from Petco (rescue org that was there) - she's a Katrina/Rita baby and terrified of storms

Daja - JRT/Terrier mix (15 mnths old) - getting Butch his annual shots, had a cute dog out for adoption (1st day!), big sob story from a (different) vet tech, brought her home.

The last time I got a dog from somewhere other than a rescue was through a member at church whose Golden had had puppies. Went to look at them, found a brindle male, named him Rover on the spot and said "he's mine"). That was 20 yrs ago! My last 2 rescues lived to be 15 & 16, so now I've started again.

I'm a sucker for a sad story.


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## off_the_leash

Maxwell Smart is his name...and yes he is named after the TV character 

I was looking to get a dog, a smaller one perhaps, for about two years. I wasn't sure I ready for the level commitment it takes to keep a pooch so I waited. 

Last month, May, I was looking around on the humane society's website and there was the cutest little face I had ever seen. He looked like he was smiling, despite where he was. He had been dropped off by his previous owner due to 'allergies' (ok so I don't believe that...me I think she just got tired of having such a hyper dog)

Needless to say I went down that very day to see him and fell head over heels in love. I never knew what great dogs Poms where until he came into my life. He is perfect as far as I am concerned. I wouldn't trade him for the world. 

Well that is our story

Dani


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## alphadoginthehouse

Max is quite the looker! You done good. Poms ARE very hyper and I don't know that I could handle one. A friend at the dog park has 2 and they are very sweet dogs. Good luck with your new baby.

Rescues are the best dogs! It never ceases to amaze me that dispite all the ill treatment they receive, most of them are the most charming, sweet, loveable dogs and cats in the world.


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## Toby4Life

I rescued Toby just over a year ago. He turned out to be a beautiful Border Collie mix, but when we first rescued him he was just a ball of black fluff. His mom was actually a stray that was brought to the humane society where they realized she was pregnent. A rescue shelter took the puppies to look for homes for them, and we took home the only male in the bunch. I couldn't ask for a better dog and although I always think (dream) about getting pure bread dogs, I'm not sure I ever will. Dog lovers love all dogs, but most have some breed favorites (as I do). But Toby is my best friend and the fact that he's a mutt ensures no one loves him as much as I do.


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## Dylan_Casber

I think overall mixed dogs are better dogs, they just have all the benefits and characteristics of more than one breed. Pure breeds are nice to. But there is nothing like a sweet rescued dog.

her names Asia, and she is a pure weim. Sweetest dog ever, shares my love for volleyball, its awesome


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## HuskyLuv

Our husky, Dakota, we rescued from a kill shelter, no history...all we know is he was found wandering the streets and underweight. 

Now deceased, Ginger was a stray golden retriever found wandering the neighborhood. Of course the family took her in (no one ever claimed her) and soon found out she was pregnant. She had a beautiful litter of 5 purebred golden retriever puppies, four of which were found loving homes. The puppy that no one wanted was kept by the family and loved immensely until the day he died...his name was Pluto.

Not exactly dogs, but two of the cats in the family are from kill shelters as well, names: Sassy (tourtoise shell) and Si (Siamese). As for the other two, Charlotte a female grey/white short hair was a kitten found cowering in a hotel bathroom by the cleaning staff after being in the room for several days with no food or water (aside from what was in the toilet). Hotel staff found her and left her outside to fend for herself.  The family couldn't leave her out there on her own, so the family adopted her and brought her home with us to Florida. The kitten was found in a hotel in Charlotte, thus her name. Lastly Phinneas, a male black/white short hair cat, was a stray found on a college campus. Brought him home and he's been living a posh life ever since.


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## Josh

Our first rescue is a black lab named Belle. Her story almost ended before it started. We got her from a lady that picked her and her sister up on a logging road. She was taking in the scenery and saw a black lab puppy to close to the road, so close in fact that she was nearly hit by a logging truck. Knowing what would happen if she left her the lady got out and followed the dog when it went back in the woods. She came to a hole that the two had dug and were using as a home. Belle came right out and wanted to be held and comforted the other had to be dragged out. We were going into the pet store and saw the lady sitting with a rescue group in town. After seeing the labs I was pretty sure we would be getting a dog that day, my wife loves labs and wanted one very badly. After hearing the story I knew we had a dog, we couldn't leave without bringing her home with us. That's been about a year ago. She was fairly easy to housetrain, is very friendly, laidback, the only thing is if it's raining I have to walk her. Because of her close encounters with logging trucks, she is VERY VERY scared of diesel trucks and there are a few that live nearby and if one comes by while she is in the front yard she wants to run away. At sixty plus pounds of muscle if she wants to go somewhere my wife can't stop her, so I take her out in the rain in the back yard. Only other thing about her is, if she is left at home to long without us she finds something that smells very strongly of me, pillow, sock, whatever and chews it. Other than those few things she is a great dog

Our second rescue is named Nelly, she's a pound puppy. We went to the pound looking for a sister for Belle, we were looking for another lab, until we saw Nelly. She is a Basset Hound Beagle mix. She was the smallest puppy in a crowded cage. Every time we walked past she got trampled by the others in the cage. We felt so bad for her that we had to hold her. When she looked up at me with those puppy eyes and fell asleep in my arms that sealed the deal. We took her home with us and that day my wife to her to the vet for a new puppy appointment. She had a little cough that the vet thought was nothing. Less than a week later I was being woke up on a nightly basis by her coughing and wheezing. It seemed to get better if she slept on my belly where she stayed warm. We took her back to the vet and he said Kennel Cough. Tried giving cough medicine and resting her, but it only got worse. Took her back to the vet and it had progressed to a full blown upper respiratory infection. After another two weeks of coughing and wheezing and little, to no sleep for me she was healthy again. We have had her since September of '07 and even though she had a rough start I am so glad we brought her home that day, because I don't think she would have lived much longer as small as she was and as much trouble as she had breathing. Today she has lingering effects of the respiratory infection but she is a rowdy, funny, adventurous little dog. She is so adventurous she has even started to swim when we take our lab Belle to the river, and from what I've been told a swimming Basset is not very common. Little goofball hates to be left out. She is very strong willed and certainly a daddy's girl, she even still likes to sleep on my stomach, though it's harder for me now that she is 30 pounds. Two of the greatest dogs I have ever had I couldn't imagine my life without Belle and Nelly.


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## megsthemoogle

I now have two little guys! Both of them are mini fox terriers cross. Jack is crossed with a Kelpie :O and Vlad - well the vet said maybe a Chihuahua? No one is quite sure. 

Hubby and I found Jack early Feb this year wandering on the entrace to a busy highway. He was in really good health (a part from having the poop scared out of him by all those cars!!!) and probably can't really be considered a rescue. He occasionally shows some signs of being treated badly, but he is so good with people and loves kids. We couldn't believe that no one wanted him! We spent weeks searching and by the end of that time we were so attached to him that we prolly wouldn't have given him up without a fight!

The second lil man is a little on the sad side. Friends of our rang me at work to tell me that Jack has escaped, but it was okay, because they had him. I very quickly rang hubby only to have him confirm that Jack was with him - as it turned out my friends had a different, yet equally stray, equally coloured lil man. Vladdy is much more of a sad case - after running around the local neighbourhood for at least 2-3 weeks (according to locals) in the cold snap that we are currently experiencing, he now has conjunctivitsis, but that is mostly due to his two tumors on his right eyelid. The poor lil man wheezes all night due to his heart murmur and is just generally malnourished and needs some extra TLC at the moment. 

He has only been with us for two days now, but is slowly starting to come around. He has finally agreed to let Jack be the alpha male (but only after a spat where Jack grabbed him by the balls and refused to let go - even in a controlled environment!!! :O) and they are both settling into life together. Now we just need a bigger house.


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## donnajn

It's wonderful to see all these adoption stories!

I have two rescues. One is a 4 year old Border Collie mix (well, that's what the shelter came up with, but it's hard to tell!). He was a little over a year old when I adopted him. He was originally in a shelter in Oklahoma, but after 4 months he remained homeless. So he was transferred to the animal shelter in Boulder, Colorado, where I saw him and fell in love! He was very shy and easily frightened but he has overcome most of that and is one happy dog now!

My other dog is a Rough Collie mix and she is 7. She too came from out of state. She was at the shelter in Gallup, New Mexico. She wasn't getting adopted either, so was brought here by a rescue organization. She also had emotional issues but overcame them and is an absolute sweetie. Her fur was so badly matted she had to be mostly shaved, but it grew back and she is beautiful!.  I'll post pictures later.


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## duck_girl

I got 3 dogs alltgether, Robin Hood I got from an individual, But Marlyn & Brando (there's a joke in there somewhere) we got from the pound. Marlyn was the greatest dog in the world, but now she's very, very old, and she hides under the shed in her dim, deaf and tastless world. Brando is the oppisite. We found out after moving that he's retarted, that he will never shut his big mouth, and that he always stinks, no matter what.  *ugh!*

Who else has gotten a retarted dog from the pound?


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## kaazebrabeads

Our Rescue is Sam.

My Partner and I have two cats (Also rescues from local shelters here in Germany) and the only dogs she ever knew was my families two poodles, Rusty and Rose who are my parents dogs in the US....

We live right in the city center of Baden-Baden (In the middle of everything) and we were not really looking for a dog.... at the moment..... WE were thinking maybe after we moved to our own "forever" home that a dog would be great....

Then we went on line and saw our local shelters home page. And on the home page was Mambo (Who is our Sam now!) who was grinning from under a mop of red apricot fuzz.....

He looks exactly like Rusty, who is my parents Mini poodle (Rose is a Toy), and Petra asked if we wanted to go look, since I had always said finding poodles in shelters is almost an impossibility..... I said no... WE didn't have the space nor the time (I am a chef and work nights, shes a teacher and works days) and also a bit on a tight budget....

So we did not go... The shelter is a no kill, there are dogs there that have been there for 10years, the one man lives there as a caretaker and the owner of the shelter (Which became a part of the city so its not just privately funded any more) will not euthanise a dog unless its absolutely necessary (This I was told by our vet who goes there with other local vets to help with shots and everything)...

Two weeks later, we were internet surfing again.... And Mambo was still there..... I was a bit dismayed, poodles that I know of are usually adopted right away unless there are major problems.... But I still said no.... But I didn't forget him.... And we went nordic walking the next day on a route that went close to the shelter....

And we went in... And He was such a sweetie! The shelter here makes you walk the dog several times before you have a trial day (No over night, you MUST return the dog by closing time) or days before you adopt....

I walked him twice... And brought him home to try.... He never went back.... Well he did, for his paperwork! But came right back home with Petra and I.....

He was at the shelter for several reasons... Surrendered by his then owner who was 90 years old and mentally ill... Her friends and the shelter people convinced her that he needed a better home (She had a dog before that was run over because she forgot she had him)...

But he came to the old lady because of a divorce.... Sam is only 3 1/2 years old and was with a family since a puppy and when the divorce came the guy sold him to the old lady, since they didn't want him any more..... And when the old lady surrendered him, he came to the shelter to get him back! They refused because they did not want him to be resold again, to whatever fate that could be....

He has broken canines (Vet says from playing with rocks) They are flat from chewing on rocks.... Hes still a bit thin but we have him on premium good dog food (Did our research), a scar on the back leg (No known reason but it feels like a possible break site), and can be stiff when first moving (Vet also thinks that might be from an injury as a puppy or a car or something) But he walks out of that.....

He is a tennis ball addict! And I mean addict, forget the world when he has his ball....

He loves people, hiking, kids (Which is good because toddlers adore him!), likes the cats, his food and US! 

We just have to get his car anxiety under control.... So he is more comfy....

He knows sit, platz (down), Bleib (Stay) But not great and is so wanting to do things right that he worries a bit....

But we wouldn't trade him for anything! 

The shelter says his problem was not that he was a poodle, but that he was mid sized.... He's 20 pounds (About 9-10 kilos) and hes too big to be a "Handbag dog" like the ones Paris Hilton and the other stars have.... He is also too small for people who have to have a big dog......

People would walk him at the shelter and play with him, but for over a month he was just not adorable enough to adopt..... Until us...

He's got us as his forever home now.... and He completes our small critter family just right!


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## Noel

Well, I guess you could say we rescued Noel. 
See, she showed up in our yard, and we were going to take care of her and put up signs until someone claimed her, but nobody did, so we kept her.


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## Emerson00

Lady (RIP), a beautiful Chocolate Lab, was living in deplorable conditions in our neighbor's back yard when we bought our house in '99. My wife (then fiance) and I couldn't bear to watch, so we "borrowed" her during the day to exercise, feed, and water her, and clean up her kennel - she'd be left for days on end, we were told. The neighbor caught us one day, and agreed to let us "share" her. It turns out she was his kids' dog before his son died, and the family was ripped apart in the aftermath and he barely kept sane. He was a good man who could no longer really understand that treating Lady(bug) that way was unfair. 

We kept her for 2 years until she passed away from an undetermined illness in 2001 at 7 years of age. She was a core part of our lives, as the house was the first time either of us had lived away from home; she kept us balanced as we learned to live on our own, and her presence was the only thing missing on our wedding day. Losing her was unbearable.

7 weeks later we were desperate for the companionship of a dog and as I was looking for a rescue for labs, I happened upon the MAGDRL website.

July 24 2001 we adopted Summer, she looks like a GS/Lab mix or a Ridgeback with no ridge. She'd been abandoned in Richmond and was living in a halfway house of sorts for dogs and being lovingly cared for by a SAINT of a woman named Barbara. That woman deserves so much praise and appreciation. Blind, barely self sufficient, she managed to provide loving and individual care for an unbelievable number of dogs. Summer missed her badly for days.

Summer is now 8 years old and the apple of our eyes. A real daddy's girl, and she can play people like a finely tuned instrument. A quick look at her "aren't I beautiful" eyes and anyone falls prey.

Summer needed companionship because we still both commuted and always felt bad for Lady. We met Teddy, a Great Dane / Lab mix. He and Summer instantly fell in love and have been soul mates ever since he came home to live with us September 16 2001. The boy is an 8 year old big teddy bear, and tries so hard to be a good boy it'll break your heart if you have to scold him for counter surfing or sitting on a child's lap.

We eventually felt we could take good care with three and my wife happened to look at the MAGDRL site and see Simba (RIP), an 8.5 year old pure Dane. She was unhealthy, and had been badly neglected by her people. She was a real basket case and when we adopted her 23 August 2003, we expected to give her intensely good care for a few months before she couldn't hold on any longer. 4 years later she passed away after having regained a little weight, the shine in her coat, and a serious spring in her step. She simply quit one day, and wouldn't get up, eat, or take interest in anything. Her arthritis had worsened over the years (she was a 12.5 year old 130 lb dane, after all), and she told us in her eyes she wanted to rest. The dog we were not expecting to have time to bond with ripped our hearts to shreds when she went to rest last year, 9 June. To this day Teddy will get very sullen if you say the name "Simba".

Rusty, (RIP)  a Chesapeake Bay Retreiver, we adopted alst Labor day weekend, 3 months after Simba's passing. We missed the rewards of a special needs dog, and still think Simba contrived to put us in touch with Rusty. He had severe colitis, which turned out to be a mass in his colon wall. He'd been abondoned, adopted, abandoned, adopted, and abandoned again before we found him. He was scheduled for "destruction" that week, because the board of the shetler said he's using resources w/o hope of adoption.

My little shop buddy, yard buddy, car buddy, cycling buddy, and night-time partner in crime (he had to go every 5-30 minutes round the clock, so we didn't sleep much since September, especially me, until last week). He and I were inseperable. We loved him like he would live forever. He got sick 03 July and passed 12 July after a major surgery to fix what we thought was the only problem he had, healthwise. After the surgery he had a setback and on the ensuing trip to doggie ER, they found his poor chest was full of metasticized cancer. He had no chance beyond "a couple weeks to a couple months" and still had weeks of painful recovery to survive from having 5" of colon removed. At 03:00-04:00 Saturday, we put him to sleep while I held him in my arms crying uncontrollably and inconsolably. I miss him so desperately, I can't think of anything without thinking of little Rusty. Every time I feel a nice breeze, or see a duck, or eat good food, I think "Rusty would have liked this" and I can't stop thinking we made a mistake. he was supposed to be with us still.

We're eventually going to adopt again... likely another special pup. Rusty will tell us when it's time and probably help us choose. We're considering another Dane, or a Chessie, or a Lab, or a golden, or a mix, or...


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## Amber_Girl

I have an Anatolian Shepherd mix named Amber.
When we got her from the shelter at age six months, she had had five different homes before ours. 
Apparently she was given as a present, taken to the shelter, adopted, taken back, adopted, taken back, etc.  
I love her and we have had her for seven and a half years.


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## pajamajes

I don't know if my dog is considered rescue or not, but I certainly didn't buy her. Someone I knew has a purebred Great Pyrenees bitch that they hadn't spayed for some reason and she somehow got knocked up. She was looking for homes for the puppies and I said I'd take one. I really wouldn't consider it rescue because she wasn't in immediate danger of being euthanized, but I thought I'd post anyway.


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## crowscrew

Little Miss Delilah Rose...we rescued her a week ago today 
She's a purebred maltese and 4 yrs old. She was at the vet on Friday and had her checkup and rabies shot and went and was groomed and completely trimmed on Saturday(the mats were terrible, they couldn't even comb them out!) Plus, her nails had to be trimmed they were so long. She only weighed 6.5 lbs, but it looks like she is gaining a little bit. 
We also have Spike, a pugapoo, who we have now had for 12 days. He's great 
Rescues we fostered were a yellow lab named Sunny for a bit and Hope, who was an Am Staf terrier/boxer mix.


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## Kat_O_Nine

*Darwin*

I had always wanted a great dane, and though I work as an animal control officer you'd think eventually I'd find one to just take home... I ended up looking on petfinder.com and found Darwin. He was posted with Aransas County Animal control. The picture they posted was heartbreaking. 










I went just to look.... I brought my own snap heartworm test with me thinking that if he was positive I'd keep looking and not adopt. When I got there I saw his sad eyes.. covered in ticks.. he weighed only 60lbs. He turned out heartworm positive too. Darwin also had a few cuts and what looked like a cigar burn on his side. The officers said that they found him abandoned out on a country road, and that they had had him for a week. I found myself filling out the paperwork and giving a donation with my adoption fee. We must have picked off a hundred ticks before I loaded him into my new car. I pulled out of the shelter's parking lot with the afterthought of ... OMG, I hope he's not car sick! LoL

The first stop we made was to get a burger, which he woofed down in seconds. Darwin rode in the backseat with dignity, as if he were merely waiting all this time to come home with me. I went straight to my vet. 

My vet told me Darwin was approximately 4 years old. He was loaded with all kinds of worms too... I scheduled his neuter & dental and went home. My fiance (soon to be my loving understanding husband) just did a double take at the state the poor dog was in. I think we both would have tortured the people that did what they did to poor Darwin if we knew who they were! 

We had several months of nightmares - where Darwin would be sound asleep and just start screaming. 

Our vet removed two big handfuls of bird-shot from Darwin's neck and shoulder from where someone had shot him. There are a few pellets that are too deep to remove, so he has a couple of hard lumps. He also had his heartworm treatment once he had gained enough weight to have it done.

Darwin had only one potty accident upon arriving home. He's not had one since, as I think it was probably because of being severely infested with worms at the time. 

A few months later we got our new house built with the design of enough room for a happy dane. (extra wide hallway, doors, large rooms, ect.) Darwin has his own couch to sleep on, but shares his couch with any company that will give petting. He's filled out to his full weight of 110lbs. Still on the small side for a dane, but he's perfect in my eyes. 










