In November I rescued or actually Dexter rescued me. He was taken from a hoarding situation where I think he was loved just not cared for. He is about 10 years old, he had 30 teeth removed and he was neutered. My kind of man! This bundle of love just wants to be with me 24/7. I take him to my flower shop where he greets every customer with a wagging tail. I too had no children and lost my first dog last Valentine’s Day. Mylo was the little love who entered my life while I was living alone in Florida fighting breast cancer and going through chemotherapy. I didn’t know how I was going to take care of myself never mind a puppy. But like you said this dog taught me more about love and living than I could even begin to explain. Until Dexter came along I didn’t realize how much I was missing loving and being loved unconditionally. I have been blessed with two amazing dogs and I thank God for them.
I think anyone looking for a chance to be loved unconditionally should RESCUE a dog. They know just how much you both need it.

What an amazingly beautiful story…I love foxhounds and coonhounds (I THINK Buddy is a Walker Hound but could just as easily be an American Foxhound…he’s so skinny right now its harder to get a true fix on how he’s supposed to look). It’s kind of spooky because I was re-reading Where The Red Fern Grows yesterday and the opening scene of the book is the narrator saving an old redbone coonhound from being mauled to death by a pack of vicious strays. The hound is severely malnourished and skeletal, the pads of his feet worn “slicker than the peel of an old apple”. The reason for this punishing journey becomes clear when the narrator examines the crude check-line-and-baling-wire collar fastened around his neck. Scratched into the leather in large, childish letters is the name “BUDDY”…..

Hi Kris,

I love the story about your that you rescued!

I was wondering whether you feed your dogs vegan food?

I’ve been wanting a dog for the longest time now, but nothing ever seemed right – don’t want to make the time to care for another breathing thing, live in a cramped apartment, couldn’t commit to one cute face, and the list goes on. A few weeks ago, a stray wandered into a friend’s yard and I immediately fell in love. It was either my way or the pound. Coming from someone who can’t even keep a plant alive, the past few weeks have been trying to say the least. Turns out my big red stray is riddled with hookworms, heartworms, and malnutrition in addition to a crippling fear of loud noises, strangers (especially men), and cars. Trying to turn his life around for the better has managed to benefit mine in so many ways. It’s so rewarding to see him do the little things, like wagging his tail when I come home or hear him finally learn to play with his dog toys. It’s comforting to know that I’ve become his safety, the leg he clings to when a car passes by or thunder rolls. When I took him in, I thought of him as just a burden that, now that I see it, would have either been put down when taken to the pound or left with conditions untreated. Instead, he’s been a teacher, helping me learn patience, responsibility, and healing with a soft touch. These are all things that are a little foreign to me.

I feel that everyone comes into our lives for a reason, whether they have two legs or four. Your rescue, my stray, and I’m sure everyone who’s posted are no different. Congrats on your new furbaby, and hope he’s adjusted well to his new home!

Thanks for any other informative site. Where else may just I am getting that type of information written in such a perfect manner? I have a project that I am just now working on, and I’ve been on the look out for such information.

Last year my husband Simon was working Iraq. He started to feed a stray dog. They called her Lucy. She was starving and desperate for love. When they fed her she would stop eating because she wanted love more than she wanted food. The locals cut of her ears and threw her in an oil drum. Why? God only knows but when that happened Simon and his co-workers went to work to rescue Lucy. There was a lot of red tape in Iraq to bring her back to Canada. Problems that most people would just give up. Thankfully Simon stuck to it. I am so proud of him and what he did so Lucy could have a better life. Lucy is thriving in her new home in Burnaby. Here is a link to an interview that my husband did with CBC television. http://www.cbc.ca/player/Embedded-Only/News/BC/Animals/ID/2261726162/?page=3

Thank You!

We have rescued 2 beagles…one is named Zoey, we nicknamed her monkey… Cause she can climb on the counters. The other one is River, due to the white line on her back reminds me of a river…she sleeps with me and is the best dog I have ever had..Zoey loves my partner and she is so smart that it is scary to think what would happen if she had appossing thumbs..

Richard and Bryan

Reading this has brought me so much joy! I’m so happy Buddy has found your family =) xx

Please go to this website and look at these sweet pei-bies…

http://www.macspro.org/adoptions.html

Dog of the week! Wilbur
Wilbur is one of the happiest most enthusiastic dogs we’ve ever had! Before we got him he had been making a habit of walking up to total strangers in a neighborhood and hanging out with them as long as they wanted to pet him or give him treats. As a result, he’s a very “healthy” boy as you can see from his pic.

We’ve had Wilbur for a little over two months now and we now feel it’s urgent to find him a forever home. He’s too friendly and far too loving of people to spend his days in the kennel… he deserves a warm home and an owner with TONS of affection to give and he’ll be juuuuuuust fine.

He gets along with other dogs, adults and children, comes with a clean bill of health from our vet and he’s current on all shots. Please consider adopting this sweet boy today or please share our email with somebody else who might want to meet him in time for him to be begging for food from the Thanksgiving table 🙂

Kris, this article warms my heart. Thank you for being a voice to the millions of animals who are homeless, in shelters, or in abusive homes. My husband and I have 3 rescue dogs who provide us with so much laughter and love, sometimes I feel as though my heart may burst! Sending lots of love to you and your husband, Buddy & Lola this holiday season. <3<3<3

What a beautiful story Kris! I look forward to following #gobuddygo ‘s progress…he’s very handsome!