Darwin just does not have a mean bone in his body. And he still loves going for rides in the car too! He's gone with me to work when I'm called out late at night for 'moral support'. And he's been there for me when I come home totally at wits end to hug & love on. I would reccomend a dog from animal control to anyone looking for that 'one' special dog to share their life with. 

Has anyone ever looked at the Darwin Awards? I'm a big fan of that particular website. (Stupid people taking themselves out of the genepool) We named our dane Darwin, figuring with such a big dog guarding our home - he could hand out his own awards to any burgular types that might meet him. 

I look at Darwin as I type this and see that the gray is showing around his velvet muzzle; his eyes still light up when he catches me looking to him. Maybe it's time to go make his peanut butter cookies now... or maybe he needs a new couch? I love spoiling that guy! We've now had Darwin for 3 years.

- Kat O Nine


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## Clare

I got my Gypsy from a rescue 18 months ago, I was just about to leave as they said they only had dogs and I needed a bitch, just as I turned to go, another staff member walked out and said "Wait! This one's actually a bitch, not a dog!", and Gypsy walked into my life! When I paused to take a closer look, I had no idea that waiting those few extra seconds would be the best thing I ever did!

She's a lurcher and the rescue guessed at 6 yrs old, the vet approximated her at about 10/11 yrs, so I'm compromissing on 8/9! She was so skinny all her ribs and vertebrae jutted from her skin and her eyes had a dull look, as if to say "I just don't care anymore", as I looked at her, she jumped up and just stared into my face, I was in love! Immediatly I arranged to pick her up the following week, as I collected her I discovered a bit more about her.

Apparently she'd been tied up on a railway track with a Jack Russel and left to be hit by a train  . Luckily a warden saw her and got her to the rescue. She has quite a few scars, including one on her hind leg that looks as though she was tied up with string.

When I got her home she lept straight into her new bed and started chewing on a rawhide bone as if she'd been there forever, I couldn't imagine life without her now! 

I'm so glad to see from this page that there's so many people willing to adopt dogs, perhaps with so many kind hearted people out there we're finally winning the war on cruelty? It's a nice thought anyway.

God bless everyone who's let a rescue into their heart, or even donated to an animal charity!


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## dobs1984

I remember the first dog we saved...I was 4 years old, my dad was in the army and stationed in germany. We tried to find her owners for a very long time, but no one ever claimed her. She ran into our house and made herself at home that cold winter day and she was a turning point in our lives. We had Dotty until she died peacefully when I was 14. And she paved the way for so many other strays. After we got to the states we lived on 200 acres and we never double thought how we were going to utilize that space. 

Dotty, Boomer, Bandit, Missy, Blue, Champ, Bella, Cody, Dakota, Rosy, Whiskey, Soko, Spike, Jake, Charlie, and my very special Brandy (my sweet, sweet girl you were always the brightest light in my life i miss you so very much)

There were many other strays that we were able to reunite with their families. Those were always my favorite, the ones we returned. There is nothing better then watching a families releif as they see their special babies are well and safe.


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## carrie_griffes

First was Snowlady, a samoyed that we ended up with instead of the poddle my grandpa was going to get for my mom after he couldn't give back the one he had kept when she went over seas with my father. Then was Charlie, a beagle who followed me home from school. Then came a maltees? that also followed me home from school. The next was a runt pup Lady, rottie that I hand fed from 3 wks. Then came Airborn, a flame point simeez? cat. Then Spicy, a Chow/ Pit mix. Then Aussie, an Astrailian shepard and all 7 of her pups. Buddy, a Mackinzy river husky. Duke, an Alaskan husky (a basic mut with long legs used for sled racing). Two doves. Chewy, a chow chow. BB & Jack, tan short haired german shepard/ pit/charpie mixs. Currently, we have Colt, a german shepard, Sammy, bk/tan short haired mini dachsund (graduation gift from my parents), Abbey, dappled/brindle long haired mini dachund, Annie, piebald long hair mini dachsund, shotgun, grey tabby and maggie, bk/white cat. We also Susha and Red, both waiting for their new homes to be ready for them.

Ok, so the mini dachsunds were not rescues because I was looking for them after spending time with my moms mini dachunds. But most of the others were headed to the eutinasia room because of illness, temperment, or abandonment issues. (My sister worked at the shelter and brought me many to "fix up" for readoption). 

I kept them all as long as it took to readopt them and some just plain stayed. I don't dare go into a shelter because I am maxed out to the limit on the allowed number of animals in town and know I would have to take home all the hard luck cases.


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## MsStars

i rescused a prue bred puppy black lab last year in june of 2007 his my baby his name is sherman he was a stray found very weak. he was gonna be put down 2 days later wouldnt have adopted when i did . im so glad i saved his life. he is the best friend i have ever had. do recommed some one adopting cats and dogs from the shelters these animals dont know why they are there. I think though that if people cant afford to take care of themselfs they sure have no means of taken care of animal they are just like humans they need food and medical care and exersize. i have been a big supporter for animal rights . i would never give up my dog unless of course the good lord takes him home. I'm looking forward to the best years to come with my best friend Sherman


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## Wynpyp

My first rescue dog was a pure bred GSD. A friend of mine said that someone she kind of knew had a beautiful Shepherd that needed a home. She was extremely underweight and was a handfull lol. When we got her she was only 45lbs and about 10 months old! We had her for about a year and a half before we lost her. She was truely amazing!! She was the reason I fell in love with Shepherds. All my life I had wanted either a Rottie or a Pitt but never got one. Now I will probably have a shepherd till the day I die. I miss her sooo much!! If I stop to think about her, I usually end up crying. I still can't look at her pictures... they are packed away. That was 3 years ago.

I now have a new one named Bayne. My son and I decided to go look at the local shelter one day just to visit and play. Shortly after getting there we saw Bayne. I had to do a double take. He looked sooo much like my baby... he could have been her son lol. He was so sad looking but was very affectionate. He was also the only dog that wasn't barking when we came in. After about a half an hour I decided that maybe it was time to bring another dog home. We left after talking to the ladies at the front desk. I had told them that we were very interested in him but that I needed to bring my husband in to see him as well as the other kids. We had also noticed that he was favoring on of his back legs and the vet was gonna be seeing him.

So a few hours later, we all went to see him. My hubby looked at thim and said" Yup, he's ours!". We couldn't have him yet though... the vet wasn't going to be able to see him till the next day and they also weren't going to be open that day. So we told them that we wan't him no matter what. The next day we got a cal from the shelter saying that the vet came and looked at him and figured that he either had early HD or a birth defect, but that an x-ray would be needed to confirm. We said ok... we still want him. So she told us that we could come and get him that day!!

We got him home and looked at his legs and hips. The only thing that bothered him on inspection was his one pad on his rear leg. I took him to my vet the next day. He had a cut on his pad and that was it. We had his hips checked and the are fine but will recheck in another year. The shelter said he was 1-2 years but my vet figures he's barely over a year. While I was at the vet we got a call from the shelter... I guess a couple of puppies that had been brought in had parvo. So I told my vet and he didn't think that he did but we would wait about a 2 weeks and check. So I had him neutered last week as well as we had his rear dew claws removed and all the tests that we could think of. He came back with a clean bill of health!!

He is amazing!! I don't know what else to say lol. He is intelligent and loyal. He is awesome with kids, dogs and cats. I think it was fate that we got him. I just found out this last friday that all the dogs that the shelter had at the time we got Bayne were PTS. If I had waited even another day, we would not have been able to get him. I thank God every day since then that we were able to get him when we did.


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## 8

Sasha...She is a jack russell mix that we adopted from a local rescue. She was 12 weeks old when we got her. She had been on death row just because there wasn't enough room at the first animal shelter she was at.


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## tharper

Oreo, black and white border collie rescued 1 day before being put down in January 2005, passed away September 2008 

Rocky, black and white Aussie/Dunno mix, rescued February 2006, still kicking along.

Pickles, black and white border collie/blue healer mix, rescued September 2008, 9 weeks old.


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## MoonStr80

Johnnie Girl at 12 weeks old









I don't really have a exact storyline about Johnnie's past. All I know she was a Oops litter, that the mother dog was pregnant the owners did not know when they adopted the mother dog whom was the (beagle) so the people who had the mother dog and the littler dumped them at the pound, and the father dog (unknown stray was the lab) And the no kill animal shelter rescued the mother dog and the litter. That's how I got Johnnie the rest is history


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## CharityDogs

My brother's dog, Rufus, is a rescue that was used for hunting purposes, and then left in the cold to fend for himself. He was incredibly timid at first, and took a lot of work, but he's now one of the best dogs anybody could hope for. Rescuing dogs is the way to go!


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## Abbylynn

This is a very old thread but I would like to add my rescues to it as well. All my rescues remained within the family and were all cases of abuse. Abbylynn, Dobie/Rott mix who is mine forever, Freight Train, Dane/GSD mix, Kokomo, Lab/Rott mix, and Benny, Dobe/Lab/Rott/Husky mix. I rescued, brought to good health and did some training and re-homed them to their forever homes. I love being able to rescue and at least save a few lives who deserved better than what they had been through.


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## Sybille

Sam was found wandering the streets of Prague (Czech Republic) and we adopted him from the police run no kill shelter when he was 8 months. More dog then we bargained for but we love him to pieces and he is good for for us and we hope to be good for him!


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## Lindbert

I took Brody from animal control less than 30 minutes before he was due to be put to sleep. I didn't know his time was up when I fell for him, but I'm glad he's out of there.

Charlotte is 10 years old and has spent more time in the rescue system than she has in any home. This is my third time fostering her but I'm fairly certain this will be her last and forever home. I'm falling for her but my husband wants to wait until Thanksgiving to find her a home before we make any final decision.


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## Phoenix Chase

My current rescues are Willow, full-blooded German Shepherd who can climb and jump out of any enclosure. Had trap scars on her ankle: Bristol, half Border Collie/Half Lab, was going to be put down by AC because she was too young to spay, thus too young to adopt out. Contacted HS, who pulled her out and we have her now. About 12 weeks old. Scout, 14 months old Australian Shepherd rescue from ASRH. Purity of blood unknown and don't care. Phoenix Chase, 8 weeks old new arrival. Mother was a red and white Australian Shepherd. Father unknown, but had to be a merle due to the laws of genetics, so I'm betting he is either PB Aussie or Aussie/BC mix. My mother-in-law's dog is a rescue we had first, Piper. She grew up to be a Border Collie/Australian Shepherd mix.


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## JessCowgirl88

I got Chisum Lab Mix ( we think Lab/golden retriever) from the pound, he was a owner turn in. He was coming up on his 5th day and thats when they noramlly put them down out here when they are a owner turn in. 
Winter wasnt from a shelter but was from a unplanned pregnancy and he living conditions were terrable so i could say no to her.

As i have saved them though, they have also saved me <3


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## Syrtica

Ren wasn't a shelter dog, but he was from an unplanned litter. Owner had a male and female dog and didn't get them spayed/neutered. :/ What did he think was going to happen? So I took Ren, got him looked at. 16 weeks old and he'd never been to a vet. He was underweight and timid. He's muscly and healthy and very loud now. 
After a while it became clear that Ren needed a playmate. Even after walking him and running around in the back yard, he was still full of energy that I couldn't work off. I was browsing sites and saw Koda. He looked like a similar mix as Ren, so I took Ren to meet him, and they got on wonderfully. Apparently someone boarded Koda last May/June and never came back.  But he's healthy, so someone put a lot of love into him before having to leave him there. I picked him up two days ago. I woke up this morning squished between two happy dogs in my bed, and that's the best morning I've ever had.


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## WheatenDaneMom

Brody isn't a rescue but sometimes I feel like he is. 

Brody is my 6 mos old Wheaten Terrier. He was a puppy mill dog from Iowa (I had a company trace him back). He was sent to a pet shop in NY where he was purchased by a couple for their son with allergies. The child was allergic to saliva/dander and so they sold him to a young girl who lives several hours away. She had him for an undisclosed amount of time until she sold him to me on Craigslist. I ended up on craigslist after three shelter adoptions fell through on me.. Somehow I am not sure how true all of her stories are but I do have all of his original paperwork. When I got him at 3 months he was a feisty child aggressive, food aggressive, grooming aggressive, dog aggressive un-house broken barking mess. I have a 6 year old, a 3 year old, a Dane and a cat and I simply couldn't have that. Through much work we have him down to a bit of grooming aggressiveness (although I can scissor clip his face now!!) and random food aggression... esp. if a dog gets something that is NOT food (like at my parents house, they will get meat scraps). I truly love him, he shows me SO MUCH affection. He lives for car rides and lets me coddle him like a baby. I am so happy I have him and think his life could have been much different - much worse.


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## Taucross

Mollie Wigglebutt! 6 year old, black lab/terrier mix. A great example of why people should look at older black dogs for rescue - we love her


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## Keyray

My first rescue was Tiger (R.I.P) a Rott/GSD mix. He was about a year old when I got him. He was dumped off by his previous owner at the Humane Society because they couldn't breed him. He was such a gentlemen and extremely smart. He was the friendliest dog I had ever met. He lived to be about 9 years old before health problems caught up with him. His kidneys failed him and we had to put him down.

My second rescue was Lilly, a mutt. She was a stray that was found wandering around in a parking lot. She was very skinny and rather depresses when she was brought home. She came around and started acting like a puppy should, but she became very ill within her first week home. The vets kept her for a few days but she stopped eating. We brought her back home. My mother started cooking her chicken rice soup and I had to force feed her food and water. Now a days she is happy girl living with my parents. She is over 11 years old now.

My current rescue is Vada, also a mutt. She was a stray and has a scar up one of her legs. It was possibly caused by kids or she was picked on because she is terrified of kids. She was at the Humane Society for about a month. She was 14 lbs when we got her. It's been 6 months now and she is a healthy 21.5 lbs. She is such a happy and trusting dog,but is a shame that she cowers in fear of kids. Hopefully she'll come around one day.


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## stationgirl

Bonnie was a shelter dog that I rescued whilst I was in another country. A lady from Canada paid for her a adoption and a facebook friend picked her up and looked after her until I returned to Australia.


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## MariJoy

We picked up Ziggy (Shih tzu/Yorkie mix) from a rescue in Detroit. We have had him for 2 months, and he is much more outgoing than when we first got him.. Altogether a wonderful and loving boy...6 months old tomorrow


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## AugiesMomn

In October, I went to the mall and there were dogs there from the humane society. Even though I said I didn't want a little dog, I ended up going home with a red dachshund mix I called Augie. He was a stray, found wandering the streets with a black and white dog, presumably his brother. They were kept in the same cage at the humane society and apparently great friends. Two days later, I went back for his brother, Odin. He's smaller and more hyper, but I couldn't leave him there to possibly get euthanized, esp. when the two must've been good friends. I brought Odin home and it was so cute, they just snuggled and played all day. They definitely have different personalities, but I love them both. They're tired out from a walk, sitting at my feet right now. I never planned on having more than one dog, it just happened this way. =0) I think they're dachshund/basset mixes.They're bigger and more wrinkly than a dachshund.

My previous dog was a border collie named Amy, rescued from the same place but in May 2002. This past September she had to be put down from kidney failure, and it was the hardest thing ever. She was almost 10, and my best friend in the world. She was very smart and was my constant companion. She was my first dog, and I never really understood the phrase "man's best friend" until I had a dog. RIP. 

Well, Odin's trying to get in my lap so I should just post this/ ^_^


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## kandycerm

I was volunteering at the local shelter in 2008 when I fell in love with an older (8y/o) GSD mix. I immediately put in an application but once it was approve, he had already found a new home. About a month later the shelter director called me to tell me they had a dog I might like, Kojack, a ~1 1/2 year old Husky/GSD mix. I went to Petsmart, where he was being kenneled, and instantly fell in love. He had only been at the shelter for the required stray hold (7 days). He came home with my that night, got a brand new name (Dakota), and claimed my bed as his own. He's been my best friend ever since and I can't imagine what my life would be like without him. His Gotcha Day is 6/13/2008.


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## Canaqua

Dale (maybe also Daisy once) was dropped at my husband's door by an ex-GF who worked in rescue. Dale is 1/2 ACD and 1/2 JRT and had been through 6 homes in her 18 months. She was dog aggressive and human aggressive and just a beautiful and very smart dog. She'd had her last chance and was to be euthanized. The ex-GF took her home to her house to save her, but Dale was beating up on her dogs. She brought Dale to my husband and dropped her and a bag of food off and left. I met DH a few months later. We've had Dale for 12 years now and, while she's still not an easy dog and requires vigilance, she is much, much better with careful management and a feeling of security. Everyone knows her, because she'd been drifting around the area for that year and a half before she came here. The ACOs in all surrounding towns know her and whenever I run into them, they ask me how Dale is doing, a couple of them had had Dale in their house at one point . Everyone liked her, they just didn't want to live with her. 

We got Molly (BC mix) from a rescue based in Ohio that brings dogs to NH for adoption. Molly came out of a hoarder's yard at 12 weeks, she'd been living loose, with her mother and a lot of other dogs of various ages. The woman had been feeding the dogs, but they'd had no vet care. Molly has THE best dog manners I've ever seen, probably from having lived in pack environment for those first three months. She is so polite to other dogs, the reason we chose her, because of the aforementioned ACD mix! We could not have brought a dog that DIDN'T have manners into the house with her. Molly came loaded with every parasite you can imagine and with no vaccines. It took us some months to get her cleaned up, get the fleas out of our house and catch her up on her shots. She's beautiful and healthy now and a very nice dog.


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## peaceablegarden

Hugo was a shelter guy. ~2y/o Brussels Griffon/Border Terrier mix as best as we know from the shelter and my vet. He was grabbed by a rescue group in WVA in October when the shelter was full, fostered there until December and landed in a foster home in NH. He came to me almost 8 weeks ago. We are working out some issues including some potty training. He's a bit on the stubborn side and can charm anyone. He has a calm energy about him but definitely knows what he wants. We're attending manners classes and getting involved in a couple of local play groups. He likes other dogs but can feel overwhelmed with too many around. Last week he helped a very high energy dog find some calm. He seems pretty cool like that.


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## KBLover

Wally, 5 yrs old this May, pure Coton de Tulear. Taken in just after his first birthday, July 2008.

His breeder didn't care for him for whatever reason. Perhaps he was the 'runt' or his personality didn't endear him to any of her buyers. For whatever reason, he was largely neglected and under-exposed to the world. He wasn't scared of his shadow, but just about everything else, including me. He wouldn't come out of the corner for weeks and wouldn't even eat for so long, we (mom and I) were worried he would get sick and maybe give him back or to someone he was familiar with so he wouldn't starve himself.

But eventually, he did eat and he started coming out and exploring some more. He still wasn't keen on me, supposedly he never saw a man before. Don't know if I believe THAT but a lot of the people who would be important were female. 

Even Wally's basic grooming wasn't taken care of, and he had to be shaved almost to the skin. I tried to groom him, but had no idea how messed up his coat was. The groomer knew we weren't the cause as she could see where the hair was recently combed out on top of the matted hair.

But that's in his past now (largely, though we still fight the demons of his past here and there and the start of anything new is usually when the demons rise up a bit), and slowly but steadily, more and more of his natural personality came out. If he was like this as a puppy, who wouldn't like him?


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## great white

My first rescue was Max. Border collie Sheppard cross. He looked like a black Sheppard. Lived to 13 years and he had to be put down. Took a piece of me when he left. Never wanted another dog after that. 

Then I met my current wife. She is a dog person to the core and made that known when we first got together. She had an old Purebred Sheppard named Jake. He came to live with me when she moved in. Great old dog. But, when he left us, it didn't hurt as much as I didn't raise him from a pup. 