I’ve picked up countless stray dogs and cats in my lifetime – when my sister and I were teens, we brought home a puppy that was trying to get on a city bus we were behind in traffic and even cut open a screen on our window at home and told mom a kitty scratched her way inside! Our mom, who taught us to love animals, “bought” our stories every time!

My family and I (husband + 4 boys) currently have 3 furpups who are all rescued – Shadow, a 16/17 year old beagle who we’ve had for @ 15 years, an 8ish year old shepherd mix, Charlie who’s smiling face and giant nose captured me from a poster in Starbucks, and Aleister (pup-pup), a 1 year old pitbull mix who lived on the streets of Houston’s East End and was rescued by Barrio Dogs, Inc. He was just a baby of about 2 months when someone spotted him near a drain that he could have fallen into and he was eating eating rocks and leaves. They picked him up, vetted him and posted his picture on Facebook. He stole my heart the moment I saw him!!

We love all our dogs and the many critters who have resided with us over the years, but having pup-pup come into our lives when he did changed us. Especially my husband. I truly believe he was sent here to show us how to love more. He’s brought a lot of laughter, patience, activity and sweetness into our home that had been lacking for quite awhile. I feel so blessed to be his “mom”.

Thanks for giving this space to share my story. Namaste.

Simply beautiful! What a sweet boy…and so fortunate (finally) to have fallen into your loving arms. Thank you Kris and hubby!

Miss Kris,

Earlier this year, my husband and I wanted to find a friend to keep our boxer company. We are both in the military and felt like he needed a buddy. My husband was set on a Great Dane from a breeder because he thought that purebreds were more reliable to train–that’s what he always did before we met. After some research, I discovered that it’s illegal to sell Great Danes in our town, so any available are under the table on sites like craigslist. I managed to convince my husband to adopt a rescue–a skinny, dehydrated young Dane named Gus with two right ears (not due to damage or abuse, he just born that way). Gus bonded with my husband instantly, a good thing since I recently deployed to Afghanistan and he’s now a single parent to two very large boys who don’t know why I’m not there! I’m so glad he’s part of my family now whenever call home on Skype. And I’m so grateful that my husband opened his heart to a rescue pup.

I adopted a 7 month old black lab/hound, Sophie, from Lucky Lab Rescue in Indiana 5 years ago. My kids had always wanted a dog but being the only parent, I just didn’t think I could do it when they were young. At the time I was engaged and we adopted her together. I was also a single parent of 4 kids 14-24 and life was good. 2 years later, my fiancé and I ended our relationship and Sophie was a constant reminder of what I had lost. But meeting with an old friend one day who was listening to me complain that the only reason I adopted her was because of my fiancé and now I am supposed to take care of her and my family, he replied that maybe I had met my fiancé so that I would meet Sophie. She has given my now adult children the opportunity to give and experience unconditional love, even with all of her quirky ways. She has brought joy into all of our lives.

Kris I am so happy to hear that you and your husband have decided to keep Buddy. I hope Buddy will bring you and your family many happy years.

Dear Kris!
You are the best! Ya! Love is everything! I love you! you are such an inspiration to me!
I was so moved by buddy’s story! And I actually have a very similar story to tell you….
We live in the holy city of Jerusalem – enchanted with beautiful light and spirituality, a city of peace – housing all religions, and also – many street cats….
Two years ago, we were sitting in our garden one afternoon, when a very sick looking, injured, underweight, limping, dirty cat came to join us. at first, we tried to shoo him away, but he just wouldn’t go… we already adopted a female street cat – one year earlier, when my son found four tiny nursing cats – deserted, hungry and thirsty… my son, ten years old at the time, found a way to feed them with special baby-cat milk. he also provided warm shelter for them, and as time went by, only one cat survived- Tully – is our princess cat’s name… well that afternoon, looking at the sick cat, my son said: “mommy, why don’t we give him something to eat and drink? and I said – “well, if we do that – it means that he’s here for good…” would he infect our beloved Tully? I asked myself…. would he fight with her? how will we manage two cats in an urban setting? can we afford the vet fees? well, we had one look at his beautiful face, his rich, deep, emotional eyes – and all the questions just went away… Pasta became ours in that second! we fed him, cleaned him, took him numerous times to the vet – he was actually diagnosed with FIV – a very serious cat condition – no immune system…. every few weeks – for the last two years, he has to be checked and treated – but we LOVE him SO VERY MUCH! and he loves us!!! Pasta and Tully get along very well – it’s a true love story! He gives all of us so much love! Whenever we pat him – he pats us back!!! he gives us so much love! He guards our house, he is so responsible, he is so wise and so giving! we feel – he actually thinks WE are HIS PETS!!! And he takes very good care of us! we learn a lot from him every day – and we feel Pasta was a true gift to our lives – live and love! love and live!
We love you Kris!
Kisses from Jerusalem!
Nurit

Rescue dogs rock! Our experience has been that they are so loving & so appreciate having a safe and comforting home. The 4 that we have adopted over the last 20 years have been nothing short of spectacular and have added infinite joy to our family. If there is a doubt in your mind about taking a chance on a wounded soul, do it! You will not regret it!

What a sweetie! Just learned about your new buddy tonight and my heart and best wishes to all of you. About 3 weeks ago I noticed a beautiful feral cat in our neighborhood literally staggering from starvation as she walked across the street. Now, thanks to many bags of good food and a ton of patience she is starting to put some weight on. The bowl has been moved from the edge of my property up to the front porch, she still won’t let me come near her, but that’s my Christmas wish – to pet this beautiful creature God gave us! Hats off to anyone who rescues and loves God’s 4-legged children!

I am so in love with this story!
I, too, feel like my dog Carter Cash is my spiritual lesson. We adopted him 3.5 years ago. We were looking to adopt but many of the dogs we came across weren’t up to my husband’s vision of the animal we needed (where as I wanted to bring home every unloved fur-baby that I laid eyes on). Carter was the last dog for us to encounter during the last hour of a massive animal adoption at Venice Beach. He crawled right into my husband’s lap and that was it – we’d found our dog. Or more so, he found us.

The first few months were very difficult. He was fine and then would go nuts (turns out, with energy, not malice). We weren’t sure what we were doing or if we could be good puppy owners. But we got him enrolled in puppy classes and fed him out of our hands. Within 2 months he knew we were his family, and started to respond to his name, commands and treats. AND HE IS SO SMART! We’ve practically run out of things to teach him.

But he’s taught me the most important lesson (or more so, our puppy trainer taught us). “Own your dog” which is a short way of saying – be responsible for what you put out and intentional about what you want to get back. If I am cranky with the pup, he ignores me. But if I’m kind and happy in my voice, he is all up for whatever I ask him to do. It’s amazing seeing my own energy and effort reflected back to me. And I can’t even quantify the love he’s brought me, my husband and our friends and family. Thanks for letting me share!

I saw so many homeless starving dogs on the outskirts of Istanbul, Turkey, it broke my heart. On another note, my Turkish friend related to me that any homeless animal in the city is sacred and fed by the public. There were cats hanging out with us in bars and gathering in neighborhood where food was left out for them. Then I saw a few dogs with red ring looking staples in their ear which meant that they were collected by government and given immunization and released back to the streets. A different reality.

Wonderful article by the beautiful Kris Carr!

As an animal advocate, I must ask, why focus solely on dogs, as opposed to dogs, hogs, crow, cows, camels, asses, etc. ?

i.e.,

Why the preoccupation with dogs?

Why not love all animals?

Isn’t that the real reason to go vegetarian or go vegan?

The number of animals killed for food in the United States is nearly 75 times larger than the number of animals killed in laboratories, 30 times larger than the number killed by hunters and trappers, and 500 times larger than the number of animals killed in animal pounds.

In her 1987 article, “Animal By-Products: A Game of Hide and Seek,” which originally appeared in the July 1987 issue of Vegetarian Times, Andis Roebznieks wrote:

“…In ways too numerous to count, animal by-products permeate our everyday lives… The list of manufactured goods made with animal by-products is virtually endless. Medicines, soaps, detergents, photographic film, phonograph records, rubber, ceramics, plastics, paints, perfumes, glue, explosives, cosmetics textiles and shaving creams all can contain material obtained from the slaughterhouse.

“Reviewing the list of slaughterhouse products used in making the family car might lead one to believe the horse and buggy was less exploitative of animals than today’s automobile…

“Besides its use in clothing (leather), cattle hide is also used in insulation, as a base for many ointments, and as a binder for plaster and asphalt. Cattle hair is used in toothbrush bristles, mattresses, air filters and upholstery covers. Hides, along with connective tissue, cartilage, blood and bones, are used to make the glue in plywood, paper matches, textiles, cardboard and window shades.

“Bones, horns and hoofs are used primarily for gelatin, with the photofilm and pharmaceutical industries being the biggest customers of this product. Bone charcoal is used as a refining material to purify steel and to filter sugar cane; according to the Beef Industry Council, bone charcoal ‘is vital in the production of high grade steel ball bearings.’

“Black-colored hoofs are used to manufacture potassium cyanide, which is used to extract gold from its ore. Livestock blood is often used in livestock feed and pet food. It’s also found in fertilizers and in the blood-thinning drugs Thrombin and Fibrinolysin. Raw materials for other drugs are extracted from the adrenal glands, liver, lungs, pancreas, stomach, pituitary gland, spinal cord and thyroid gland. In all, over 130 medicines are crated from the glands of beef carcasses.

“The most varied mixture of products, however, is yielded from tallow and lard. (By definition, tallow is the fat of cows, goats and sheep. Lard is the fat of hogs.) These products include tires, glue, agricultural chemicals, candles, cosmetics, detergents, drugs, metal castings, paints, inks, paper and shaving cream.

“Although this news may disturb many vegetarians, Jay Dinshah, president of the American Vegan Society, says not to despair.

“‘There are no vegan tire factories,’ Dinshah said. ‘We avoid as many animal products as we can, but we live in a world that is not, by a long shot, under our countrol. We never said you could avoid all animal products.’

“According to Dinshah, eliminating animal products from the diet is the best way to help animals.

“‘Everything falls into insignificance after the food,’ he said. ‘Food is about 75 percent of it. Clothing is next, about 10 to 20 percent, and then things like soap and cosmetics.

“‘If you just keep going one step further with avoiding animal products, just when you think you can go no further, you’ll find doors opening up.

“‘But you can’t withdraw from society and live in a cave. There’s a point where you are spending time and energy trying not to hurt anyone that you can’t help anyone either.'”

Agreed.

Again: the number of animals killed for food in the United States is nearly 75 times larger than the number of animals killed in laboratories, 30 times larger than the number killed by hunters and trappers, and 500 times larger than the number of animals killed in animal pounds.

Veganism Is Direct Action!

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is now challenging those who think they can still be “meat-eating environmentalists” to go vegan, if they really care about the planet.

peta2 is now the largest youth movement of any social change organization in the world.

peta2 has 267,000 friends on MySpace and 91,000 Facebook fans.