Next came Nicky. He's a border collie cross, although he's gotta be a 95% border collie. He's just a bit bigger.

A few months after Nicky came home, we rescued a German Sheppard Great Dane cross. Called him Jasper. He's a good dog, but he's high energy and drives me nuts! 

Last to come was a Pup from Northern Labrador. He was found in a litter under a shed. He was very people shy, the same as his litter mates. We started fostering him first, thinking we would get him used to people so he could be adopted. Well, he weaseled his way in and we just adopted him. He's 12 weeks (we think, starting to loose puppy teeth) and we believe he's a Husky Rottweiler cross but no one really knows. He's marked like a Rotty, but his litter mates look like huskies. We figure his father was a different sire by the same mother or he wasn't really part of the litter and was just found together. His litter mates are almost twice as big as him. The area where he came from, dogs are just a tool to be used and thrown away. They take care of themselves unless they are hooked to a sled. If they die, they die. Another just takes their place and they're tossed in the woods. No different than owning a car and junking it once it's outlived it's usefulness. 

We named him "Diesel". Well, _I_ named him Diesel!

So, time for pics!

Nicky:










Nicky and Jasper:










Diesel:










(no, that's not a camera trick, his feet actually are HUGE)










Everybody flaked out after a good run:


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## lolamia

I rescued two very beautiful little girls one year apart, one of the puppies name is Lola she turned 2 last august she was on a puppy farm in Missouri not being treated very well cause she was the runt of the litter and no one wanted her , I found out what was happening and I called the ASPCA and they were shut down after about a year. Lola is an awesome dog pure bichon very loving, acts human and she is a daddy's girl, my husband can't walk out of the room without Lola on his heel .... my husband never wanted any children not really even dogs but he knew zi still had that mommy syndrome in me and it needed to be fullfilled my children are groen but I know that I can always be a mommy to my giirls. lola is a lap dog loves to be loved and gives all that love right back to you, she changed our lives and has made us a family . Mia is also a rescue dog that was being abused by the other dogs from another puppy farm in Missouri and she was not cared for properly. as well.. Mia is a tiny little thing only 6 lbs , who in the world would want to abuse such a darling little creature, Mia is a mommy's girl and I love this little dog so much that when she gets sick, I can feel it as well....both places have been shut down since I rescued the girls and I am happy to say that both girls are happy and so are we.


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## Sibe

Kaytu. Adopted last October from the Coastal German Shepherd Rescue in San Diego (CGSR). They have a volunteer and foster who rescues huskies, despite it being a GSD rescue. Kaytu was apparently found on the streets somewhere in LA and was in heat. She was picked up and taken to a shelter where they discovered she was microchipped. Her owners were contacted but they never bothered to go pick her up. Kaytu is very lucky to have been saved as abandon animals are on a short schedule. She was spayed and the foster had her for less than a week before we adopted her.


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## georgiapeach

I adopted Potsie (was called Budgie previously) from a local rescue about a year ago. He had been found tied to a tree in TN, along with a Chow, and apparently had spent at least the first year of life that way, poor thing! The rescue I got him from said he was a walking skeleton when they got him. He was kept in foster care for a year b/c of his issues, both physical and mental, before he was ready for adoption. He's afraid of EVERYONE and EVERYTHING. He loves me, b/c I'm the one who brought him home, and he's finally warmed up to my husband, but he still barks at him when he first gets home. I think his abuser must have been a man. Needless to say, he's spoiled rotten now and is living the good life!


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## jvolpe59

our first rescue is named Baer, an 8 month old cockapoo. he was in a high kill shelter in Kentucky. 2 days ago we got Fritz, a mill dog who is adapting wonderfully.


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## Abbylynn

I am now adding Lucy an approximately 5 year old Terrier of sorts to my list. She was abandoned and left when her family moved away. She ran into the road and caused a bad car accident and was searching for food at a near by trucking company ... left to starve. After three months of trying to survive on her own she was finally caught and taken to a shelter where a rescue pulled her from ... euthanasia. I adopted her on 3/28/2012 in honor of my Heart Dog Leeo who passed on 3/19/2012 from pancreatic necrosis and a cancerous stomach mass.


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## budpln

brody, i adopted my first dog 4-6-12 i have been reading alot about my new puppy because hes my first and i like to do things right. he is 11 weeks old the shelter told me he was left on the side of the road with his 2 brothers and sister in a box in Tennessee. i am so happy i got him he is the best puppy you could ask for. he is very happy to be with us and is learning rapidly. I am so glad to have him as my first pet.


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## jessm78

On 3/19/12 I rescued a (then) 5 month old beagle/treeing walker coonhound (?) mix from a rescue foundation in northern New Jersey. She was part of a litter of 7 pups. They were nicknamed the "lucky litter" and thus given names of lucky items. My girl happened to be named Wishbone. I thought it was an adorable name but they said I could change it - she didn't answer to it. I decided to name her Abby. Thought she looked like an Abby. lol. Don't know much about them other than they came from somewhere down south, possibly NC or thereabouts. She's a ball of energy and a real sweetheart. I've been going through a tough time and she's been just wonderful. I often call her my "therapy dog."


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## Amaryllis

Kabota, a beaglexsomethingxsomething mix, rescued 12-11-11. He is 3-4 years old. He was kept in a crate 24/7 until a tumor on his gums got so big, he couldn't eat and started to starve to death. Then he got dumped at a high kill shelter in Kentucky, and looked like this:











He has the best temperament I have ever seen. He is sweet, gentle, tolerant of handling, loves everyone he meets, including children, loves other dogs, really, you couldn't ask for a better pet. Four months later, he looks like this:










He knows how to sit, lay down, spin, stay, fetch and is one "leave it" away from passing his therapy dog test. Buy all the purebreds you like, you're not doing better than Kabota! (I'm not against it, mind you, you're just not doing any better.)


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## Papa Deuce

Well the dog's name when I got her was - and I almost wretch that someone would call a do this - was " La La La". We took her and call her Pepper.


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## Abbylynn

Adding a new one ... yesterday I rescued a Schnauzer/ possible Cairn mix or something ... one year old ... has been in and out of the shelter a couple of times and his owner no longer wanted him. He became yet another owner surrender. I rescued him on the one month anniversary date of my heart dog Leeo's passing. It is uncanny the circumstances that I found him under and his resemblance to Leeo in that he is very much like him in attitude so far. Lol! 

Eddee has not another day in his life to worry about now.


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## dagwall

Papa Deuce said:


> Well the dog's name when I got her was - and I almost wretch that someone would call a do this - was " La La La". We took her and call her Pepper.


Haha looking back in the paperwork I got when I adopted Jubel it looks like his name when he was dropped at the pound when his original owner lost their home to foreclosure was Juju. That personally makes me cringe. The rescue who pulled him from the pound changed it to Jubel/Jubal, both spellings found on his papers, I love and kept the name Jubel. As huge Heinlein fans my brother and I first thought of Jubal Harshaw when we saw the name and had to keep it. I choose the Jubel spelling thinking more people would say it correctly (joo-bull) vs. Jubal (ju-ball). Boy was I wrong, I've heard all kinds of strange names people have somehow gotten from Jubel. Jub-bull and Jewel are the most common errors I hear. I guess I shouldn't be surprised as people have butchered my last name my whole life and it's very phonetic. They drop and add letters with open abandon so why not my dogs name.


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## LazyZoe

Well, I consider Zoe a rescue because we didn't pay a dime to get her, and she was in a bit of bad shape when we picked her up. Her original name was Lady, but we weren't too keen on that. She was being given away on Craigslist by a guy for his son, who just got a divorce and couldn't keep her. Not sure why divorce = give your animals away, but whatever. She was at the dad's farm, chained out back with a couple of other dogs. Just below her right shoulder she had a giant gash (at least 2 inches wide, and the skin hanging down her leg), the guy had failed to mention that and had no idea what happened. Right below her chest she had some smaller lesions and one pretty deep puncture wound. The CL ad had claimed she had never been bred, but, not to be crude, she had some of the largest nipples I'd ever seen on a dog before. So we took her home, got her to a vet the next day, and $800 later we have one of the best dogs I've ever met. I have so much respect for people who rescue dogs. It's so much work, and it certainly is not cheap. We lucked out. Aside from her tendency to want to chase our two cats (she is a hound dog), she's otherwise great. Our two year old adores her, and she is VERY tolerant of him.


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## stacey101

My first rescue, 
Benji
A male, 8 week old beagle/ terrier mix (with possible lab) 

Him and his sister were dropped off at the shelter at 6.5 weeks...and thats all I know LOL


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## ~Verano~

Summer is a border collie, retriever, and english setter mix. I rescued her from a kill shelter about 7 1/2 years ago. When I knew she was the puppy I wanted to adopt I told the agency. They said that someone had already adopted & paid, neutered her, and had all of her shots up to date. The shelter told me that I had to wait a full week and if no one came to pick her up, she was mine. Those 7 days were some of the hardest days I have ever experienced! I went to the shelter exactly a week later and she was there. I was so happy because when I first saw her it was love at first sight. Ever feel like you see a dog and bond instantly? That's how Summer and I were. Now, 8 years later, I couldn't be happier.


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## tinksmama

We got Tinkerbell about 6 years ago from a place that sort of rescues animals and found them homes- she was an oops litter- 1/2 Chihuahua,1/2 pekingese (yikes!)
We just got Poppy (she was just a number when we found her)from a local town pound ($5 dog) She was so hairy when we got her,I thought she was MUCH bigger than she actually is! (she weighs 8 pounds under the fur mess we cut off) They are 2 pampered fur babies now! We have decided that Poppy is 1/2 schnauzer and 1/2 poodle,not shih-tzu like advertised-
So we have a peke-a-choo and a schnoodle now.....

I wish I knew how to post pics....the 2 of them together make (almost) a full size dog! LOL


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## reimacram

Hello,

My dog's name is Keanna. We saved her from being eaten by worthless people in our neighborhood for their drinking session. She's now 4 years old and live with us.


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## 123fraggle

Fraggle was left in someones backyard with no food or water for 3 day in -30 degrees celsius weather. Animal Control picked him up and he was taken to the pound. A local rescue took him in and fostered him until we adopted him in April 2005. He was very dog reactive and it took over a year to work through this issue. He has turned into a wonderful pet and sports dog. He does agility and has performed locally with the PC Superdogs for the last 4 years. He is my heart dog and I will probably always have a rescue dog. He is the foo foo dog on the left .


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## DantheDoor

We adopted our first rescue last Friday, his shelter name was Kasey, but we felt that he really wasn't a Kasey. This is my boyfriend and my first own dog (we both grew up with dogs) he is going to school for percussion and Bongo crossed my mind, and it's so cute and it just fits, way better than Kasey (or we think so at least) what do you think?


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## MerryMaeFlower

Colby, my Japanese Chin is a rescue. His owner was a hoarder and had many, many Japanese Chins living in a tiny, filthy trailer along with cats and birds. One of the female dogs had puppies and somehow died and her puppies then all died because the woman had been feeding them sour milk (she knew it was soar but said she was too depressed to get puppy formula for them). Anyway, in the papers it said the state took all of her dogs away accept four (the limit here). I knew the woman distantly as she had done some piece work for our company. She came in to the office the day animal control had come to her house and was begging me to take two Japanese Chin puppies she had because she didn't want them going to the shelter like the other dogs (I never really understood why she would care about those two pups enough to bring them to me, a virtual stranger, when she had cared so little for the others she let die). I agreed to take them and found a wonderful home for one of the puppies and decided to keep the other. 

Colby is now 5 years old and such a wonderful dog. Everyone he meets is a friend, he's smart as a whip, doesn't bark, extremely clean... all the best qualities you can find in a Chin. The only thing he seems to suffer from his background is the inbreeding going on at her place had a pretty impressive effect on his looks. Lol. He's one of those dogs that's so ugly he's cute. My dad always says he looks like a fuzzy version of the alien in the movie Predator. Lol. Or others have said he looks like the unfortunate result of a monkey x dog crossing. Lol. But, despite his looks he is much loved and everyone that meets him always comments on what a great dog he is. I couldn't be happier with my little rescued buddy.

Our beagle is also a rescue. The woman who owned her was going to have her put down at 7 months old because she was so hyper she was tearing the house apart. The woman worked from 8am to 8pm every day and wanted to come home to a dog that would sit next to her and watch tv. When Bailey, our beagle, didn't fit that description she wanted her put down. My brother in law overheard the woman talking to a coworker and asked if he could have her. She said sure but warned him she's a devil dog. Lol

Well, Bailey is ALL beagle, but she's by no means a devil dog. Lol. My husband loves her dearly and she is definately "his" dog, following him and always giving him her beagle eyes. I would not have chosen a beagle, but I am glad we were able to keep such a nice dog from being put down. And my husband loves her so much... when the day comes we no longer have her I know he'll be seeking out another beagle. Lol


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## Melboz

Our family rescued Cash last Friday! We haven't even had him a week yet but we are in love and don't know how we lived without him! We had been visiting shelters for a few months looking for the one, we had expectations of getting a very small indoor dog. Well ummm... when we walked into the Humane Society we all fell instantly for Cash! His story was that his mother a full breed Landseer mysteriously got pregnant, the owner was not happy with this and brought the pups in as soon as he could. Poor Cash was covered in fleas and full of worms worse case I had ever seen. We quickly starting care of that and now he is so handsome & getting healthy! After first Vet visit we found he was younger then the owner said right at 8 weeks and already 15.7lbs. Not sure of his complete mix. Webbed feet, mild mannered very smart already sitting on command, staying and doing amazing on house training. My husband & I have never had experience with training an indoor dog, but Cash is making it easy on all of us! So glad he is a part of our family!







[/IMG]


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## georgiapeach

I've had many rescued dogs in my long life, but I'll just talk about the two we have now. We adopted both of our current dogs from the same rescue, so we rescued second hand - lol!

Potsie - was found tied to a tree in Tennessee, where he was kept outside 24/7, along with a chow for apparently the first 1 1/2 years of his life (imagine a poodle kept outside all the time - ugh!). He was emaciated and abused. He's still very skittish around people he doesn't know and will probably always have fear issues (luckily he doesn't bite!). He's especially fearful of men, so we suspect his abuser was male. He is also very fearful when he enters an area of bright sunlight after having been in shade - he'll stop, refuse to move, and tremble - I've never had a dog with this problem, so it's been interesting. Going for a walk is still a work in progress after 2 years! Any negative correction causes him to completely shut down - poor guy! He's fine with my husband and me - very loving and perfectly content to sit in our laps all the time!

Maddie - was pulled from a shelter on her very last day. The rescue organization was called and told to come get her or she'd be euthanized the next morning. She was pregnant, so very unadoptable. The next morning, she gave birth to 5 puppies at her foster mom's house! We adopted her after her puppies had all been adopted out by the rescue. She's friends with the world - a totally happy go lucky girl! She's perfectly socialized with all people and dogs, so we wonder if she was someone's pet in her previous life. She has allergy issues, which is typical for a westie, we found out,, and we're working on getting this under control.

She and Potsie have quickly become BFFs!


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## Deaf Dogs

I have 5 rescues, and had 1 and 1 rehome prior to the dogs I have now.

Zoe was rescued from a rural "shelter" near where I live. Shelter is in quotes because it is suspected that they are a front for a puppy mill. They have tons of small dogs, and loads of puppies. Zoe has all the classic signs and symptoms of a puppy-mill breeder dog. Zoe is a Lhasa Apso x Bichon and was 1.5 ish years old when I adopted her. She is now around 10 years old.

I adopted Scout from a rescue that I volunteer with after we rescued her form another rural shelter. She was 2 hours from her date with a needle. The only reason she was that close to euth. is that she's deaf. She is the most perfect little dog ever, sweet natured, eager to learn, calm and relaxed. Scout is a terrier mix of some sort or another. She was 4 when I adopted her, and is now 9.

I adopted Oliver from a lady who rescued him in Houston, TX. He had severe dog aggression (which is actually aggression with strangers, people and pets) and was supposed to be deaf. I hae experience with both deaf and aggressive dogs, so it was decided (almost without my input LOL) that he come to me, so he was put on a plane and flew to me in the dead of winter (feb 1st) when it was -25C. He coped amazingly well, and is an awesome dog! Oliver is some sort of terrier mix as well, but a larger one. I suspect Irish Terrier and Lab. He was 6 months old when I got him, and is now almost 4.

I adopted Mouse from a lady who rescued her in Spokane, WA. She actually took in a Deaf Great Dane from me when I was approached by someone needing to rehome him immediately. I took him in, then drove him all the way to Christina Lake (on the US/Canada border right above Spokane) on a gorgeous september weekend (11 hours each way) Then I reversed the trip when She called me about a little Dachshund needing rescued, I said go for it, I'll take her... So on a gorgeous may weekend, I went and got Mouse LOL. Mouse is a deaf and almost blind, double dapple mini Dachshund, was 5 months ish when I adopted her, and is now 3.5 years.

Boo came from Seattle. I found him on petfinder, and fell in love with his pic, and his attitude. He had major food aggression and resource guarding issues. He is a deaf double dapple mini Dachshund, was 6.5 years old when I adopted him, and is now almost 8.


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## momtolabs

Tank- He came with the name. I got him from my cousin who abused him and I didnt have to pay for him. Instead we had to pay more than 1000 dollars so far for medical reasons that could have been prevented if he wasn't in the life he had before I got him. 

Bentley- he came from the pound and had no name, just a number. I like the singer Dierks Bentley so he became Bentley  I have no paper work on him, didnt have to pay a fee, they didn't get anything from me (phone number, address, nothing) so I consider him a rescue. who knows what home he could have went too, or came from.


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## ILuvCanines

I have had 4 rescues. The only one I named was Squirt, the rest were all adults and came with their names. 

Squirt-- Newfoundland mix (Squirt because he did that a lot when he was a puppy)
Kenzie---Bernese Mountain mix
Chubby--Bernese Mountain mix possibly Rottie??
Shep--came with the name Doctor Shepherd named for a Dr. on Grey's Anatomy. I had to shorten it to Shep. Definitely to formal for him lol.


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## rouxdog

His name when he was rescued was "Indy." We prompted changed it to "Roux Dog" cuz when he barks he goes "Roo roo roooooo."


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## D3V

This is Peanutbutter. One of the guys at work found him badly beaten on the side of the road on his way to work. For about a month we kept him in the warehouse at work and nursed him back to health. My husband and I (we work together) started taking him home on the weekends around Thanksgiving and before Christmas he had become a permanent member of our family. He is with us 24/7 - he spends the day with us at work and then we all go home at the end of the day together (lots of love to our boss who is an animal lover and allows us to have Peanutbutter with us everyday). It has taken many months to get him used to being around people that love him and care about him and he is thriving in the positive and loving atmosphere that we provide for him. He is the most kind, gentle and affectionate dog we have ever known. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how anyone could treat this amazing boy so bad...then stopped and started to focus on giving him the life that he so rightly deserves. The training has been slow (he never had any) and we have all the patience in the world...but teaching a 3 year old dog how to "play" has been one of the most heart warming experiences of my life. He will never have another "un-loved" day in his life.


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## WheatieMom

This is Griffin (we kept his name), an 8 month old Wheaten Terrier we rescued a little over a month ago. He was taken from his mom early, and the family that purchased him only had him a few months before giving him up to a rescue. He's definitely in his adolescent stage, but his face just melts my heart.


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## kelly.leo

I adopted Leo 2 months ago. He was 9 weeks old and was one in a litter of ten. The rescue said he's a lab x mastiff x boxer mix. His original name was Kilo.