A few years ago, PETA was the top-ranked charity when a poll asked teenagers what nonprofit group they would most want to work for. PETA won by more than a two to one margin over the second place finisher, The American Red Cross, with more votes than the Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity combined.

These ideas are now mainstream! peta2 is now the largest youth movement of any social change organization in the world. peta2 has 267,000 friends on MySpace and 91,000 Facebook fans.

A few years ago, PETA was the top-ranked charity when a poll asked teenagers what nonprofit group they would most want to work for. PETA won by more than a two to one margin over the second place finisher, the American Red Cross, with more votes than the Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity combined.

Veg celebrities include Russell Brand, Kristen Wiig, Bill Clinton, Lauren Bush (niece of George W. Bush), Natalie Portman, Pamela Anderson, Toby MacGuire, Kristen Bell, Chris Martin, Ellen DeGeneres, Olivia Wilde, Kellie Pickler, Alec Baldwin, Anthony Kiedis, Leona Lewis, Paul McCartney, Carrie Underwood, Alicia Silverstone, Shania Twain, Alyssa Milano, Anne Hathaway, Brad Pitt, Christina Applegate, etc.

dear all,
my minpin tukka took over the assignment when her golden lab brother, bohannon, passed on to doggie heaven. to celebrate her arrival the singing (hers, opera of course) and twerking began. just like her bro, she loves popcorn, carrots and rides in the car! couldn’t imagine a day without seeing the look on her face or the wag in her little stub.
just thinkin’ of her makes it all okay.

We had a cat, Buster, for 17 1/2 years and he passed away 5 years ago. We were DEVASTATED and just didn’t want another cat EVER. But as the months went by, our lives felt so empty. So, we wandered into a PetSmart where Kitty, Kitty Adoption agency had some kittens and older cats. Knowing that the older cats were harder to adopt, we took to a beautiful year old gray Egyptian Mau! She has found her forever home with us and we can’t imagine life without her. She is a spoiled rotten princess and we wouldn’t have it any other way! We love our Sweetie! We have since adopted a second kitty and it has been rather interesting seeing the two kitties get used to each other. But slowly, Sweetie and Blondie are bonding. It’s slow going but I know they will be fast friends one day very soon. I hope more and more people consider adoption of shelter animals so we can save some adorable fur faces. Thanks for all you do for the plight of all suffering animals!

Your posting couldn’t have come at a better time for me. I am sitting here weeping! I have to let go of my foster dog Paloma this week. (aka Butternut Von Stinky Pants) She came from a hoarding situation, so she had no socialization, was very fearful of me, and quite aggressive as well. I learned so much about trust and patience over the past few weeks. Here is this little dog, scared to death of me and her new surroundings, yet after only a few weeks she perked up and is now snuggling with my two dogs and she won’t leave my side! What really got to me in your video was when Buddy wagged his tail. The day Paloma wagged her tail for the first time I was so thrilled, it just filled my heart with joy to see such a transformation. She will be going to her forever home tomorrow and I couldn’t be more happy for her. Fostering animals is very rewarding, but it can also just rip your heart out when they leave. Thank you for opening your heart and home to Buddy, what a beautiful ending for such a sweet dog. Adopt, protect, and love all animals!

I know the feeling all too well. We, meaning me, my husband and 3 kids, have adopted/rescued our last 3 dogs. My kids, who are now adults, have learned a valuable lesson growing up. Going to the shelters, most often they left in tears wanting to take them all home…it is heartbreaking to see the need.
And yes rescued animals, are the most grateful, loving of all. It’s as if they know you saved them and how lucky they are.
But the clincher is they bring so much joy, you don’t know how you lived without them..

Hey Chris,
If he is a hunting dog and wasn’t feeding himself out in the woods, maybe he’s a vegetarian too!

Two years ago as we were in the process of getting ready to move to another town a sweet tiny very dirty and skinny little blue eyed kitten showed up on my porch hungry and seemed to be looking for help. I had just had to put down my cat the month before and I think it was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. We asked around if anyone knew where she came from but no one had ever seen her. I took her in and we were in love with her. I took her to the vet and also found she had a bite on her tail which they cleaned up and gave her medicine for. The vet told me she was around 4 months old. She would wake us up in the middle of the night licking our faces and wanting to snuggle which I figure was from being so thankful to having found her family and new home. Today she a beautiful 2 year old little lady with such soft fur that she makes sure is nice and clean, loves all her toys and food and her 9 year old kitty friend Simba and her family, especially my children. She’s just a very happy girl and we are so thankful and lucky to have found her. It makes me feel so good inside to know I saved her and gave her a second chance at life. We named her Hope.

I so relate to this story. Last year before Christmas my husband called me to say a little sickly, emancipated cat had wandered into his office at work. He fed him and the cat was so tired he did nothing but eat and sleep on my husband’s lap for about a week. He took him to the vet and had him checked. Full of fleas,very dehydrated and almost starved but the vet gave him shots and hubby brought him home. I can only say he is just the happiest most playful cat we have ever had. Our other pound kitty had to adjust but adjust she has. This experience has been an absolute blessing for us. Oh and his name….also Buddy. Rescue animals are the best!!

While walking my English Setter one day, I met up with a neighbor who told me there was a small English Setter at our local humane league. He had been there the day prior looking for a Rottie. I said, “your kidding, I’m going to go today, thanks neighbor!” I knew that moment this baby was ours. Called hubby, we are going to the H.L. this afternoon! Excited beyond the moon and back, we stepped into the world of adoption at our local shelter, full of barking, wagging tails, volunteers tending to each and everyone of the dogs just waiting for someone to fall in love with them. I lead the search, hubby close behind me, one by one we checked in each little house looking for the setter my neighbor said was here just yesterday. Down one isle, no sitings yet….rounding into the next isle, again, with breath held, we checked each little temporary home, but no dog that resembled a setter was in this lane either. I was getting nervous…and I said, wow, this is a full house here this weekend, as the barking got louder and louder. I knew there was only one isle left to check and my heart was thumping louder now, starting to keep in rhythm with the barking! Turning into the last corridor of homes, I noticed, it was the shortest of the three. Growing very nervous, I turned to my husband and said, “What if someone has claimed it already.” He replied….”let’s keep looking at the rest of the homes here, and then we will have to check with the front desk.” Just about halfway down this last isle of eight homes, my heart was starting to sink, I knew I had gotten my hopes up to quickly….now, the last two cages, no, the seventh one held of mixed breed, cute, but not a setter. Standing in front of the very last house in the whole shelter, we felt a flood of sadness overtake us. How could it be, it was empty. There were no tags hanging on the front saying what type of dog it was, or if there had been a successful adoption already of the dog that was housed here. Broken, I grabbed onto the cage, and fell to my knees, and sobbed. The tears flowed down, and I let them. Glancing again at what could have been, through the tiny arch in the little home where they excuse themselves for relief, just like that I saw a tiny little setter with a black nose, two black ears, and a spotted black and white face come out with a little grin and a light step, right up to my face and without hesitation, it started to lick my face and wipe away my tears. I could barely pull myself away from her to go to the counter and sign the paperwork to bring her home. Repeatedly I told her, we will be back in four days for you, you have a home now, your ours baby girl.

I adopted my first cat from the Humane Society, but sadly we had to put him down after 7 months because he was very ill with feline infectious peritonitis 🙁 We were both still dedicated to providing a forever home for an adopted animal; we just couldn’t imagine buying an animal that was bred specifically to be sold, when there are so many loving animals out there who are looking for there forever home!
1 year later, we adopted Rumo and Rala, two crazy cats, from a shelter in Seattle. They are the BEST cats with plenty of personality, and never fail to keep us laughing, especially when we are feeling down. Plus they love to snuggle!!! They are our family and we are thankful every day for making the decision to adopt. And every chance we get, we tell people to adopt to give a deserving animal there forever home!!

Thanks for highlighting the importance of adopting and congrats on your new puppy!!! 🙂

Hi Kris! Well, this is a kitten rescue story (dogs are in our near future, but not yet). We had rescued our kitten “Chili Pepper” the year before and he had, a few months earlier, gotten to the age and health where he could begin exploring outside. He was such a good boy, staying so close to our home and calling at the back door to come in every night. One day last May, my oldest son said that he saw Chili taking a nap in the sun with a squirrel – what? Well, I had to see this…….the next day I saw it- our Chili was licking and protecting the tiniest kitten, really taking care of him. He didn’t even want to come inside at night, as “little kitty” was alone, living under house, we soon learned. His Mom and Dad were gonzo – g.o.n.e.
We tried to catch the little guy for over a week….putting food out strategically, live trap (too light to set off the trigger), sneaking up behind him when napping with Chilli – nothing worked. He was so scared and would not let anyone near him. Well, finally my son did sneak up and got to pick him up – we took him to the vet immediately. He was near death’s door – hooked up to hydration IV and lots of natural foods coupled with attempts at snuggles/attachment (super anxious in anyone’s arms) – our Leon appearred, getting stronger every day and growing longer and fatter all the time! Now, 6 months later, he is a very big, fluffy and gorgeously healthy and loved cat – Our Leon. He is finally allowing me to hold him – we practice every day. Last night, he actually jumped on the bed and curled up next to me. Success! Thanks for the opportunity to share – we love both of our rescued kitties.

We had two dogs, Lily and Copper, both adopted from the humane society, and took them on a trip with us to see my husband’s family in Ohio. On our way back, there was a terrible storm through the upper midwest that knocked out power and roads. We stopped at a small gas station in West Virginia, and went to walk our pups around for a potty break. A little, shivering, skinny pup popped out from underneath one of the gas pups and came over to sniff our dogs. No amount of shooing would dissuade him, and he pranced right along with us on our little walk.
I went inside, and asked the gals working there whose dog he was (mostly to give them a piece of my mind about the terrible condition he was in- I could see his ribs, he was flea-ridden, soaked and filthy, and his fur was matted beyond belief) but they told me that he’d been there for 3 days, and seemed quite irritated that he was getting into their trash. I asked if the shelter had been called, and they said with the storm, no one had gotten out there to pick him up yet. They asked me to please take him, and I was apprehensive.
Getting back to my car, I opened the door, and he jumped right in. Our other two pups seemed to like him, so I went inside and I left my name and phone number with them in case his owners came looking.
On the ride home, our first stop was a local pet chain, where we rented the tub room to give him a quick bath- the fleas were so bad, we didn’t want to expose our pups to too much damage. Then we had to stop again multiple times because he got so car sick and vomited all over my daughter in the back seat.
Once home, I posted a notice in the local paper where we picked him up, and contacted the Humane society there to let them know we had him, just in case, but I was already falling in love.
My other dogs are faithful friends, but Little Jack (as we named him- he was so scraggly and weather beaten, he needed a pirate name) is the best snuggler. He loves to sit in my lap as I work in my office, and is never too far from my side if I’m doing anything in the house.
When people ask about our dogs, I tell them, that we adopted Lily and Copper, but Little Jack adopted us!
Thank you, Kris, for being there for Buddy to adopt you!