Leila is a 4 year old pit. Possibly mix? My brother actually adopted her when she was a puppy but I like to think she's also my dog at this point


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## regenfliege

I have 2 rescue dogs. And have had several rescue cats and currently a rescue goldfish XD. 
Out first rescue dog was a 12 week old pitbull mix. We went out to get breakfast at Starbucks when I see an adoption group outside a petsmart. Little 10 year old me decided to sprint over to see them. I saw a group of puppies in a pen an they stole my heart. They had been left in a hot car with their mother (in the middle of a Colorado summer). They were so thin and terrified. One puppy immediately caught my family's eyes. She was the smallest pup and was huddled alone in the corner. My dad picked her up, she licked his face and that was it: we had a new dog (no, we never got breakfast). My youngest brother called her Patch. We found out she was abused severely and was terrified of anyone in cowboy hats, dark sunglasses and motorcycle helmets and would attack anyone wearing them. Now, 7 years later, she is a gorgeous 70 lb girl. She's entering her golden years, but I have a feeling she has a long time before she crosses the bridge. 
Our second rescue we adopted a month ago. Patch crashed and burned after the passing of our cat Mr. Pete (who we adopted almost 10 years ago. He was 15 when he reched the bridge) a year ago. She developed severe arthritis and collapsed on the stairs. We thought that she wasn't going to make it much longer. Then I saw a tiny little 1 year old at another adoption. They had no clue what his backstory was, he simply ended up on their door step on day. Again I, 17 this time, brought him home. We named him Ozzy, after Ozzy Osborne. He isn't, to be frank, the brightest dog. He is a bit "special" but has an amazing personality. The most incredible thing is he has given Patch a new life. She can now RUN for a few minutes, a far cry from me having to carry her to the yard. She has more energy and I feel as though Ozzy has saved Patch. 
Now my other pets: Mr. Pete was between 5 and 7 when we adopted him. He was underweight, severely ill, and generally lifeless. He was to be put down two days after we adopted him. He was a little angle. He reached the Rainbow Bridge a year ago after having two strokes and a blood clot. R.I.P. my little boy.
My goldfish Sammy is also a rescue. He was only an inch when I rescued him from a restruant. He was in a tiny bowl full of cigaret butts and trash. He had fin rot and I didn't expect him to live (I wanted him to have the best life for even a short time). Despite my pessimism, he is still with me 3 years later and is now 3.5 inches long 
I know this is a dog forum, but I know people like hearing rescue stories about other animals too.
Ozzy







Patch


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## MusherChic

Five of my dogs are rescues (the others were given to me). Their stories aren't that interesting but here goes anyway...

Cougar is an 11 year old Alaskan Husky whom I got from a shelter 2 years ago. She came from a musher who was getting out of sled dogs. I don't know much about her history otherwise.

Jazz is a 6 year old Eurohound who came with Cougar. She is from a top sled dog breeder in Alaska. 

Dixie is a 3 year old Beagle who came from a shelter 2 years ago this December. She was found as a stray.

Ruby is an 11 year old Aussie mix who came from a shelter a little over 10 years ago. Ruby originally came from a some people who lived down the road from the farm where my horse is boarded. They had a an accidental litter and my mom wanted to take home a boy and girl. 
Well the litter got to be too much for the people ( I think there were 6 to 8 puppies...) so they took them to the shelter before my mom and I could pick up the two pups that we wanted. 
By the time we got to the shelter, the boy that we wanted was already adopted so we just came home with Ruby. 

Maggie is a 9 year old black lab that we got a little over 8 years ago. We didn't get her from a shelter, she actually came from a garage sale that my mom ad I stopped at in town (my mom and I are garage sale junkies lol). The people who were selling her were moving and couldn't take her with--either she had to be sold at the sale or she was going to the shelter. So we took her in. 
She technically wasn't a rescue but I still count her...


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## zhaor

I don't really think of Buchman a "rescue" because I didn't really adopt him for anything as noble as rescuing. I adopted him only because he was a nice dog and I was looking for a dog, well technically I was helping my mom look for a dog for my brother but it just kind of turned into my dog :wink:.

I suppose he can qualify as a rescue. I adopted him from a "kill" shelter, he was a stray and was an older dog. I never really thought too much into it but according to the vet, he's probably older than what the shelter had listed him as and he certainly doesn't look much like a "husky mix". It was all probably an attempt to get more interest in him and make him easier to adopt. His name is kind of weird since I just kept the name the shelter gave him. I'm not too creative with names.


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## Khloe

Kail! Recently adopted her from the SPCA. She will be two years old next month. She had been in three homes previous to mine, don't have much information other than that. She has hip dysplasia, torn ACLs in both knees, and discoid lupus, but she's my girl and I love her


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## Bear2010

Buddy is our now 12 year old English Cocker Spaniel.
At the time we were looking for a house dog for my son to play with.My husband had seen a flyer on a post when he was out on a job. The flyer had his picture and said he was up for adoption.I told hubby he was bigger then what I wanted but I called the number anyway.The foster mom that had him was so nice and talked so nice about him she offered to bring him out for a test stay over the weekend.I told her I had a 3 year old son,buddy was 3 at the time too.She said he was great with kids.She and her husband brought him to the house(they lived an hour and half away) he had been neutered,UTD on shots and on heartworm preventive.She handed me his papers and a crate to crate him at night.He was so wonderful,when they left we took buddy outside aas soon as we got outside he bite my son! I called them and no answer.I crated buddy and kept calling them,she finally answered and I told her what happened..she asked could she come back for him on Monday because it was so far to turn around and come back I said that would be ok.Over the weekend we worked with Buddy and him and my son started getting along so I called them back on Sunday night and said I will keep him.My son has been bitten several times after that for the first 2 years..now they are best friends..they are both 12:kiss: 

He will still bite a kid in a second but not my son..ha..ha..


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## Bear2010

I have one more rescue story to shareop2:

Bear our Great Pyr.
A friend of mine had a female Great Pyr and decided to breed her,she didnt know that much about pyrs or any dog really.She found an AKC South Mt Pyr male to use as a stud..she bred her Daisey.Daisey had 10 pups.Each day my friend would call me and say she found a pup squished,the next day she found a pup squished.I finally made my way to her house to access the situation,she had a dog house way to small for a 110 lb Pyr to have 10 pups in,I told her to get another house and she said she would.The next day she called and all had been squished but 4 pups(out of 10) I went over and it was a horride site! one of the 4 babies looked halfway squished..I told her she had to get them out of there and she said she would have to let nature take its course because she couldnt bring them in the house she worked full time and she couldnt afford a bigger dog house right then.I had no where to house Daisey at my house and being she never had been in the house I could not bring her and the pups home.So I offered to take the pups and raise them on a bottle(I didnt work at the time) to try and save them.I took the 4 pups home at 10 days old.I put them in a small crate with heated bottles all around,the next morning the half squished pup had died.I started with a syringe careful not to aspirate the babies and from there our journey began with sleepless nights, long hours feeding and lots of joy.I created a blog at the time about our journey.
http://raisingagreatpyr.blogspot.com/2008/02/3-sleeping-babies.html

I visited every Pyr owner in reach and read every website and book on the breed even talked and visited rescue groups to insure I knew the entire breed and history.

All 3 babies grew to be healthy,happy Great Pyrs..I placed 2 with families I knew and kept Bear..Bear is now 180 lbs,he will be 5 years old in Nov and truly a GREAT PYR!!

He still thinks I am momma,he knows no different..I am momma dog and he will defend his home and farm to the end.


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## Abeautifulhope

My little lab/pit mix (we're guessing she was bred to be a cur dog), Zoe. She was probably the awesomest and best dog ever. She would go through ANYTHING to get to us...Especially if she thought we were in trouble. A good friend of my grandpa's found her at my grandpa and his hunting camp in Georgia (she was in the dumpster). She was COVERED in fleas (and probably only around 6 weeks old), FULL of worms, had a terrible skin condition due to a compromised immune system and she was very underweight. She was the cutest thing, though. She died a year ago last week due to a collision with a car. If I hadn't begged my dad to take a ride around the neighborhood with the new truck she'd still be here :'(. She somehow got out and threw herself under a passing motorist when she saw the truck pass the house without coming home.


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## Analogdog

Let's see:

We have Quincy, a beagle who we bought from a family at 6 months of age. They attempted to sell us the bark shock collar they were using. We turned them down. Quincy is now 13 years old.

We had Nicky, a beagle who we got on New Years Eve from the downstairs condo. An alcoholic family unable to care for a beagle, but had to get one for the daughter to have. Nicky passed away at 9 years in 2009. Nicky was a puppy mill dog.

We now have Cody, a beagle we recently got from a friend of a friend who was going out of the country for a year. He has a number of issues, and we think his previous owners never worked on them with him. His paperwork points to him being a puppy mill dog.

We have Rosie, a Whippet X Kelpie who we got last Thanksgiving, and is a wonderful dog that is teaching us all through her issues. She is 2 years old and was adopted from a shelter.


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## jdudziak

So our most recent rescue is Bandit. He is a Papillon. He was surrendered to the shelter by a local farmer. I guess someone dumped him at the farm and he started killing chicks and stealing eggs. 

My first dog I found on the street. I was 14. We turned her into our animal control. No one claimed her so we adopted her. With some of her behaviors we are pretty sure wherever she was raised people in the house were being abused. She would become very protective of anyone laying down. Even when she was 14 years old I had to stand up in order to let my husband come to bed. 

Then we also have Masha. We had to go to a local puppy mill to get feeder goldfish. They had a puppy there that was 6 months old and had kennel cough so bad the hair on her face fell out. She also had worms. We took her home with us. Now I am so disgusted with that place I won't even step foot in the door.


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## JSUgrad2010

My rescue is a Pit Bull mix. I named her Daisy Mae. I got her from a friend who rescues a lot of dogs and didn't really have time for her, she was off in a pen by herself away from all the other dogs. My friend and her sister rescued her from a situation where the owners were fighting the dogs. Luckily, Daisy doesn't have any serious scars so she was rescued in time! I love her so much more than I thought I would.... I gave her that name because I felt that she deserved a beautiful name to match her personality!


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## OkieMama

His name is Sgt. Bo. He is an Old English Mastiff and nearly 3 years old. He was originally used as a stud by a local breeder. Apparently he wasn't a very good stud because they sold him to someone else. This is the person that I got him from. The home had 7 children (all who were allowed to ride him like a horse- other than the 4 month old baby), he was very underweight, covered in fleas and ticks, and kept on a chain. We have only had him for a couple of weeks and he already looks so much better. The day I brought him home you could see every rib and both hip bones protruded very noticeably. Thankfully, he is a giant sweet boy and fitting in nicely amongst our 3 Mini Dachshunds.


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## Mack Maya Iowa

Where to start... my family has been rescuing dogs for many years. The first was Buddy, the 8 year old, 108lb, yellow lab that wandered into my moms work. The Humane Society was going to put him down due to his age, so she brought him home after the holding period and he lived to be 12 and one of the best dogs ever!

Next is Sparky, who my parents still have. Sparky is a Terrier mix that was 4 years old when our friend found him struggling for life in a drainage ditch. He actually had the nickname Stinky for awhile due to how bad he stunk!  

Hazel came into our lives as not quite a rescue, but it ended up being the case. Haseley is a 9 year old Westie that my family took from some "family friends" who were moving across country and could only take 2 of their 3 dogs. Most of the family was afraid of her, so they needed to find her a home. Hazel had bonded with my mom and I when we visited their home, so we took her on a trial basis, knowing that she would live with us. She was severely neglected at their home (left all day and night in their kitchen, pottying all over the floor and biting people due to lack of socialization). She is now hardly aggressive at all, although all of us have at least one scar from her  She is such a cuddle bug now!

Finally, I recently adopted my own dog. After buying my own house last year, I bought my Golden Retriever puppy. I decided that I needed another, and found Maya on Petfinder. Maya is a 1.5 year old Blue Heeler Mix. The rescue told me that she was an outside dog with another puppy of an older couple who neglected their animals and the SPCA stepped in and took all of their animals from them. The plan was to adopt the two dogs out together, however the puppy ended up dying from Parvo before that could happen. Maya has some issues due to her lack of socialization (she was even afraid of fire hydrants when I took her for her first walk), and is dog aggressive, along with some other issues that we are working on, but she is turning into one smart girl and a somewhat functioning member of society!  By Christmas, I hope to have most of her issues resolved, and in the three weeks that she has been with me, she has made remarkable improvement!


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## poko

*Poko*









I am a Golden Retreiver, 6mth old and have survived distemper and pneumonia! I was originally owned by some embassy people in Bangkok, but my brother and I got sick and they didn't know how best to care for us. 

Sadly my brother died, but I was taken to Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand where I was cared for by the full-time vet and staff.

The result of my rough start to life is permanent central nervous system damage which has left me with twitching on the right side of my body - my front right leg is the worst, but now I don't even notice it happening. I also have general weakness in these areas so may not be able to keep up with other able-bodied dogs.

I came to my forever home last week and have settled in very well. The cat wasn't too happy to see me and has moved upstairs, but since I have spent the last few months with elephants, monkeys, cats, dogs, bears, deer, goats and a variety of other creatures I actually take little or no notice of them. Maybe one day he'll realise I mean him no harm and will venture down to meet me.

I get to have 3 short walks each day because I don't have the stamina for much more - not sure if this will always be the same, but I do enjoy going out strolling through the pineapple fields  We have a pool, and I love water but I have to learn to just stay on the big top step for my cooling off. Mostly I get to play in the front yard, but my favourite thing is to keep my human company and be either at her feet or under foot.

My human is going to learn how to give me the 'cleanest' food possible and hopes that joining this forum will give her many ideas on the best ways to do this.. We have just bought a dehydrator so I know there will be treats coming my way when we work out how to use it. 

Nice to meet you all!
Poko and Maggi


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## DJEtzel

*Re: Poko*

Interesting thread. I read a lot of the stories. I love hearing happy endings. 

This is Sir. (short for Chernobyl)


















I adopted him in May of this year. He was at our local Animal Control, and had been there for 60 days. I had met him while I was in there weeks previously (not looking for a pet!) and kind of fell in love. I put my name on their "rescue back up" to be notified if they were going to euthanize him. Well, a few weeks later as I left work at 3:30pm on a Friday I got a voicemail saying he was set for euthanasia that day, telling me if I wanted him he wouldn't be there after 4:30pm. So I drove through two towns in a hurry to get there before they euthanized him (THAT would have broken my heart!) and luckily my landlord was available to give consent when I filled out the application. The rest was history. Got him home, he had a bit of mange and kennel cough, got him neutered and his shots, and now he's enjoying life on my leather couch most nights.  He's a great running partner, biking partner, he came crate trained and housebroken (for the most part) and he gets along great with every size/gender of dog and cats. Couldn't have asked for a better pit bull to adopt without any meet and greets. He loves dock diving, too, and has an interest in therapy work I think. He's just a little reactive on leash still with pulling and such when there are dogs around, but we're working on that CGC.


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## marie99

My Lulu is a chihuahua that was found wandering on the side of a very busy city street near the highway exit close to where we live when she was 4-5 months old by my friend Carrie. So many attempts to reunite Lulu with her family were made that if you hold up anything that looks at all like a camera near Lulu she will shut her eyes. She's been on Craig's list, in the newspaper, the laundrymat ads on telephone poles and was even taken to church and carried around a flea market. Carrie really could not keep Lulu because she has a St. Bernard, a zillion cats and 2 children and the very day Carrie told me she was going to give Lulu away I took her home.


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## Stienthor

8 yrs ago My wife and I got Zeena from the Memphis Humane Society. She was a lab cross with a very nice temperment concerning kids, but had lot of other issues we discovered with in the first week. for 5 weeks worked with her issues Mosltly bad habits probably do to her life living on the streets where she was found)and was getting no where and honestly was getting to the point where I could not defend the dog to my wife any longer do to damage she was causing, when I seen her in the back yard gently push my then 1+ yr old daughter away from the fence as she was trying to engage in a conversation with a gentleman in my neighbors yard. Pointing this out to my wife and telling her that is why we will not be taking Zeena back got her a reprieve and as it happened with in the next couple of weeks every thing began to come around and Zeena figured out her behavior was not right. Sadly early in August of this yr we had to Put Zeena down. She had developed cancer in the lungs. 
Zeena's collar hangs over a print of her paw on the wall but the family very much missed having a dog around to play with and go with walks with.
So two weeks ago we went to a shelter near our new home in Manitoba Canada and adopted another dog. The wife and I looked over the descriptions of a lot of the older dogs, but for various reasons we thought that with a younger family we could not take any of them. then My wife seen Tuli's Picture ( Pronounced two-lee) A beatiful 3 month old collie shepard cross. A pup brought to the PVHS after the previous owners realized that she would be to much for them. The Family is hoping for many yrs with her


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## KelseyRose

My first rescue dog was a backyard breeders dog. I was an impulsive 18 yr old who, while I knew better and I recongnized the signs, when I saw this lady with an e-pen full of puppies all different breeds, I knew exactly what she was. But I saw this sick, sick baby and I couldn't morally leave this baby to probably be dumped or killed. So I payed for this cute as hell little Lhasa Apso. Two weeks later she wouldn't move her back end and she just seemed..like she wanted to give up. I rushed her to the e vet where she stayed for three days. $2,000 later, and much heartache, she came home. She stayed with me for a little over her first birthday..but she had too many problems. It was ridiculously rough and awful, but I know that had with me was better than what could have happened.

I now have a husky lab mix named Kennedy. I rescued her from a rural shelter in Missippi after I saw her posting on Facebook. I was in Ohio working and thought about it for a night, called the shelter the next day, and committed 2 days before her time was up. She was transported up to me and she is AMAZING..my best friend. She is my soul dog, no doubt. We just passed our year mark on Nov. 5. ..I adore her.

I fostered a Craigslist standard poodle for 5 months and he is now at his forever home . Nothing beats that feeling. He was beaten and starved and now he is doing amazing . 

My LAST post . There was a big siberian husky breeding bust in Nebraska awhile ago. I couldn't resist and I pounced at the chance to save another husky. Her name is Shebe and she just turned 6 months old. She hasn't luckily had any problems yet, and the vet said I may be a very lucky mill owner. She is the most...interesting puppy I have ever had. Her and Kennedy do the funniest things and they always make me smile, even when they makes want to bash my head in the wall .

-Rescued is my favorite breed -


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## taquitos

Meeko, my pom boy, is a puppy mill rescue. He was used as a stud dog, and was never walked on his life, and his fur came in horrid condition. Despite this, he's very sweet, friendly, and LOVES learning new things.

I'm also a foster for a rescue, and I have so far fostered the following dogs:
Emily, my first ever foster, an APBT who was pretty much THE most perfect dog. Her family was no longer able to keep her as they could not afford their child's surgery/medication (he was really sick) and her as well.

Rex, a newfoundland mix, who is an old, excitable fart. He was very gentle and sweet. He was abandoned by his family who was moving and didn't want to keep him anymore (no real reason, just that they preferred the other one I guess...).

Mona, a greyhound x husky, who was a part of a horrible breeding program to create a faster sled dog. She had been a stray for most of her life, and had never lived inside a home before. She didn't recognize kibble as food, didn't know how to walk on a leash, didn't realize that the dog bed was for her, and collected random tidbits from all over the house and stashed them on top of her bed lol...

And at the moment we have Gotty, an American Staffordshire Terrier, who was used as a guard dog. She is very paranoid on walks and I thinks he was attacked by a bunch of dogs in the past, because she is extremely nervous/fearful/aggressive around them on walks. She got along great with our previous foster, but she is very picky about which dogs she likes/dislikes. We are working on her aggression and paranoia at the moment, and she seems to be improving greatly


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## Monsteroyd

You know after thinking about this, I realized that I've only ever had rescues. Hmm...