So wonderful to read so many stories about the rescue of so many fur friends. We lost our home to a fire a year ago on Nov 26th. Our human family was not home at the time, for that we have much gratitude. However, our house was so engulfed by flames by the time the firefighters arrived they were not able to save our precious fur children. Two aussie-border mix Aluna and Apolo (1 year), a terrier mix Kiara (14) and our cat Gwen Ben (14). A friend of the family contacted us to let us know when we were ready that she would help us adopt from the Mohawk Hudson animal shelter. It wasn’t easy for us to move forward with accepting new pets into our lives. For the sake of our children I think I did it sooner for them to help deal with their grief. We now have two beautiful pups that we rescued that had been sent up to Upstate NY from Virginia. One is a lab mix Lily, and the other is a shepard mix Bernard (whom we found out is part St. Bernard!!!) They are such gentle beings and have brought with them such a calm demeanor and unconditional love. Something that we so needed after all of the chaos. Thank you so much Kris, for spreading the awareness!! Many blessings to you all!

Thanks for sharing Buddy’s story. It has been so uplifting to watch him recover. I found myself chanting #gobuddygo Almost 4 years ago my husband and I volunteered at a local animal shelter after having to put our beloved rescue Rottweiler mix, Watson, to sleep just months before. We didn’t plan on adopting another dog because we were still grieving the loss of Watson and wanted to just give back to the local shelter. Little did we know we would meet our next furry child. That’s when we adopted a beagle mix and named him Gatsby. He has been a welcome addition to our family. http://instagram.com/p/Xa7D8HyDN-/

Quite honestly so simple what you did, and yet so powerful. While we are all animal lovers in my family, both cat and dog allergies prevent us from having our own for now. I shared your post with my almost 12 year old son and he absolutely loved it confirming that animals will always be a part of his life in a big way. He connects with animals….any animal like the horse whisperer.

Thanks for sharing your story.

Hi Kris – Just love that you’ve adopted Buddy. My rescue story was as unexpected as yours. Several months ago (June) I took a walk on a Saturday and ask I was walking with ear plugs in my ears, one of the residents at a home I was walking past motioned to me. I stoped and took out the ear plug while he was asking if I wanted a puppy. Apparenly this VERY YOUNG little one was abandonded in his front yard and they were going to call the pound because they couldn’t keep it – they were moving. One look and I knew I had to rescue the little girl. She was just so young – wish I could post a picture of her, she was so sweet. Couldn’t have been more than 6 weeks old…we think she’s part jack russell and something else. Anyway, after I stopped being mad at whoever could have abandonded such a little thing, I gladly picked her up and walked back home. We are fully and completely in love and couldn’t think of not having her in our lives. Come to find out, our own very old lady black lab named “Sadie” passed not one month after this. We truly believe God sent “Sophie,” as we named her, into our lives at just the right time. 🙂

I used to be allergic to cats until I started taking allergy shots hoping one day I could have one. In my dad’s culture and where he grew up, they don’t keep pets, so at first he didn’t want a pet. But then after years of allergy shots, a hungry cat wandered in to where my dad worked and they kept it in the bathroom with food and litter until one of the coworkers could take it home. My dad fell in love with it and surprised me one day and brought home another cat that he adopted! We named him Snickers and we love him so much! Your story was so inspiring! Snickers would never let another cat live in our house because he growls at other cats but when I get my own place I would definitely love to adopt rescues!

In the past I had adopted difficult 14 months border collie mixed after she had been adopted from previous 5 owners and returned her back to the Toronto Humanity Society 5 times. One had begged me not to return her back. I loved her so much and had kept her for 14 years till her death. I also adopted cats from the various rescue groups for years. Now I have two recused cats, one retired goldendoodle Hearing Ear service dog and I have a lab and golden mixed guide dog for the blind for I am both deaf and blind. I love them so dearly.
Cheryl Osten

In 2006 our family was grieving from the illness and loss of our beloved cat Percy. I swore that was it! I would never have a pet again. I thought I could never love a cat like this one. He was so special. Then one day I decided to go to the local Petsmart where a local organization called “Cats in need” was having adoptions. Nonchalantly I walked to the cages filled with furry kids. I walked by them telling myself, “Margot don’t look in their eyes.” Well that lasted for about a second. Just around the corner there he was. A black polydactyl cat (polydactyl cats have extra toes. This one had 6 on each foot.) he was shaking the cage door with his hand. Like an inmate in a prison. I thought this was the craziest thing I had ever seen. I went home and told my family about this crazy cat. Over the course of several days one by one my family went to see this cat and couldn’t believe what they saw. My husband thought he was a freak. I was determined not to get a cat.
We went on a family vacation and one morning on the trip I woke up and told my family that I had dreamed of that crazy six toed cat. My son and daughter both yelled ” oh my gosh so did I .” Well we took it as a sign that we were meant to adopt this cat. At that moment the need for him became so strong that we cut our vacation short and rushed home to Petsmat to get our new little guy. We ran into the store and to his cage and stopped dead in our tracks. Our hearts sank. The cage was empty. We just stood ther looking at the empty cage. We must have been quite a sight because one of the volunteers came over and asked us if we were ok. We told her we had rushed there to get “our” cat and he is gone. Happily he was just at the foster home. She told us not to move and he would be there in 10 minutes. Short story long…Elvis is the best kitty and we have adopted Lila from them too!

What a great story about Buddy! He looks so happy with you guys – I love that you took him in!
Three years ago I went to visit my cousin and his wife in Raleigh, NC. A week prior, they had found a kitten in their garage – emaciated, dehydrated and near death. They took him to the vet, got him rehydrated and started caring for him. Since they already had two cats, they were keeping him outside in their garage and were looking to re-home him. Talk about being at the right place at the right time! The second I heard his meow I was smitten. I took him home, nursed him back to health and today he is the most beautiful, amazing animal I have ever had the privilege of knowing. I named him Leroy Brown. He’s the best! I don’t think I’ve ever loved a cat as much as I love him. He sleeps with me every night and his favorite game is fetch – believe it or not!

All of my pets are rescue animals. We are at capacity for cats and have 2 dogs. These animals seem to find us. 2 of our cats found us at my childrens elementary school. I picked up my daughter early for an appt and out popped a kitten from the bushes. I picked it up and heard another crying which my daughter quickly found. We inquired inside about them and they were just hungry strays. We brought them home (missed the appt) and feed them and loved them and they have been here ever since.

Thanks for all the info on Buddy, it’s so awesome to see him doing so well. Just over three years ago my wife and I went to our local Humane Society and adopted a dachshund mutt named Willie. I remember thinking he was an odd looking dog, and worrying because he had blood in his stool (probably from all the drugs to get him shipshape), but now I couldn’t imagine our lives without him. He has brought so much happiness to our lives, and I absolutely believe he understands that we rescued him and he found his forever home. If anything the only semi issue he has is that he gets a bit upset every time we leave for work and overly excited when we get home. It’s nice to be so wanted though 🙂

When my daughter, a volunteer at a shelter, called me and cried about a little yorkie in bad shape i tried to reassure her and let it go. But he stayed on my mind, so after three days i called the directer of the shelter and told her i wanted him. He was not even up for adoption, clearly headed for being euthanized, but we worked it out and we brought him home. His age was estimated at 10 or 11 years old. he was skin and bones his fur was sparse and his teeth were missing and bad. He could not see well, and when we brought him home most people thought he would not make it. At the vet we discovered that his canine teeth had come out and food was getting into his sinus cavity. We had surgery and a very talented Dr. removed the rest of his teeth and made flaps to cover the holes. He was fragile but began to heal and grow fur and gain some weight. We fed him every two hours and had to try hard to find food he would eat. (he was fond of filet mignon and chicken) We named him Oliver (for Oliver Twist) and called him Ollie. Ollie slept on a furry cover right next to my head and I called him my husband dog because we were so in love. He wore sweaters and non-skid doggie sox because he slipped on the floors. Ollie lived another five years. He required a lot of care, but the love we shared was one of the important highlights of my life and I still miss him all of the time. Giving an older dog a chance is worth it.

After picking up a “new to us” washer/dryer set off Craigslist, we were headed home. A tiny black dog ran in front of our 1968 Chevy C-10 pickup. He stopped traffic going both directions, and his traveling companion–a little black and white fellow with floppy ears–was barking furiously at him from the sidelines. However, Mr. Black laid down in the street, and we pulled over. Don got out of the truck, knelt in the grass, and whistled. The black and white dog, who we realized was a tripod, literally ran to him and leaped into his arms. I thought, “Uh-oh. We have dogs.” Neighbors came out decrying their miserable condition and handed us leashes, and food, and flea shampoo (they were both riddled with them). I was terrified as they looked up at me from the floorboards. I’d never had dogs! Their inscrutable little undernourished stare startled me. When we got them home, we realized quickly they were not housebroken. They were poop machines. They ate ravenously. The vet said that the leg had come off “in an accident and never received medical attention.” Quickly, the black one–almost bald–sprouted a thick coat. He was a Pomeranian! We christened them Trace (Tres) and Catorce (after the intro to U2’s “Vertigo”). Trace has since passed on, but I know he was my original doggie angel, and I miss him every day. We have four dogs now–an old boy whose first mom died of cancer, and two more who were abandoned by neighbors. Seven animals (three gatos) in a two-bedroom duplex loft isn’t ideal, but I wouldn’t have it any other way! (At least we do have a fenced yard and nearby off-leash trail. And everyone now knows to poop outside!)

This is the first article I read from your website after subscribing to the newsletter.

It is a very inspirational story and it is true that “Unconditional love heals”

I hope to read more stuff from you!

Our furry friends return our love tenfold.

My buddy Anton was malnourished and quite sick when I adopted him. He was left on my old boss’s doorstep with a note from his owner that he couldn’t afford to take care of the wee one anymore. Though my boss couldn’t keep Anton, I didn’t want the little guy to end up not finding a home so after an impromptu play session w/ Anton, I took him to the vet to get checked out and taken care of (he had some medical issues) then off to my home. Though he died and I have still have two adopted lovies in my live, because Anton was sick when I found him to be part of my life, I think we always had an extra special relationship so when he passed I took it hard. He was my best friend for almost ten years. Here’s to furry friends that make it all worth while! Congrats on opening up your heart to Buddy. 🙂

He reminds me of the dog I grew up with. His name was Barney. Buddy is so sweet!