Chevy was abandoned out by a lake my Brother-in-law was fishing at. The dog found his car, and as soon as the BIL opened the door, Chevy jumped in and growled when my BIL tried to get him out. He was so impressed with the pup he took him home. He offered the dog to me (I think after my sister said no), and luckily I took him. He was a big mixed thing with long hair, kind of calico colored, lived to be 15 before his trip to the rainbow. My kids grew up with him. Sigh... he was really my first dog as an adult. Loved that guy.

Louise was abandoned in my vets parking lot, and when my wife went to get one of our cats its yearly shots, she saw Louise. Now Louise was the name of her favorite cat so she had to come home too. She went to the rainbow just over a year ago. Great Dog.

Lily was a foster puppy after her mom got hit by a car. Still have her and she is my 8 yo laid back perfect dog. I never did anything but love this dog, she trained herself. Just a wonderful girl. She's a Golden Grunty, cause she makes a little grunt when you hug her and she's a blond.

Finally the latest is Lucy, a bony Brindle Butt.  She is my loving challenge and the most intense dog I have ever had. I really really like her a lot. She is so much fun (and work). I'll get her re-activity handled eventually, we're working on it, but she is the original circus trick dog. Her athleticism is amazing. She was given up at Animal Control and was due to be PTS 3 days after I got her, she was sick and in heat when I brought her home. We got her well and fixed and I've been playing with her 24/7 ever since 

So I guess I've had 4 rescues in my adult life, not counting all the strays etc my Mom and Dad brought home growing up. 

]Monty[


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## jbuck92

I rescued my Aussie, Drake, 2 months ago next week. He's 2.5 years old! I found him at a breeder who was keeping him in a muddy run with completely matted fur. It looked like he had dreadlocks on his hind and chest and I had to have him shaved pretty short to cure the matting. He weighed just 43 lbs when I got him. He's 23 inches tall and should probably be about 55-60 lbs. He also had an abscess on his back right toe that was never treated properly. The abscess is still healing! All of his ribs, spine and both hip bones were visible. Now he's up to 53 lbs, his coat is starting to get a little shaggier, no ribs or spine is visible, and his hip bones are just barely palpable when petting him! He has settled in to his new home very well!


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## LassieDogAmber

Critter was my rescue puppy! She was a 1 1/2 year old mini Dachshund, about 6lbs! Her coat was a rare triple dapple! My groomer said if she wasn't fixed she would be worth up to $2000 to a breeder. Unfortunately, I had her about a year and my dad let her out of the house(she is usually on a leash) with the bigger dogs and she got ran over by a school bus....the part that makes me the most agry is that my few neighbors know to watch for dogs, but this school bus only uses the street I live on as a short cut!! 
Anywho, Critter had atleast one litter of puppies before I got her, and was found wandering in a parking lot. She was REALLY hard to potty-train so many adopters brought her back to the shelter after a week or so, but not me.


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## Teds-slave

My rescue is called Lenny a 5yr old Jack Russell Terrier from a farm. He was totally neglected ad had never been out of the use. We rescue him at 6months, he as big issues bu we cope with them


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## twittle

Tippi was the first dog that we had rescued. This was when I still lived at home. He was a lab. Very pretty. Sadly he passed on a few years ago I have some wonderful memories of him. We got him from a farmer who just could not afford to feed him anymore since his business was going under. He was going to take him to the pound but instead we snatched him up.


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## Nmcclellan73

My little angel is Bella (formerly known as Mariah)! I rescued her from the Teterboro shelter 2 years ago and it was my best decision ever!!!! 

I was hesitant at first to adopt this 9 year old Shih Tzu because of her dry eye syndrome and age. My sister insisted on taking a second look at her and told me that she would show me how to take care of her eyes (she also has a Shih Tzu with dry eye syndrome). We walked her and after 5 minutes I feel in love❤! I scheduled for a "family" meeting with her the next day: this included my sis' 2 Shih Tzu, my sis and brother in law, my dad, my niece and nephew, and my cousin with her daughter- it was a unanimous vote... Bella was adopted!!

I had always wanted a store bought dog with papers and a hefty credit line attached! But now I am a firm believer of rescuing dogs from shelters. Bella is loving, sweet, well trained, and above all my best companion! All she needed was a good wash, routine visits to the vet and a loving home! I only paid $50 to save her life ... What I got was a loyal and adorable companion! My next dog will definitely be a rescue- they need our love and support! (Btw the dry eye syndrome is not an issue - it just requires routine visits to the vet and daily drops....it's a cinch)

It has been only two years that she has been with me and I know that her years are limited but it seems that we have been friends for a lifetime! ??


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## BentleyandToya

My little man is Bentley. When I got him I new nothing about dogs and I was just looking for an accessory. I always said I wanted something small enough to fit in a Kate Spade bag. I worked with a lady who was fairly wealthy and she was given a cockapoo as a gift, She made it seem like he was loved and cared for and offered to let me buy him from her. She lied about everything and I ended up taking him home the first night I saw him. She she didn't want him in her huge new house so she had an automatic feeder and water and would look out her bedroom window with binoculars to make sure he was still alive. He had never been inside, needless to say his hair was matted and he was filthy. We live in southeastern Virginia, so it's not unheard of to be 110 in the shade and he was constantly left outside and ignored. He never even had a toy. Once I learned the full story of how the police were citing her and the neighbors would break into the property to water him I cancelled the check I gave her, needless to say I would have loved for her to sue me so that the world could know how this "church lady" treated one of God's creatures.
During this first month with me he ate a Kate Spade bag (way too big to fit in one), ate only expensive shoes, a robe, a few pillows and dog beds, my cat's food and pooped freely about the house. But the crazy thing is after that first night of watching him grab his stuffed pig and sleep in my bed like he had always done it I was in love. Now he is so sweet, always happy and so smart. Everyone who meets him falls in love; teenager in my neighborhood sometimes stops by to walk him because he things he's "cool". I moved back in with my parents when I had a break up and decided to go back to college. They are both clean freaks and insisted that he was only going to stay until he could be rehomed. I came home three days later to see both parents (including my dad who was recovering from a back injury) playing fetch with him. He's a spoiled ball of love who takes up half a queen sized bed at only 30 lbs, snores like an old man and I'm so blessed to have him.


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## shellmark618

My furkid that I rescued/saved is Freddy. I got a call from from animal control around Port Huron that they had a beagle mix that was 3days away from being put to sleep and do I want him. They wouldn't even put him on the adoption list cause they were so full and they said they couldn't pick and choose which one could live and which one could die. I understood that. I hate it. So yes he came to me and has been my little buddy ever since. A wonderful dog. We love him so much. Thank you god for bringing him to us.


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## Chief502

I've rescued a few dogs in my lifetime. My first dog was an Australian Shepherd/Border Collie mix named Sydney. My Dad had adopted her for me after begging for so long to get a dog. She was actually the wrong puppy too. My Dad had picked out a Beagle (mix? It was so long ago) puppy because he liked Beagle puppy's big floppy ears. We had picked out our puppy and had to wait for her to be spayed. When it came time for us to pick her up they brought out Sydney. For some reason my Dad didn't bother to say she was the wrong puppy and we brought her home. I had her for about 12 years before she had to be euthanized. She was a good dog.

Recently I've adopted Chief, the English Bull Terrier (mix?). I'm still unsure if he is pure or not. I've had many mixed answers. Either way, he has been the perfect dog. I plan to have him the rest of his doggy life and have many memories with him.


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## Chief502

Sorry, double post. Not sure how that happened...?


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## shellmark618

My dog I rescued is Freddy. It was by Port Huron shelter and they said they were full and were not going to put him on there adoption list/board. They were just going to Put him to sleep. They called me to see if I wanted to foster him and see if I could find him a home. Well it was love at first sight. When I got him he was just over 2months old. They told me that the lady that had him before he got dropped off here she had cancer and her mother could not keep him. So now he is with me. They said he was a beagle mix but I see No beagle and I see NO chihuahua. I would post pictures but I don't know how.


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## Iheartbeags

My 3 (one deceased) dogs have all been rescues:
Riley, beagle adopted Nov. 2004 from a local shelter, don't know his background as he was a stray but he was the sweetest, most loving, laid back beagle there ever was...he died last March of bladder cancer and I miss him every single day. I will see you in heaven, my sweet snuffy...

Major, beagle mix rescued from the same shelter as Riley came from..May of last year. The shelter said he was surrendered due to being too shy around other dogs but the jokes on me..this dog is the devil in disguise! He's approx 3 years old, mischievous as all heck, gorgeous, smart as a whip, and VERY energetic and high strung.

Kritter, beagle, approx 6 years old, just rescued 14 wks ago..poor little guy has a history of abuse, has been a real challenge but we're getting there. Sweet, shy dog that loves attention and food but has a lot of issues and fears to overcome. He was heart worm positive and had some other health issues, very underweight...but is doing really well!
God bless rescues and their rescuers.....
RIP Riley, all the dogs that come into my life from now on find their forever homes because of you, my inspiration <3

Just an interesting side note..I changed all 3 of their names since their names were just what they were called by the shelters....they were, in order- Frasier, Owen, and Fred.


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## beretw

I'd wanted a pit bull-type since I was in high school when a tiny, filthy, banged up white bully puppy was dumped in my parent's yard. I was amazed by how loving, energetic, and all-around AWESOME she was. I bathed her, called every local shelter, etc. No lost dog reports, no microchip. Eventually, I got in touch with a local bully breed rescue who just so happened to have space in their foster program. She was taken in, taken care of, and adopted to a wonderful home. I still think about her all the time.

When it came time for a dog all my own, I contacted the same rescue. I figured, I added one, now it's time to pay it forward. They had a girl living in foster care who was expecting soon. I went through the application process and home check, and a little over two months later, the rescue officials brought two of the pups to my house. I picked up both dogs. Garp's littermate was very calm, just laid in my arms. When I picked up Garp, he scrambled (as much as a 9-week-old can) up to my neck and began drenching my face with smooches. It was a pretty obvious choice.


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## Bipolaarr

Kenya

This last Monday I was driving past the local Humane Society and the thought of a new dog popped into my head...and I couldnt get it out. I asked my mom if I could check out the dogs at the shelter and she told me that the puppies would be gone due to the holidays. I told her I didnt want a puppy...so we proceeded to the adult dog area. Kenya was in a quarantine room but as soon as I saw her I fell in love. I visited the shelter 3 times after that day to see her, praying each day she was still there...and every day she was. On the fourth day, I took my dad to see her, which I could tell as soon as I told him, was going to be heartbreak. We went to see her and she was shy, and timid as normal. My dad looked at the dog, looked at me, and walked back to the car...heartbreak at its finest. The next day I had gotten a text from my mom telling me that my dad was reconsidering the dog, and he hod adopted her for me that day  she is everything I hoped for and more.


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## TinyToyDog

My rescue's name is Vincent, he's a 2 year old blue dapple dachshund (Jake is the name from his past life, but we left that behind. I didn't think that name suited such a handsome boy.) I heard about him through the grapevine; the Step Mom of the groomer at my work is a dachshund breeder who was contacted about a purebred being surrendered to dog control due to poor living conditions. From what I was told through several different accounts, he was kept as an outside dog, fed a poor diet, and had accumulated such intense fleas that the owner couldn't control the outbreak and gave him up. My coworker knew I was looking for a dog and told me about him. Vincent only spent one night at dog control before I adopted him to start his new life. The first time we met, he was half bald and visibly infested with fleas, and yet he mustered the energy to come to me and give my boyfriend and I kisses, despite never having met before. I was unsure before we met, but as a lot of people have said about their rescues, it's just love at first sight. I have encountered difficulties with him, due to his rough past, but he's always going to be my boy, no matter what.


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## TheSeaWithin

I rescued/adopted a coonhound (picture in avatar), Shooter, in July 2011. He was in a shelter for 8 months before I adopted him. He was found as a stray, so there was no history about him. We had our share of things to work on, but with time he became the most lovely dog. He had such a strong hunting desire and instinct. His favourite thing to do was go on hikes, which we did everyday. Sadly, almost exactly a year after I adopted him he was diagnosed with lymphoma and I put him down shortly after. I miss him terribly. 

This past October I adopted another coonhound, Poppy. She was also a stray, but had not spent as much time in a shelter. It's only been a little over two months, so she is still adjusting. She is a lovely and beautiful dog. I know we have a lot to work on, but I do think with a lot of hard work she will be a great dog. I keep reminding myself how long it took for Shooter to become adjusted.


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## Dogpaws

INDY - rescued 5 years ago now. Indy had been living at the Pet Adoption facility for 1 1/2 years before I adopted him. He was part of a litter of puppies that had been born in the neighborhood of the facility. Indy is a mix, possibly lab, pointer and hound and 70 lbs of big, dopey love, just happy to be with you, (and even happier if you have a treat to give him). 

Indy had been adopted after the loss of my previous rescue, TRIGGER. Trigger was a small boxer who had been pretty beat up at the time my friend rescued him from the Boxer Rescue in the area. He was recovering from his second operation to repair a hernia of his lower intestines. His previous owners simply could not afford medical expenses and gave him up in hopes of saving his life. Unfortunately, Trigger did not adapt to my friends apartment and although I had not been in the market for a dog, he became a very loved member of the family. He passed away from a brain tumor four years later. 

MATILDA - my first rescue. Matilda was also a 2 year old boxer when I adopted her. A very feisty, intelligent, strong boxer that served as queen protector of young children, guard of all things hers (which was anything she decided was hers). She was rescued from the same Boxer Rescue as Trigger. I was told they did not really know her history. Only that a woman brought her in with the explanation that her apartment would not allow her to keep the dog. Matilda also passed away from a brain tumor at the age of 7.


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## lisahi

I rescued Lucky about 6 months ago when he was 5 months old. My Dad found him walking along a busy street, heading for a major highway. He was malnourished, really thin and covered in ticks. We took him to the vet, discovered he had no chip, couldn't find any owners, and so I kept him.* He was on antibiotics for about a month, but showed no visible sign of illness other than being rather mellow and inactive (he could have had Lyme, which is what I believe they were treating him for, but he never had the test done for it). After keeping him in a pen for that month and allowing all the ticks to fall off (it took multiple baths and a lot of time), I started to allow Lucky to play with my other dog. They're about the same height and they played well together. My other dog, Coco, is an anxious dog with some behavior issues with people, but she likes other dogs.

Turns out that Lucky wasn't used to being indoors. I already had a doggie door that led to a dog run, and he would spend a lot of his time outside. The advantage of this was that he didn't know to use the bathroom indoors. Not that he didn't have a few accidents (he was a puppy and he didn't always properly estimate how long he could hold it), but at 11 months old now he hasn't had an accident in the house in about 4 months. Lucky also would eat anything and everything if allowed. He survived by eating whatever he could find when he was stray, and it hasn't quite gotten through his head that he doesn't need to do that anymore. He's food obsessed and needs to be fed in a crate so he doesn't try to steal Coco's food.

Behaviorally, he's less anxious and less high-strung than Coco. He has no problems with strangers or children (which Coco does have problems with). He has a small fear of bigger dogs, but handles it well (just walk in the other direction). He's great with other little dogs.

Coco can be considered a "rescue" of sorts. She is the product of a whoops! birth by the dogs of a co-worker's parents. I got her for free and proceeded to tell my co-worker that his parents needed to spay their poor dog as soon as possible since Coco was from her THIRD litter. I found out later that she got pregnant AGAIN and gave birth to a litter of one. Poor dog. Anyway, I'm pretty sure Coco's dad was a pet store (read: puppy mill) mini poodle. Her mom was a poorly bred maltipoo. So Coco is not well bred, and it shows. She has luxating patellas (one of which had to be operated on at about a year and a half old), and she has the aforementioned behavioral problems that arose despite me socializing her with kids, people and dogs when she was a puppy (a switch turned in her when she was around 7 months old).

*Side story--two other puppies who looked very similar to Lucky were found not far from where my Dad found Lucky. Unfortunately, where I live, there are quite a few dog dumps, and we think that's what happened here. Three (or more) puppies dumped. Lucky just wandered away from the others.


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## Candydb

Charlie. We already had 3 dogs but we were known to be softies.... We went on vacation, came back home to find our neighbor had fed this mostly Shepherd mix (shepherd- hound?) at our house (in the crawl space under the house to be exact) for a week... We named him Charlie we had him 5 years, my father got a contract overseas and poor Charlie was lost in Kathmandu during Dewali (the Hindu festival of lights where they light off fireworks) and ran out the front gate one day never to be seen again.... I was away at college but still have nightmare about poor Charlie's fate....


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## basudo

Tucker. Mr Crazy Tucker. I did not want to take him, but it had to be done. Such a long story, too long for here just now, but he was being horribly neglected and was facing a certain death going to a kill shelter... I came to love that dog so intensely. Hardest challenge ever and more rewarding than nearly anything I've ever done. He's with his new family now and I miss him but thankfully they are just across town so I get lots of updates and get to visit.  Love you, Tuckies.


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## Maudelynn

I just got Iris today. She was literally about to be put down when she was saved. She was only 1 lb when they brought her home 2 months ago and is now up to 2.5 lbs. She is a terrier mix, and the funniest, cutest looking little girl. She is very very well socialized, loves me, my husband and my other dogs already (She is sleeping against me now) and just wonderful. She follows me around the house and taps my back leg sometimes with her tiny paw. I have just sorted that means potty time or feed me  I am looking forward to a long, happy friendship with her!!


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## mrsahunter86

We got our Baby Girl who's a 5 year old beagle/basset hound mix from the SPCA. We had originally gone in to get a jack rat terrier to match the one we already had but by the time we brought our dog to meet the puppy he had already been swiped. She was just too cute to pass up when we saw her though! She has a healed broken front paw, vet said because it had already healed it would cause her more pain to fix it and would have a very high chance of breaking again later  Her entire litter was put in a trash bag and thrown out like garbage, luckily they were rescued! I believe she was the last one to be adopted out and she is just awesome. 
We also have a pit/ American staffordshire mix that we just got, he's 8 weeks old. I got him from someone who's dog had an "accidental" litter. I don't support people making themselves breeders without knowing anything about it, my Mother and I have bumped heads about her currently getting her boxer dog knocked up. I do however feel that EVERY dog need a home with lots of love  I love both our "rescues" and out pet store dog.


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## rich5665

Laddie: Collie/Australian Shepard Mix - Found running down the middle of a busy highway. The vet indicated that both front paws had been broken at some point in his life. The first 6 months that we had him we had to help him up and down stairs as he was afraid to go near them. It took me a year to get him to follow me into the cellar. He turned out to be a fantastic kid friendly dog. He spent every day watching over my son when he was born. Laddie lived to be 15 years old.
Charmer: Corgi/Flat Coat Retriever Mix - Rescued from a home in West Virginia along with five other dogs. We adopted him from a Foster out in Pennsylvania. He has become very well known with in the 4H community for his agility and obedience. Now at the age of 10 he still acts like a puppy 
Calvin: Australian Shepard - An Older Rescue we knew before hand that we would not have him long. The original owner had passed away and his grandson wanted nothing to do with the dog. He became my best friend in the short time that we had him in the family
Chewbacca: Mini Australian Shepard - Surrendered from a home in Virginia and transported a No kill Shelter in New Jersey. Fate was on his side, my wife was dropping food off at the shelter when Chewie came out of quarantine. The shelter never had a chance to post him up for adoption. Four days before Hurricane Sandy slammed into New Jersey we took him home. Charmer wasn't to happy at first, but has managed to accept the fact that Chewie is here to stay. I've begun to see signs that Chewie may have been abused. While working at my work bench I picked up a yard stick to measure something and he curled into a frightened ball weight for the stick to fall. It took ten minutes to convince him that he didn't do anything wrong. On another day after stepping on something pointy and letting out a loud curses, Chewie went scrambling for the farthest corner he could find. Once again it took several minutes to convince him he didn't anything wrong. After a little work Chewie is becoming a great hiking partner. He's still getting used to his dog pack, but he knows that when it comes out we are hitting the trails. Wait till he finds out that he'll have to start carrying his own water


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## instacat

Our dog was 2 years old when we adopted him; but it didn't take long to see that he had been severely abused by his previous owners. He was still just a Puppy, and we couldn't imagine anyone being mad at him when he WAS a Puppy because he had to be SO cute! He has one blue eye, and one brown eye; for day and night vision! He is a border collie/australian shepherd mix, and the sweetest dog we've ever had. Since he obviously was never allowed to BE a Puppy when he was one, we decided that Puppy would be his name, and it fits him perfectly.
When we first brought him home, he was so frightened, he wouldn't even eat in front of us, or take a drink of water. We tried giving him a piece of bacon, no way. We put him in the backyard, and noticed soon after that he wasn't there anymore. We got in the car to go look for him, and hubby was muttering, "the last thing I want right now is a dog who runs away." We found him on the next street, and when I walked up to him, I'm not sure which of us was more unsure of the other. I could tell he was so scared he wasn't sure what to do, so he let me come up and put a leash on him, and put him in the car. When we got home we tried food and water again, he was too scared to even think of it, so we were getting ready for dinner and put him out in the back yard once again. While we were eating, once again, he wasn't in the yard. Hubby said he wasn't going to look for him again, I wondered what he would do, he didn't know where he was, and he was SO scared! Before we even finished eating, we saw that he had come BACK, and managed to find his way back "home" to us. I remarked that it sure looked like he was showing his smarts by coming home, and not just running off to no place in particular. He never tried to get out of the yard after that, ever. I guess he figured he might as well come back and give us a try; I mean we tried to feed him BACON before he left and decided to come back. The love you get from a dog who gets a better life, because you gave them a home, and made them part of your family is like nothing else you will ever experience. They know how much you cherish them, and they know what it's like to NOT be cherished by their owner, and they prefer to love you.


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## SydTheSpaniel

I rescued Sydney when she was 2 years old. She is a Tibetan Spaniel mix, and I found her on craigslist, her former owner could not keep her due to her child's allergies. I don't really know much about her past, but we've had her for 4 years now, and she is going to be 7 years old this year!


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## ShortyB33

I wanted a Corgi for so long. My cousin had a Corgi and my friend had a Corgi mix from the pound who is sadly pass on due to old age. I went on a hunt! I loved that they were herding dogs but also very loyal and loving. I found many breeders and they wanted an arm and a leg for a puppy. I have never house trained a puppy and wasn't sure I was ready for a puppy. So I went on Pet-Finder and Adopt A Pet. I saw some Corgi's but they either hated cats (my parents have cats), needed to be an only dog( my parents have 2 dogs), or not good with children( I want to have kids at some point, and I have younger cousins). I was so disappointed. I gave up my search for a couple of months and got back online again. I found two perfect females! I called on the first and her adoption was pending and later approved. I call on the other and she was still there! Maya a Cowboy Corgi! Red Heeler/ Corgi mix. I drove from Austin to Bonham Tx (10 hr drive) She turned out to be just what I wanted! I cant believe the original owner got tired of her and dumped her in the pound. She was on the euthanasia list and a kind lady in Bonham saved her from getting euthanized and fostered her and place her on Pet-Finder. Maya does have her faults but don't we all. She is safe here and wont have to worry about pounds anymore.


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## Den

Hi Anna
So glad to hear of all the kind hearts. We have a real problem where I live. This year alone we have rescued 6 beagles and 2 labs. Very pretty dogs that I have no problem re-homing. I have one beagle who I named copper however the new owners want to name her Annie. She has the same issues which you explained in your post. I have spent a month with her and she is coming around nicely but still untrusting around new people.
I have friends who own an animal sanctuary that has been a God send for us.


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## dadezbombz

Our dog's name is Flash (Gordon!) . We rescued Flash from a rescue out of Tennessee. We live in Connecticut. He and his brothers/sisters were abandoned and left at a vet's office in a box  WE LOVE HIM<3


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## Ezio

Chevy (RIP) was a Chocolate Lab X Dobe I got free from the newspaper when I was 14. She was given to the owner's teenager daughter as a present from her then boyfriend. After they broke up, the daughter wanted nothing to due with Chevy and so they left her in their backyard with their other dog, a husky. When I went to look at her, she was skinny and covered in ticks. Took her home and found out she had over 40 ticks and scared of her own shadow. We think she was abused by either the boyfriend or the family. She had no sense of smell (we think someone put cayenne in her nose), broken bones that didn't heal right, and other issues. She loved to sleep in closets, that was the first space she went to the three times we moved. She had to be euthanized in 2010 when her health went down hill. 

She had bad allergies and spent the last years of her life half bald. 









She had her fur, but was overweight, in this pic. 









Zane is my parents 6yr old PitX got from the shelter. He was part of a litter of strays that was born on the bad side of San Antonio. The rest of his litter, except him and a black female, where killed when fireworks that had been tied around their necks where lit. A lady rescued them and took them to a vet where they were taken care of for a few weeks (she spent $$$ to keep them alive) and then sent to a shelter. He has some fear issues and a small scar on his neck. He has a pellet in his side from when the monsters shot at them with a shotgun. 

As a puppy.









Now.









Abby, a Shiba X GSD, I got from an adoption fair. She was found as part of a street dog litter in San Antonio. She is 5yrs old. 

Puppy.









Now









Deputy, Catahula X Lab, was found at a high kill shelter by a woman who rescues dogs (she deosn't run a rescue, just has enough land and money to help as many as she can). He was to be euthanized that day and she got him out of there in the nick of time. She had him listed as free to a good home on a bulletin board at a nearby feed store. He is 7yrs old.


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## RomeroCrew

*Sunshine, the Labsky.*

Sunshine is a 2 year old, Lab/Alaskan Husky mix. She was rescued from some people who left her outside all the time, even through the cold winter. She was not allowed in the house because she smelled like dog. They let her get pregnant from a loose neighborhood dog and when she had her puppies outside in the doghouse, they put another dog in the doghouse with them. Sunshine was protective of her puppies and the people viewed this as Sunshine being mean. They didn't see what they were doing wrong, and she was a new mother protecting her pups. The people thought they would rather have one of her puppies and get rid of her. Sunshine and her three remaining puppies were rescued by an amazing group of ladies in Roy, Washington. They took her and her three puppies in, bathed them, fed them, got check ups, shots and fixed them. Bless their hearts!
I found Sunshine's picture and story on petfinder and called the rescue where she was staying. After talking to the ladies, I just knew Sunshine was our dog. We drove 9 hours to meet her in Roy, Washington, and then to bring her home! 
Sunshine is the sweetest, most loving, most amazing dog! We bonded right away and she has become part of our family. She has been super patient with the kiddos when they are rowdy in the house, but lets me know by barking when someone is doing something they shouldn't be and I don't catch it. With three kiddos, two under the age of 5, it happens! She loves to go exploring with us in the mountains or on the beach. She is off leash trained and listens very well. She just needed someone to love her and need her for the amazing dog that she is. She is very sensitive to me, which I really needed a companion for when my husband is traveling for work, which is Monday through Friday, and she adores my husband on Saturday and Sunday. She even lets me know if one of the kids is up in the middle of the night or if something is going on, she will nudge me. She also helps me in the garden by pulling out pieces of grass that have shot up into my strawberries and other plants. 
Here is our good girl, Sunshine.


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## Nurse

I adopted my 5 yr old GSD mix from a rescue group last May. They said she was dropped off at a shelter by her owner & was heart worm positive. She is n ow heart worm free & is much loved in her forever home!!

My now 8 year old chihuahua was a Christmas gift to me from my parents when he was newly weaned. His mother (pregnant with him) & father were both rescues. Peanut was/is the best Christmas gift ever!!! I had recently left my ex-husband and my other chi had passed away a year before. At the time, we didn't have any other pets. Peanut offered some much needed therapy to my children & I! 

I found my 6 yr old torti cat on Craigslist. She was born under someone's house & they already had 6 cats and she was going to a shelter if they couldn't find a home. She was just a puff ball with eyes when I got her. One eye was gunky & nearly shut. I was worried she may have that upper respiratory infection that cats get, but it turned out to be allergies that she outgrew. She's a bit bipolar and is definitely queen of the house (both dogs back down to her). I wouldn't trade her for the world - or any of my fur-babies! I am so blessed to have them!


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## Faux

My rescue's name is Phoebe. She's a 1 (almost 2) year old Australian Cattle Dog mix. I rescued her when she was approximately seven months old. I know hardly anything about her past other than she was found with her sibling running around farm feedlots in the middle of nowhere Iowa. Phoebe and her siblings acted ferrel when I first met them. For 2-3 months I could interact with her much at all...she avoided me as much as possible...yet stuck close to me all the same, out in unfamiliar places. I was her least hated person I suppose. We didn't form a bond for months. Phoebe was scared of life, and now after having her nearly a year later she is a completely different dog. She's my demo dog as a Trainer, and she's about to get her CGC which is a big deal since she's not very accepting of people. She's tolerant, but not accepting. She's my girl, and I can't tell you how proud I am of her and how far she's come.


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## Kayla_Nicole

We are currently finalizing the adoption for our first rescue. His name is Ernie, but we are changing it to Murphy. He is estimated to be about 1 and 1/2, purebred wheaten. His original owners got him from someone in Amish country, so he is most likely from a puppymill. Then they moved and decided to dump him in a shelter. The poor baby was terrified in the hid in the office of the shelter. They contacted a national wheaten terrier rescue, and the rescue pulled him and placed him in a foster home, where he is doing much better. He loves other dogs and loves to play, but is very shy around new people. We are hoping he will be coming to his forever home this weekend


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## Sena Hansler

First one: Gurgi; those who do not know the name reference, it is from The Black Cauldron - and he looked and even acted like the goofy furry character he was named after  The people said they intervened in a friend's life, to take the dog away from the very unstable home... They locked him away in a kennel 14+ hours a day, and their young 5 year old son used to beat him with dog toys, kid toys, and tossed him around. This poor 15 pound dog was mentally scarred!

So when I got him, squeaky toys were not allowed. But we got over the fear of the sight of toys with fun trips to the pet store, toys strewn across the house, and having him know that he was safe here! No one raised a voice to him, people food was a no-no (if he had a taste he would not eat his own food for a day and some... :doh: ), and though treats were not his thing (not ANY treats!!) love and pets were his thing. Got him to learn not to bolt out the door, and though weary of people and definitely children, he knew with me he was safe.

Currently he is with a nice gent I know, who absolutely adores both his little dogs. He gets pampered and loved  That's what mattered the most!

The second was a GSD pup we named Scottie, who we got free from a so-called breeder getting rid of this "defective" animal. He was "blind", though when I saw him I noticed something "off", by the way his head wobbled and his eyes shook... He could see shadow and light, and up close. He learned fast - "step up", meant something was in the way and he needed to go over. "Step down" he learned he would stumble or fall, if he did not take care to step down. He never had a leash, as it only got tangled on my legs and his paws. He always stayed maybe a few inches away from my leg on walks, so it was not a "need". He absolutely loved the water (sat in his bowl!) so we got him a kiddy pool. He showed me why tie outs suck (we lacked a fenced yard),so after he was never left alone. 

He passed away from two seizures resulting in a tumor on the brain. We so hoped it was fluid on the retina, or something that would give us a little longer to help him. We barely had him two months. This "breeder" in my eyes, has been deemed as yet another irresponsible person breeding for their own personal greedy gain! 

Current one is Pandora, a 2 year old German Shepherd Labrador Beagle. The hardest one yet... Her background is mainly guessed: The man was an angry/frustrated guy, who when she did not do something right he beat her. The woman, obviously never lifted a finger or did anything with the dog (go outside, walk, feed, love)... Two outcomes afterwards is she either ran off and got lost on the side of the highway for a few months, or they neglected her so bad then abandoned her (ribs showing and all). Either way she had a name and a collar- no address, no number, nothing. "Ghetti". She did not respond to her name, so we did not mind changing it. 

She has gotten better since we got her July 25, but it has not been easy. We're getting there...Slowly.  She's learned to respect me, and is also learning people are not to jump on when greeting! She is getting spayed in October. She already has her rabies shots, and her deworming - her second set of shots will be the end of this month.


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## ConorD

Deirdre, rescued from the local Philadelphia no-kill at 8 months old. She was purported to be a Yorkipoo, but the shelter didn't think so. The vet's say she's likely some sort of terrier mix - Westie? Cairn? Does it matter? She'd been given up because of her previous owner's health issues. She is a total sweetheart - loves people and most other dogs. 

She loves going on long walks in the neighborhood and plenty of the young students who live near us and can't get dogs themselves have taken her on as a replacement for the dogs they've left at home - she gets to have a romp with them in the evening and they get to see a dog, while I get to know my neighbors. She does go to the dog park, mostly because when she's there, she only wants to say hi to all of the people there. She's gotten points at the vet for her good behavior and even the landlord loves coming over to say hi. Her demeanor is so good and her temper is so even that it's been suggested to me many times that I should train her as a service dog if she takes to it (I'm disabled).


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## fsumom

Ginger. I only know that 11 puppies were either found or brought in prior to being 8 weeks of age.


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## ncast139

Her name is Effie (name pending though since I havent met her yet and don't know her personality) I will be getting her next Saturday. She was brought as a stray with her sister to a high kill shelter in GA but they were rescued by Nick of Time. Maybe you guys can help me out. She is a Lab mix but they are not sure what else. This is the only pic I have of her. Any guesses?


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## Abbylynn

Miss "Cookie" Crumb .... I was looking for a candidate for an assistance dog for myself. I wanted to rescue or adopt. I went to the shelter today to look for a Lab or Lab mix. A car pulled into the shelter parking lot as I was about to close my car door as I was getting out. It was a young couple about to dump this girl off at the shelter.

I believe it was fate that brought us together. Meet 4 month old Lab mix "Cookie"


Resampled_2013-09-25_12-15-50_954 (3) by Leah Lu, on Flickr


0925131606 by Leah Lu, on Flickr


Please excuse the choker chain .... it was all I had in the truck. Cookie has a nice collar on now.


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## V-paw

Willow, blue Heeler mix. She was at a rescue for 8 months!!!! She was scared in a corner when I first saw her, and was 2 years 8 months old. Before that she was at a no kill shelter but they gave her to huh rescue because no one would adopt her and she was there for a YEAR! Well we brought her home, and she hid under the bed (no she isn't small, medium. 45 lbs) not exactly my idea of what I would get for a dog after begging for 10 years. But hey, it was "this dog or no dog) if you guys don't know then blue heelers get attached to 1 person and that would be me! I love her now <3 she is still fearful but MUCH better! Unfortunately she is a fear biter.. ;( I've been working with her (about a. Year ago) and she is getting much better. She is fine with my cat, which is why we wanted her (my parents thought only scared dogs would be On my way! It's cats -_-) and I'm quiet sure other people would have put her to sleep with all her problems. Like separation anxiety, and of course the biting. 

She loves herding though! I take her for sheep  and our walks consist of either running by my bike or pulling me on my scooter!










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## Prairie Dogs

Charlie - I adopted Charlie, a border collie/golden mix (best guess) 4 years ago, from a rescue group who had saved him from euthanasia at a shelter. Charlie came into my life as a foster dog, it took less than a minute to steal my heart and know that he was staying. Abused and afraid, untouchable, a look would send him scurrying away, he drew comfort from the other dogs in my home and slowly settled in. We launched an amazing journey to building trust and confidence, understanding that touch was not painful was a huge leap of faith for him, learning to trust a more difficult task but accomplished with love, patience and giving him the time and space to discover what felt good for him. He has come a long long ways, happy, healthy, loving life that way every dog should.

Joseph, our black lab mix came to us from a pound, 2 1/2 years ago, picked up as a stray, terrified of people, (and other dogs, we were later to learn) the pound would only release him to a rescue IF one could be found, his 'stay' had just about expired. I contacted the rescue I had been fostering for, and asked them to get Joseph released into our care, we would foster and give him a chance. After 10 months of fostering and working on his 'behavior issues', working alongside a behaviorist who helped understand his behavior, how to manage and how to teach him, and of course falling in love with who he was, we made a promise to continue the journey and help him be all he can be.


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## JTurner

Mac! Growing up with purebreds, this was my first rescue. He was a rescue from a high kill shelter in TN. When I was looking for a new addition I knew that I was looking for an intelligent, energetic, outdoorsy, running buddy, silly, puppy. I went on adoptapet.com and found him! An 8 week old lab/gsd mix. He recently graduated from Intermediate obedience and is moving onto agility. He is now 13 months old and I plan on running with him very soon.


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## Blueduck1105

Our baby Holt. Also originally from Tennessee! Lab/terrier mix. 


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## Hopps

My rescued dog's name is Hopps, changed from Dudley. I got him last January. From what I know, this is how his story starts:

As a puppy, around 6-8 months, he was found wandering a busy area of Over-the-Rhine in Cincinnati, OH at night. Thankfully someone found him and brought him to the local SPCA. He was rambunctious, always jumping up and down on the kennel and hurting himself. The vet was always treating a limp from his jumping. They were going to put him down because of it. But a girl studying vet tech at the community college took him home and basically fostered him for awhile. She was going into the navy, and had to find him a home, or he would go back to the SPCA to be put down (as per the SPCA rules). She put an ad up on craigslist, and I found it!


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## scwolek

My rescue is named Morgan . He was found as a stray at about 3-4 months old. The people who found him didn't want to take him to the local shelter because it's a kill shelter. They posted about him on craigslist and that's where I saw him. My fiance and I had been talking about getting a puppy and had even applied for one (but someone else was a bit faster). We agreed to take a look at the puppy and of course we couldn't say no!

She's since passed away but I also rescued a Cocker Spaniel named Gracie. I saw an ad on craigslist for a 12 year old deaf Cocker and just had to contact them. I found out that they had only had her for less than a year, she had been in several homes. They also planned to return her to the shelter if she didn't find a home asap, their son was apparently not taking care of her. When they dropped her off I realized right away that she needed serious medical attention...she had the worst ear infections I've ever seen. Flies buzzed around her ears and they leaked everywhere. The smell was horrible. No wonder she went deaf! Her ears never fully recovered but we were able to maintain them to a degree. The saddest thing to me was that the family didn't say bye AND were talking about how they were going to get an angora rabbit instead. Ugh.


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## Gary L

We rescued Simone (pictured below) about six months ago. She had been found wandering the streets and she was starving. The animal shelter had been feeding her well through the two week holding period, but her backbone and ribs still showed. "She was a very loving dog right from the start. We made her an inside dog and fortunately she was housebroken already.

Now, six months later, she is up to proper weight, been spayed and up to date on all of her shots. She is the most loving dog we have ever owned.


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## Kathyy

Currently I have Maxwell, changed from Bear. He was at the kill shelter for 2 weeks waiting for ME. He does look like a bear when he sits pretty as his hairy elbows stick out but we changed his name to Maxwell for James Maxwell a Scottish scientist from the 19th century because we wanted him to be smart. He is now nearly 14 years old and a retired agility competitor with many titles. He was scared and instantly clung to me, we think he may have been a child's dog and the parents made him give up Max as he was so scared he couldn't do anything right.

Ginger, also at the same kill shelter for 2 weeks waiting for ME. She had one of my favorite dog names, Lily, but new home means new name. She is a little ginger colored dog and I think she is a bit spicy sometimes. She came here 6 months ago and is currently training in agility. She was very fat and covered with fleas, hot spots and scabs. Since she picks up on things so fast we wonder if she had lost a great home and gone to a place that fed her fine but couldn't get rid of fleas, maybe she was put outside?

This is the first day she was home, had to be quiet as she was just spayed. Max wants in the pen, it is his from agility trialing days. He looks huge compared to her but he is actually only 19" tall to her 14" and weighs 33 pounds to her 16 pounds. She was 19.5 in this photo.


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## gsdhunter

We rescued Hunter 5 months ago. He was an intact stray male. He was emaciated and wormy he ended up at a kill shelter and was going to be euthanized because he bit someone.

A gsd rescue to him in and neutered him and then I got him 

He is the most awesome dog! He's currently sleeping in bed cuddled up next to me!


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## Doo

My rescued dog's name is Holly.. Holly's story was not a happy one to begin with. Holly was born a little different in the brain, within her first 5 days of life her mother Patches tried to shake her to death and violently attacked her multiple times. The family who hosted the litter decided to take her away and struggled to keep her alive until she was able to eat solid food.. then poor Holly was passed into the hands of the first person who would take her, someone irresponsible. So now 1 month old brain damaged Holly was living in a home where she had no attention paid to her, was clearly yelled at or abused, got fleas terribly, was fed the worst food possible, and finally got locked in a bedroom for 2 days while the 'owner' was out partying. A week later the owner phoned me remembering that I'd had my heart set on a new puppy. I showed up to pick up my new 'free' one month old puppy and to my dismay, got a disaster. She was one month old and had the separation anxiety of a dog that's been neglected for 5-6 years.. my heart was heavy as I spent the next 4 months trying to train her. I'd trained dogs before but I didn't understand what was going on this time! Why wasn't she learning! So finally at 6 months old I took her in for some testing.. Mostly because she had been so sick for so long.. the vet did some testing and confirmed that something was wrong with her, so I called up the previous owner and got the information she failed to pass onto me when I got Holly, that she had been shaken and almost murdered by her mother just after birth.
So now my poor poor 'different' Holly and I had an understanding.. I went through 3 different training methods before I finally found one that sort of worked.

It's been 2 and a half years since I brought my dear Holly home and even though the first year was rough.. She's become my best friend and my shoulder to cry on. 
and despite popular belief.. she's an incredibly smart and loving dog.










I must add here to those who think 'free puppies' are a good idea, my Holly costed me about 2500 in her first year of life.. shots and booster shots, deworming, fleas, spaying, allergies, testing and a couple other illnesses we had to overcome. 'Free' Puppies are not free at all. They could actually end up costing you more. Do your research before blindly adopting or taking the first dog you can.


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## sunrise

My rescue dog's name is Bella. She is a standard poodle that we brought into our home when she was 5mths old. She had not been socialized at all when she was rescued. She and her brothers and sisters were living in a garage in the winter. The person who bred his dog was not suppose to. He had signed a contract with the breeder. She didn't even know what toys were. Her tail is uncropped. She turned into a beautiful standard poodle who prances when she walks along side me. She is very well-behaved.


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## LaneyKate

Buddy came to me via a rescue in central IL. He had been hit by a car. The lady who ran the rescue came out and got him. He took the main impact to his head and is forever blind in one eye and brain damaged. The vet had to remove a portion of his shoulder blade and his pelvis was broken. The rescue really took a chance on him.

I had only just decided to look for another dog. My previous dog had been "stolen" by my mom (she sobbed when I tried to take him home; he follows her from room to room now). I came upon this rescue at a Petsmart and watched this little black dog get bit by a kid on the top of the head. He just sat and wagged his tail. I knew right then that we were going to be a family.

His name was Fender Bender because he'd been hit by a car but he didn't respond to it. He actually didn't respond to any name I tried. I finally looked at him and asked "what in the (edited for content) do you want me to call you, buddy?". He wagged his tail. Being unwilling to call my dog a curse word (at least on a regular basis...) I tried "Buddy" again. That was it. He named himself.

It's been five years and although we've had our issues (a young, brain-damaged BC mix is A LOT of dog!) he's my best friend and I wouldn't trade him for love or money. He visits nursing homes, has helped raised orphan kittens, and guards me from terrible threats like squirrels and the neighbor's toy poodle. I'm so glad the rescue took a chance on him.


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## LaneyKate

Your Holly is a gorgeous dog! She reminds me a little of my Buddy. Sometimes it's the most "different" ones that turn out to be our best friends!


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## AZkathy

My rescued dog's name is Pepe; he doesn't respond to that - I think that was a name given to him by the rescuers that saved him. So I've been thinking of changing his name, but I'm still trying to figure out what to call him! I was told that he was rescued from being in a small cage in Nogales for about 3 years, possibly a puppy mill? I really don't know - he was let out only to eat then put back into his cage. From the rescue group he went to a foster home that also has about
30 other dogs. 

I've had him for about 4 1/2 days now. He used to be with another dog all the time, I just found out from the adopter, so that's why he's having a little trouble getting used to things here. He's supposed to be a long hair chihuahua, but he has some other breed mixed in, because he weighs about 15 pounds. I unfortunately can't adopt his buddy to be here with him, because I live in a 'senior' apartment complex that only allows one dog. There are many other small dogs here - he's been looking for his friend or another friend but hasn't found one yet.

He has barely been eating. I saw him eat a little of his food while I was in the kitchen this morning, but he usually doesn't eat, or he takes a bite and walks away. I've been feeding him the same food that he ate well at the foster home, adding warm water didn't help. To finally get him to eat I added a couple spoonfuls of beef stew soup and stirred it up, and he gobbled that down. I don't know whether I should leave his food on the floor all day or pick it up and put it down in the morning and evening.

He has a nice big dog crate that came with him that he always used to sleep in - but with his good buddy. Now the first time he was in it for the night he scratched and cried for about half an hour and I was ready to let him out. Then he settled down and went to sleep for the night. The main reason I'm having him sleep in the crate is because I'm trying to get him to adjust to new hours - the adopter used to get up at 5am and put him to bed at 8pm. So in the crate so far, I've been able to get him to sleep to about 8 or 9am, and I'm getting him to stay up much later.
I'm worried because I have a doctor appointment on Monday, 3 days from now, and I think I'll put him in his safe place, the crate, while I'm gone. I'm just worried about leaving him alone - he's never been completely alone before.

He doesn't know basic commands, and I don't think he ever wore a harness or collar before, and no leash. Now he just LOVES to go for walks with the leash - whenever I pick it up, he runs over and starts jumping up and dancing. So I'm just taking it slow, letting him explore all the new exciting scents outside and trying to get to respond to basic commands - even 'come', which he usually ignores, lol.

It's going to take a while yet. The fantastic thing is that he's thoroughly housebroken - I have no idea how that happened. I had a couple of puppy piddle pads laid out on the floor that he never used so I picked them up. He has never even had a single accident. 

He's gotten to where he trusts me, and follows me around, and is laying on the couch beside me right now.

I know it's a big adjustment. He's been living at so many places (the foster had him for about 2 months), and I'm sure he doesn't know that this is going to be his 'forever home'

All I can say is that I already love him dearly - he's such a sweetheart.


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## KodiBarracuda

Maisy, my schnauzer X ACD X something. 

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## dogsule

Our first shelter dog was Trillium renamed to Ginger. My daughters brownie troop visited our local shelter and that is when we saw her. She had come in as a stray, full of ticks (hundreds) and a matted mess. When we saw her the shelter had not gotten her fur shaved yet. Her ears were like rocks the matts were so hard. My daughter burst into tears when she saw her and we went home and convinced my husband that we needed another Cocker, as we had one already. The shelter had her shaved down before we picked her up and when we did it was then obvious that she had just had a litter of puppies. No clue what happened to the puppies. 


Two years later my daughter and I were helping out at the shelter, they had just gotten in a bunch of puppy mill dogs and needed help socializing them. At our second or third visit we saw they had a bunch of puppies now. Apparently a shelter worker had been at a farm animal swap meet and found a whole bunch of puppies (different breeds) for sale. Fearing puppymillers would get these puppies they bought them and brought them to the shelter. There were two black cockers there that we started playing with and then one of the workers showed us two little Cairn Terrier puppies. Another lady there saw us with those puupies and she was like, oh wait a minute I have to show you another puppy. Then she brought in Cinderella (renamed now to Angel) OMG I actually gasped when I saw her. She was this adorable little off white cocker spaniel with one blue eye and one brown eye. The rest is history....


Fast forward six years from when we got Ginger and we found she had mast cell cancer. It was in her spleen and nothing could be done and she had been through two episodes of tremendous pain so we decided to lay her to rest. Very hard decision but we did not want to see her in such pain again.


Then my daughter was looking on Petfinder and found Wendy (renamed to Belle) at rescue in Kentucky. She was found as a dog at large at 8 weeks of age and taken to the shelter. A rescue group pulled her and put her on petfinder, she got to ride home to Wisconsin in a semi truck (driven by my husband). She is now 10 months old and such a little spitfire!


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## DaveS

Our first 2 were before there was Petfinder or rescue groups. 
Stormy was a 2 years old English Setter whose family could not contain nor control. We lost this wonderful goofball at age 17 to a stroke.
Purdee was a 2 years old Dalmatian who was dumped on her family's mother and was living tied to a pole in a garage. We lost her to liver failure at age 14.
Now there was the internet and rescue groups.
Buster was a 2 years old Entlebucher who was on the euth list for behavior when a shelter volunteer talked a rescue into saving him. Before he was in the rescue for one week he was thrown out of 3 foster homes. The fosters couldn't stand him and their dogs hated him. They should see him now after being with us for 5 years. 
Then we started volunteering at a shelter and fell into the pitfall of bringing home the dogs that no sane person would adopt.
Sunshine was a 9 to 10 years old Pit Bull who had lived his whole life in a hoarders cage. Every dog he sees is his new best friend and he taught Buster that it was good to have a canine companion. He still paying it forward.
Jacob was a 12 to 14 years old Dalmatian with a multitude of physical problems. He was the most work to care for than any of our other dogs but I would not give up one minute of the 4 months he was with us.
Next was our involvement with rescue groups.
Juan Carlo was an older Corgi whose rescue was very complicated. Eventually, we got through it and passed him over to his now failed foster.
Buck was a 4 years old, dog aggressive Brittany. Sunshine worked his magic again and he became a good member of our household until he was adopted.
Brooklyn was a 1 year old Cattle Dog/Husky mix - another last minute pull from the euth list. He was adopted by a wonderful young couple who love him greatly. 
Dove was a 6 months old Pit Bull and one of the sweetest dogs I have ever met. She went from the euth list to a great home.
There should be more but I am on something of a losing streak. Every thing was set up for us to foster them but Maya was pulled by another rescue, Jipsy (spelling ability not required for shelter employment) was adopted, Ruby was adopted, and precious, terribly abused Sweet Pea was found to have terminal cancer.


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## Aislynne485

First rescue - Artemis, formerly known as Bailey. 
After returning from my deployment to Afghanistan, we decided to get a dog. We got an 8 week old blue merle Queensland heeler from an acquaintance whose heeler had a litter of 9 (5 females and 4 males), our sweet Athena. I took her to work with me one day and a co-worker fell in love with her. I put him in contact with the acquaintance and he got one of the pups too. Fast forward 3 months, and the co-worker had to move with very little notice, so we helped out. The puppy (Bailey) was in terrible condition, and he admitted to using a shock collar on her that his kids had gotten a hold of and tortured her with it. She was skinny, filthy, had no food or water, and was left in the crate all the time. We offered to puppy-sit for them until they got settled in their new place. We got her cleaned and fed and watered. She was almost 6 months, had not gotten her puppy shots, had no manners, was not housebroken. After we had her for about 36 hours, we discovered she was deaf. I basically called him and told him that with 5 kids under the age of 10, they very clearly had no time for a puppy, one they paid so little attention to that they didn't even know she was deaf, so we offered to pay for her so we could keep her. He still wanted her but his wife gladly gave her up (guess who was at home all day with the kids and the puppy!). Artemis is significantly smaller than Athena (25 lbs vs. 30 lbs), but she is happy and healthy now, and the sisters are inseparable.

Second rescue - Augustus, formerly known as Howard.
While shopping for frisbees (yes, the girls are both disc dogs) at PetCo at the end of last September, a local rescue group pulled up and started unloading animals in crates for an adoption event. One of the first cages to come off the truck had a dog that was so thin you could see every knob on his spine and every rib. I asked the rescue volunteer why he was so thin (I was a little upset; what kind of rescue lets a dog get that skinny?!) and she explained that the animals were from a Texas shelter, and the truck had broken down during transit. The animals had been in the truck for 26 hours and had just arrived at 3 am that morning, so he left the shelter in that condition. He was so sad looking and so sweet he broke my heart, so we adopted him (happy anniversary present for me!). Augustus is an American Black and Tan **** hound. He was 50 lbs because the bacteria levels in his intestines were all out of whack, so we treated him and put him on a good high protein dog food, and he his now a healthy, muscular 70 lbs. We are still working on his fears. The vet suspects he was a bait dog because he has a lot of scars and it looks like most of his toes have been broken. He is very sweet and timid and prefers to spend his day sprawled out all over my bed (I think he does this to get away from Dixie) after play sessions and walks.

Third rescue - Dixie, the toy blue heeler.
A friend of a friend was getting work done her vehicle when a man walked by her with a shotgun....she asked what was going on and he said he was going to shoot the blue heeler puppy in the backyard because she was deaf. The friend talked the man into giving her the puppy and brought her to my friend, who has 2 standard Queensland red merle male heelers. My friend couldn't keep the puppy because her males are uncut and they are getting ready to move soon. She called me because I've successfully trained Artemis with hand gestures and asked if I could take the puppy. Dixie arrived March 25, and has since gotten all her vaccinations, is working on her manners, housebreaking, and training, eating like mad (3 lb in a month, so she's a whopping 12 lb now at 5 months), and is waiting for her spay appointment. She is a snuggle bug and sleeps in my lap every chance she gets. Our intent was to foster her until we get her ready for a forever home, but I'm not so sure my youngest son is going to let her go. He's pretty attached to her, so she's probably going to stay until he gets a place of his own and she goes with him. I had no idea there were toy size heelers until we got her; the vet had never seen one either until now, so she's fascinated by Dixie.

It always amazes me how things just seem to fall into place and you end up somewhere you never expected. I would never have imagined I would have four dogs....I've always been a cat person. Oh, the three cats are also rescues, but this is a dog forum so we'll just leave them out of it.

I don't know how to put pictures on here, so sorry! I would have loved to show them off to everyone.


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## broll441

My SO works for the SPCA and saw our little girl come in one night during a bad snowstorm. Some police officers found her shivering behind a dumpster and brought her in. 

Her original name was "Folkrod" (the street she was found on) but we quickly made that Leia since me and the SO are huge Star Wars fans.  She's currently 4 months old and very much happy and healthy. The streets must not have ruined her because she loves every since person and dog she meets without exception. 

We're really not sure what she is, but our best guess so far is Pit/Boxer/Plott Hound. Any guesses?


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## Darby

My first dog was a German shepherd x Husky mix named Major who was a rescue and probably the best dog you could ask for. He was dads dog and they went hiking and fishing together exploring the mountains behind our house together. He also had a "pet" cat named U2. U2 would rub him and touch noses with him in greeting even after Major terrorized him as a pup(chasing him onto the cars in our garage) After Major was put down at age 11 from some form of cancer( something that caused his body to reject food) U2 was depressed for the next year in which a tumor was discovered and after trying to have it removed, found that it was better to just have him put to rest.

We also had a small black poodle mix named Belle who we got about the same time as Major but we eventually had to give away because she would constantly escape and cause a ruckus and my parents at the time with me as an infant didn't have enough time to care for her. She went to a home a few streets over from mine.

Now we have two sisters Goldie and Arwen formerly Princess and Michael Jackson that have no tragic story. They spen one night in the shelter before we picked them up and that was the end of it. there up in the 8-10 range now.


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## paintedhorse2808

My rescue dog's name is Brue. He came with the name we think because he has one blue eye and one brown eye, but hey it fits him so we kept it. He came to the rescue very underweight with very long nails and had major fear issues. We got him 1 week after he was placed in his foster home so he still had a lot of work to do. After lots and lots of TLC, good food, and socialization we started to see his real personality. He is a very energetic dalmatian/lab mix we think, that loves to chase anything that moves and loves other dogs. He thinks cheese is the best thing on earth followed by snuggling with his humans. We are so proud of how he has bounced back from a bad start to life and of the dog he is now!!!!


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## Bagel0712

Rescued "Bagel" less than a week ago. Used for breeding and then abandoned when he was "useless." He's almost 7 and a Beagle. The only other dog I've ever owned was a Chihuahua and after 14 years, had to put him down last summer, and I swore I'd never get another dog because that broke my heart. Bagel must have been somewhat taken care of as he is five pounds overweight, and knows 3 "tricks." However, he is severely lacking in manners which is going to take some doing, but he was scheduled for euthanization this week and I'm glad that won't be happening now!!! <3


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## Popeyesmom

My guy's name is Popeye, he and his litter (along with mom) were kept outside in -40 degree C winter in Northern Quebec! They arranged for the entire litter and mom to be adopted and then drove them all into Ontario (Canada) to their waiting families. I was lucky-- another family who was adopting his brother Milo couldn't wait, and offered to drive up to Montreal to pick up our guy for us-- so nice-- and we got him earlier than expected! Love him to bits!!


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## saddestangel7

Aries is a Border Jack that I rescued from a local shelter on April 25th. He was just 8 weeks old. He was a stray found at a very busy intersection. What I believe saved him was that he loves people...all people that he would have run up to the first person he saw with his tail wagging at full speed. He is just the best pup. Fast, athletic and smart. The reaction I get from most people when I say Border Jack is "oh no". :crazy:


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## Na-Tasha

I rescued a dog from the street a few years back. I was driving down the road and noticed a dog running in front of me, chasing a car. The car stopped at a stop sign and the dog went to the drivers side window, wagging his tail and jumping up. They drove off and the dog ran after the car again. The road they turned onto was the major road into and out of town and is very busy and I was afraid the dog would get hit by a car. The people in the car must've really sped up fast because the dog couldn't keep up and stopped in the street, but moved over when I approached. I pulled up next to him and ended up coaxing him into my car. When I first got out of my car to call him to me, I almost got back in because he's a lumbering giant dog! haha! Of course he's just a goofy love bug. I assume the people in the car had attempted to dump him(as opposed to taking him inside) at the shelter that was just half a mile down the road from where I first saw them. That's just a guess though, I really don't know. I put up flyers at the shelter and everywhere else but never found the owners, so I started looking for a home for him, since at that time I couldn't keep him. My wonderful brother and sister in law ended up falling in love with him and he is now in his forever home with them! 

Mr. Bernie Wiggles (Bernie for short):


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## Bruins14

We rescued Daisy. Se is supposedly a 2 year old Carolina dog/Lab mix. She was found wandering the streets of Miami, Fl. She has a chewed up ear and some scars. She was in a high kill shelter when Animal Rescue Network of New England had her transported to New Hampshire. She was with them almost a year, during that time they did great work with her. They gave her obedience training, and socialized her. When I approached her a pet adoption day the woman handling her said be careful she is fearful of men. She sniffed me and started licking me, I knew right then she would be our dog. She was passed over several times in the shelter, but we are happy to have her.


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## glm777

Bella is my Auusie. Border colie mix that we rescued at 13 weeks. She was found abandoned with a few of her litter mates. We saw her picture on an adoptable dog website and knew she was ours. She was being fostered in Texas (we are in Massachusetts) so I called her foster mom and she told me that she knew that Bella would be the first one to go - she was the sweetest dog she had ever fostered, And she was so right. Bella is the joy of our lives. She is so sweet and gentle - what a beautiful temperment she has! She has blessed our lives in so many ways!


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## TraciLeigh

I rescued Dora about 6 months ago. She is a perfectly beautiful black & tan mini-pin. She was underweight, skittish, unbearably shy and timid. She came from a family with 2 small children and parents whose priorities were drugs, alcohol, Xbox, cigarettes and self-serve food for the kids (ages 4 and 6). The "father" figure enjoyed shooting the poor dog with a pellet gun - laughing when she yelped and got enraged when she tried to hide or escape. She was left outside during everything from weeks of heat advisories, dangerous thunder, lightning & rain storms, freeze warnings & even hailstorms. The family would pack the tent and leave for up to 2 weeks, leaving her trapped in a bare back yard with a small bowl of water and a bowl of dry dog food swarming with fire ants. When my granddaughter finally told me about it, I went to my eldest son's home and rescued the poor dog. I also called CPS and was allowed to rescue my two granddaughters as well. :grouphug::juggle:

Here's Dora now:


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## heidizag

We rescued Argos from the streets, he never went to a shelter, pound, rescue, or vet. He's a Greek Harehound (mid-size hunting dog for running rabbits). We don't know anything except he's about 5 years old. He may have been a hunter reject, or, another theory that I just heard -- apparently around here hunters routinely use their dogs for hunting season and then_ abandon them as strays_ until the next hunting season. I almost hope that's what happened to Argos so that the hunter has to do without my pampered couch-buddy from now on. Grrr. Whatever happened to him in the past, he's doing really well transitioning to the high life.


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## FaithFurMom09

Bump this old thread because its neat to see everyones stories!!

Faith- Craigslist. If she had stayed though, she would have eventually ran and been hit. ( out in the country)
Hope - Craigslist. She was in a BAD situation with filth and fleas. 
Elvin- Craigslist. He doesnt really have a story. lol
Opie- Craigslist. No story there either. 
Charlie- Craigslist. Backyard Breeder. I got her to stop her from being the next bred puppy on the list. (they had 15 litters of puppies!!)

Clearly I have a CL thing but i wouldnt trade them for anything. Some people dont like the idea of a CL dog but i dont think they are any different than any other dog. Charlie is the only one where im not sure the previous owners wont stop breeding, the rest were just rehomes or like Faith..the mom got pregnant by a stray male.


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## Kathyy

Currently Ginger and Bucky are here. Both from the same shelter but now it is a no kill shelter! Ginger was Lily, name didn't suit her although I love it. Bucky was Biscuit which was perfect for him but house policy is new life/new name.

Ginger's shelter photo from July 2013, she was fat and covered with fleas and scabs from all the itching. A volunteer gave her a bath before we saw her, she was prettier than this photo when I first saw her.







Bucky's shelter photo from August 2015, he was covered with mats and had ingrown dew claws probably because he didn't like getting handled. Sill doesn't but cheese helps a lot.







On a hike last week


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## KD2BMU

His name is Spud. 

Dave
KD2BMU


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## kmac99

My girls are both rescues. The place we got them is call Heaven after Hell. They going into kill shelters and grab dogs and cats that are on the list to be destroyed. They also help other places that over loaded. What is nice they just don't bring out a dog but talk with you and see what you want and understand you so they can help you select an addition to your family. 

Chewie is a Lab/Aussie mix. We got her at 10 weeks old. She was a part of a big pick up from a kill shelter. She was 22 lbs already and a huge ball of fur (aussie hair). They thought she was a Lab/Newfie mix so we called her Chewbecca, Chewie for short. She was only there 1 day when we say her. We went in to look at some lab/shepherds but feel in love with her. She came home and was sick, not the shelters fault. It was from her surgery. They helped us get her well and she been the best thing to walk into my life. She is mom's baby girl. She is now 18 months old and doing great.

Callie, short for Calypso is our next girl. We wanted a play mate for Chewie. She is very sociable and thought it was time. We looked at several places but could find anything that clicked for us. We went back to HAH. She was in one of the crates in the office and we were drawn to her. She happened to also be the second on they brought to us. She is a hyper but so sweet. Chewie was with us and they got a long just great. She was to be my boyfriend's dog but has really becomes Chewie's. They are best sisters now. 
Callie was brought in from one of their volunteers. From what they said was that she was thrown from a car. Callie was already around 7-8 months old. She is a box mix. We are thinking pit. 

Callie is some work where Chewie learned everything by herself or with in minutes. But they are great. Like I said best sister. THey keep each other happy. Callie is the cuddler that my boyfriend loves and Chewie is the smart protective dog that I love. We are both so happy and even happier for them. They will have each other to grow together. 

Picture: Chewie is the black on in the back, Callie is up front.


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## KelceyAnne

I've got a Fionn (pronounced finn). We were getting a house, and since when i moved in with him the now husband promised i could have a dog when we got a house of our own with a yard, I started breed researching. Decided that my absolute perfect world dog would be a blue merle cardigan welsh corgi. Did some breeder scouting, winced a little at the price research, and decided to think about waiting lists in spring, when we had the yard fenced and it would look better on the application. Agreed cheerfully with husband to do shelter runs after yard fencing to see if they had something either puppy or cat friendly/housebroken we could fall in love with first. Told mother about dream dog i had no hope of ever actually getting. A month later, she sends me a link from the shelter by her house in florida. Blue merle, tailed, neutered male corgi mix, good with cats and housebroken. And this picture








Assorted email applications, three days at my mom's, and a 400 dollar, several hour flight up to me later, I release him from his travel crate and look into the eyes of a frantically happy dog, who spent the ride home happily playing musical laps. and a month later, he still prioritizes being in same room with the people over any food or toys.








Near perfect dog. housebroken,okay with cats, not excessively barky, unless there are people in the yard, or near it, knows sit ,stay, and shake(in the house,works best if treats are present.) Last surrender form claims he was too hyper. 1 1/2 hour hiking/stroll equals dog sleeping through rest of day, except to follow humans and resume nap later. heck, bit of inthe house fetch and tugowar and he'll spend the day mellow at your side.


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## hjax

I have 2 of my own! 

Sonny - 2-3 (ish) year old mix of who knows what. He came through the shelter that I work with as a transfer from another group and I was asked to foster him because he had previously been returned five times and they had no idea why. I've fostered a ton of dogs but he's one that I just couldn't give up. I've had him for about a year and a half now and can't imagine why anyone would give him back - he's one of the most people-oriented dogs I've ever met, absolutely adores EVERYONE. He isn't afraid of anything and I would love to put him in search and rescue or even some agility or possibly some therapy dog training as he's always been really good about comforting people when they're upset, and people being upset doesn't seem to stress him out. He has minor separation anxiety but he's rarely destructive and I can't blame him at all for being stressed when we leave, given his history. I am the only person that Sonny really listens to (which I happen to like... lol). However, I met my boyfriend a few months after taking Sonny in and they are absolutely in love with each other and it warms my heart every single day. He's a wild, stubborn and extremely strong mystery dog whom I love dearly and am so grateful to have in my life.

Trigger - 8 (ish) year old border collie X. Trigger came through the same shelter as Sonny when he was about 5 months old. He was probably my 4th or 5th foster dog ever and came to us because was rejected by our local humane society because he was "too easily intimidated" (scared). I took him home because he was driving everybody crazy (barking constantly at the shelter because he was bored, of course) and we bonded more than I've ever experienced with another dog. He's the first dog I've ever had that was actually MY dog. We did many manners classes as well as agility/disc and some basic flyball training together and after about 2 years he finally stopped reacting negatively to people and has become one of the most friendly and happy dogs you'll ever meet. Today, his only fears are thunder/fireworks and the odd old drunk guy. He is more tuned in to my emotions than I am and is the best friend I've ever had. He's an extremely good listener and a ball-obsessed, crazy border collie dog. I haven't the slightest clue what I would do without him.


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## remout

Our rescue is Maggie. She's just the perfect dog for us. She was heart worm positive and I think that may be why no one wanted her. Anyway lucky for us as she's just amazing. Seen here waiting for me to come home. Days that I don't take her to work, which aren't many, she holds vigil on the front porch starting around 4PM and she won't leave until I get there.


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## MM1234

My rescue's name is Gracie. I live in Maryland but she actually came from a rescue organization in San Antonio, TX. Her story is that she was a stray found in the streets of San Antonio & when Animal Control found her she had a wicked eye infection. Gracie's eye couldn't be saved, so they had to surgically remove her right eye. That hasn't stopped Gracie though! She still a rocker & a roller with her 1 eye! We love her to bits & have had her now for 2 years.


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## Linkelly

We got Roscoe this past July from a rescue organization. He was found with siblings at about 3 months old living on a pile of garbage on a dirt road in Tennessee, eating bugs to stay alive. We got him a month later, 17lbs, full of parasites and with a fever. He's got a compulsive chewing problem and he's a bit of a nervous dog but he LOVES my 4yo son and is very protective of him. He's extremely affectionate and smart! He's just over 9mo now and 56lbs! And a pain in my butt. Haha!


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## Riverine

All of my pets have been rescues! My shelter cats are Bandersnatch, Dorian and Renfield, and the shelter pup is Pippin, AKA Professor Pippi P. Poopypants (my son had a hand in this name, ha ha). I suspect Pippin is some kind of Jack Russell/dachshund mix, he looks an awful lot like a red Jack Russell, with a curly tail, and for a long time he had an elongated build until in his very last growth spurt suddenly his legs caught up to the rest of him. My mother-in-law actually adopted him from the local SPCA but then decided a puppy was too much for her to handle. I was annoyed at the way she handled it because she called my kids and asked them if they wanted a puppy before talking to me, but we did take him and it turned out to be a great decision after the first few potty-training months. He's a wonderful companion to all of us, especially my young son who has a lot of nighttime anxiety and started sleeping much more soundly when his dog buddy started sleeping in his room. Now almost 3 years later, we are planning to pick up another rescue dog this weekend, but this is a Formosan Mountain Dog mix being shipped to us from Taiwan. She was a stray puppy first found living off of scraps in a food market, and then later rescued from a high-kill shelter. I haven't officially named her yet but we have a short list--waiting to actually meet her before making the final decision.


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## bluedog6

This is my dog astro. He has been with us for a month and i dont really know anything about his past other than him and his brother were found as strays and he has a missing toenail on his back leg. There is also a scar on his foot too. Most people said he was probably hit by a car but i am not sure. We love him though.


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## Amber N Marchetti

Mulligan. An irish name that also means a second chance. He is 6 years old now but we rescued him from a mill when he was just a puppy. He was abused from the people who had him and has a small scar right above his left brow (you can hardly see it in this picture). He had some issues potty-training him when he was a pup--probably due to being crated inhumanely 

We love him so much and he loves everyone. A very laid back lab too, compared to other labs we've had in the past.


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## scorpio948

Just adopted a 10-month-old Dutch shepherd / rotty / pit bull mix named Twix about 2 weeks ago. He had been confined to a crate most of his life, had never seen the outside, was medically neglected and infested with hookworms that deteriorated his intestinal lining but thankfully was rescued by the local Humane Society in December. When he was rescued, he was almost 9 months old but was skin and bones, only weighing 29 pounds. Over the past couple months, his intenstines have been healing very well and he has put on a great deal of weight. He is now parasite free and weighs over 54 pounds.

I'm a veteran and have had trouble adjusting since I left the military years ago. By adopting Twix, not only did I save him, but he has saved me.


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## crysania

I have two dogs, both rescues.

Our first dog, Dahlia (aka Spanley's One of the Seven), was adopted in 2008. We had been living in an apartment that didn't allow dogs (the horror!) and had decided it was time to move so we could get one. During that time, I was doing a lot of transporting of dogs from high kill shelters to rescues. Mostly because I stupidly thought that would make me be ok with not having a dog. It didn't work. Clearly. So we knew we were going to move in June or July and we were starting to peruse Petfinder and thinking about what we wanted in a dog when this transport came along. I got notice of one for a BBD (big black dog). I was supposed to do two other transports and in a bit of fate, both fell through (one got adopted, one got the day switched). And so I was able to (the transport story and pictures are here if anyone wants to read it). I was instantly in love with her and while I had to let her go on to the rescue, we instantly put in an application to adopt her. We were totally NOT READY. We still lived in that apartment and all. But we borrowed a place from my now-husband's ex-wife (SERIOUSLY) and were able to bring her home over a month before we thought we'd be able to adopt a dog. Best decision ever. As for Dahlia's story? There isn't much of one. She was picked up as a stray in rural Ohio, brought to a high kill shelter where she wasn't claimed and wasn't adopted. She was put on the euth list for April 15, 2008 and a rescue agreed to take her the day before. She was spayed and sent on transport to Vermont. Her background is entirely unknown. She was about 2 when we adopted her. Since getting her, she's gotten her CGC, a trick dog title, and a few agility titles despite being the slowest dog in agility. She's sweet, she's too serious, but she's the best friend a girl (or guy) could have. Here's a picture of my best girl back in her agility days at one of the few trials we went to.




And then there's Ben (aka Spanley's Greatest Adventure), adopted in 2015. I wanted a second dog pretty much ever since we first adopted Dahlia and I spent WAY too much time looking at dogs on Petfinder and through rescues. About 4-5 years ago I pretty much knew I wanted to adopt a Border Collie and that I wanted to adopt through Glen Highland Farm. So I spent WAAAAY to much time looking at their page and even vacationing there. We knew that adopting a dog from there was not going to happen until we had a house with a fenced in yard. We moved into our house in April 2015 and started to watch GHF's page more seriously. And then fate...again. I never stopped looking at Petsmart and back around April/May there was this adorable BC mix up on there. But he was in New Jersey. And it was a bit too soon. And then he was listed as adopted. Well, didn't he pop up on Glen Highland Farm's page in June and we immediately put in an application in case he was the right dog.

And then things just went from there. We put in the application on June 23. I spoke to a representative the next day and then the owner on June 26. On June 27 we went to the farm to meet a four dogs. Ben was at the top of the list. And we met him first. After meeting Ben we were pretty darned sure he was the right dog for us. We decided to meet the second dog on the list and within about 3 minutes we and the owner and the foster people had all agreed Ben was the right dog for us. We brought him home that night.

Ben's story is somewhat similar to Dahlia's, though we know only a fraction more. He was picked up in a rural mountain area of North Carolina, where he was likely let out to just run loose all the time. He got picked up and brought to a shelter, where no one claimed him and no one adopted him. Luckily, he was never in danger. This shelter has an amazing network of foster homes and rescues they work with and so rarely euthanize animals unless they're gravely ill or dangerous. So from the shelter, Ben went to a foster home. Then they found him a sort of shelter/rescue up in New Jersey, so he was transferred there. From there, he was went to a second foster home. Now, the rescue/shelter he ended up with was kind of crappy and he was living in a cage outdoors and COVERED in filth. So covered that they told the foster home he was neutered and when they gave him a bath that night, they discovered he wasn't. He was neutered. And then he was indeed adopted. By people who were totally and completely inappropriate and who flat out lied on their application (they said they were an active retired couple who had had Border collies before when really neither was active, one was using a walker and they had never had BCs before). Luckily foster home #2 was proactive and got their number, offering to call in a week to see how he was settling in. Needless to say, he did not settle in and they were at their wit's end, so the foster home basically bought him back from the couple and did not inform the rescue/shelter. They contacted GHF to ask if they would courtesy list him and since they were previous adopters they suggested putting him up on the page with them being their foster people and when they had room at the farm, they could transport him up there.

The day they brought him up her was either going home with us or staying at the farm. And here he is! He was a mess of stress from all of his moves and a bundle of energy but in the past year he's settled in beautifully. He has been training in agility almost since day 1 and while we haven't gotten TOO far because of his stress and lack of impulse control and needing to get to working together properly, he's come SO FAR. He can now work around other dogs without rushing off to see them and was able to be off leash during our vacation. I plan on pursuing the CGC with him soon and hopefully by next year we'll be going to agility trials.

Here's my favorite little man hanging out at the farm on vacation this year.


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## Bub_The_Shepherd

My stray rescue is named Bub. He is a Liver GSD. I found him in my apartment complex's dumpster area he was only a month old. He had no fur, he was full of worms, his front feet were weird because his tendons were over extended, had mange, fleas, he was neglected, abused, and under weight about 10 lbs after living with me for 2 weeks he gained 7 back after the worms were gone, he also had trauma to his ears and back. Now he is 4 months old and healthy as can be, he goes the the vet a lot he now weighs 40 lbs about, he is also currently is teething. He is also training to become my PSD Service Animal.


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## Mom2MandJ

Gizmo, 8 yrs. old.


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## GizBiz

We rescued my Gizmo just about 3 years ago! This is a picture if him coming home with us










and this is him now:










I love sharing his rescue story.

*Finding Gizmo
*
Gizmo has brought so much joy to our family. I used to have another dog named Shelby years ago, he was a miniature sheltie, he passed 2 weeks after my son was born. I thought I would never find another dog like him so I was reluctant to get another anytime soon. Ten years had passed and my son started begging for a dog, so on New Year’s Day 2014, my husband finally said yes the time was right for us to start looking for our new family member. I was a little hesitant because I wanted to make sure whatever dog we chose would be a right fit for our family, so my son and I prayed *literally* every night for the Lord to bring us the perfect little dog and to give us some type of sign or confirmation that he was “the one”. We prayed diligently, up until the very night before we got Gizmo!


After about a month of praying, we went to Pet Smart just to see what dogs were available. We had no intentions of adopting that day we just wanted to look to see what the cost was and what was involved to adopt. Gizmo was the first dog we came upon as we walked over to the adoption area. When walked over to his cage he stood up on his hind legs to greet us and licked my son’s hand through the cage bars. He wasn’t overly excited it was just like a sweet little, “Hi.” The girl working with the rescue said “Oh My God! He NEVER does that!” We didn’t think anything about it then, but knowing Gizmo now, we all realize how very out of the ordinary that was because he doesn't go up to anyone he doesn’t know, he's very, very shy with strangers and runs away, even with my mom, dad & sister who he sees often.


When we asked about him, the girl from the rescue said he had already been adopted and the new owner was supposed to come back for him shortly. She also mentioned she wasn’t too crazy about the people adopting him because they didn’t seem very warm. She was concerned that maybe they weren’t the right fit for Gizmo, so she insisted, and I mean practically begged that we leave our number just in case. So I did and we left the store. Empty handed & disappointed, we went on our way to finish our errands for the day, but I kept thinking about him, and my boy and hubby kept saying there was something really special about that little guy. But we figured under the circumstances it wasn't meant to be and I kept reminding my son that we don’t want just any dog we want the “right” dog and God will bring him to us.


Well surprisingly, about an hour and a half later, Dave, the owner of the pet rescue called and said, “You won't believe what just happened!” The new owner came for Gizmo and as she was leaving the store, Gizmo literally jumped out of the her arms and he ran out of the store and into the parking lot! The whole Pet Smart staff ran after him! Dave said everyone in the store were all concerned he would get lost or hit by a car, but the lady who had adopted him didn’t even attempt to go after him, she was only concerned about her money. When they finally caught him the lady was so angry she said she didn't want him anymore and demanded her money back! Dave said he was more than happy to give her money back and told her he wouldn’t let her have him even if she wanted him. After the whole fiasco, the girl who had taken my number told Dave, we have another family who’s interested! Call them! So he called and asked if we were still interested and if we wanted him we could pick him up immediately! We couldn’t believe it! Our little Gizmo is definitely without any doubt our answer to prayer.


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