Oh, yay for Buddy!
Kris, I shared with you when we met last month.. We have an invisible sign above our farm, seen only by stray dogs and cats. It says, “welcome”.
My furry children are all rescues, or have been dumped on our farm. We support our local animal rescues, and I keep a leash in my car at all times. (my son loves our rescue missions when we spot strays) We’ve taken in wounded birds, and have picked up baby fawns and taken them to rehab centers.
It’s all good, blessing to you for taking more animals into your home!
My best tips; find an amazing pet sitter who loves them like you do, and change out your carpeting often. 🙂 Invest in a good vacuum, and non-toxic air freshener.
XO big hug!
Holli Thompson

It was Thanksgiving weekend 2011. I’d convinced my husband our rescued Lola needed a brother or sister. I was convinced she was suffering a depression since we had to say good bye to our precious Riley a year before. He was our yellow lab who grew up with our children; played rescue dog 9-1-1 in the pool with them; fetched the morning paper…so many memories of Ry-pup…
We visited the shelter Thanksgiving weekend after seeing a few “lab like” pooches on the website. We were about ready to leave when I saw my husband playing “don’t blink” with a tiny dog in the medically fragile section. She ended up winking at him and that was the end. The staff got her out and let us play with her. She had just been spayed but was feeling pretty spunky and licked us clean! They required a play date with our other dog Lola which went well. It was just as I thought, Lola just sat there ignoring her. Then we took Sadie Mae home. Sadie is Lola’s very best girl friend now and for us, a ball of loving energy. She fetches, tries to catch a squirrel, does not like the pool and is our grandson Tristan’s very best friend. Most mornings she can be found nestled in the covers right between my husband and I with her head on a pillow.

While I’ve never taken an animal in off the street, my family has adopted all of our animals from rescues/shelters.

My big Siamese boy just passed away on Halloween morning. He’d been with me about half my life! My mom adopted him from the Texas Siamese Rescue and he became the family cat. He came to live with my boyfriend and me when my parents moved across the country. He worshiped my boyfriend (he loved me too, but my boyfriend was definitely his #1!) He would follow him around the apartment and be waiting at the door when he came home from work. I think he learned the sound of my boyfriend’s brakes and would stop whatever he was doing (napping) to run to the door! We sang nonsense songs to him and took more pictures of him than of ourselves. We’re both complete softies for animals and we have no regrets about the life we gave him.

After he passed, I started looking at kitties up for adoption through Petfinder.com. I never even considered anything other than adoption. We just adopted a Russian Blue kitten! I still miss my first cat, but I am so happy that we get to give this little guy a good life now. There are so many great cats (and dogs, etc) out there that need homes and I’m proud to be part of the cause 🙂

You are truly amazing, to be able to see past your own daily struggles to take on this beautiful little rag-a-muffin!!! You are truly blessed to have such a BIG heart and to help him, and in the process you discover he is helping you. I too went the rescue route after our first family dog crossed the rainbow bridge and he has been nothing but a big goof-ball, full of energy crazy guy. Rocky, is an Airedale Terrier (the king terrier), they are full of shenanigans
, loyal and love their families (whoever they associate in that pact). He came to us with digestive issues, but I already was cooking for our previous Airegirl (after we got into the Menu Foods dog food massive dog recall up here in Canada), so I knew that with some tweeking to our recipe I would get his tummy all right again. And now 4 years later, there have been no issues, he has not gained or lost any weight, poops are all good and he is full of energy. So from one fur-kid rescuer to another – THANK YOU!!!

A year and a half ago, my husband and I adopted a little rescue hound pup named Ben. Ben was from Tennessee and had been abandoned with his brothers and sisters on the doorstep of an animal shelter worker’s home. Apparently this type of thing is rampant in these parts of the country, as dogs are bred for hunting and fighting. If they aren’t what the “breeder” wanted. They are abandoned. Ben was full of worms and parasites, malnourished and sick, with a hernia on his belly. I saw a pic of this little guy on the internet and immediately emailed it to my husband. Without even thinking twice, my husband reached out to the animal shelter and about 3 weeks later, little Ben made his first road trip from Tennessee to MN and into our hearts. We re-named him Angus (after Angus Young of AC/DC fame – because he’s our little rock star) and he has since made a full recovery. It was a long haul at first and he still has fears and phobias that our other pup never had, but Angus is our little angel and best friends with our other fur-baby Marley, and could not be more loved! Adopt a puppy, everyone! So much love is given and received right back. It changed my world.

Kris,

How lucky both you and Buddy are to have found one another! And what a wonderful story.
I have two adopted dachshunds and a rescued cat. My older dog, George, was put up for adoption because his previous owner was pregnant. I, however, think he was surrendered due to the fact that he had so many accidents in the house. As it turns out, the accidents were a result of seizures caused by thyroid disease. Two pills a day and no more accidents!
Our other dachshund, Oliver, had been abused and starved. He wasn’t quite emaciated like Buddy but very under weight. Oliver was so untrusting that he growled at us for six months. Although Oliver growled at us, he loved our dog George from the second they met (George didn’t return the feelings at first). We knew our love and George’s eventual acceptance would get Oliver through the transition of joining our family and boy did it! He’s a great dog! The kids get so angry with him because he won’t let them get more than 5 feet ahead of him on walks without getting upset.
Lastly, only a few weeks ago, a kitten appeared in our bushes. She was living between the bushes during the day time and the rear fender of our truck at night. I fed this little girl for weeks before she trusted me enough to pet her. I was finally able to get her inside just before bad weather here in Texas. She’s got a great personality too!
I really feel like I have a dog with a thyroid problem and dog that growled at me for six months for a reason. Many people would take the time to care for these precious animals but oh so many would not.
Thanks for saving Buddy!
Take care,
Regan

We adopted our cats from a shelter 12 years ago. We can’t imagine our lives without them!

we adopted an Istrian hound, Walle, a few years ago from a local shelter. I don’t specifically recall requesting to see him up close; but, within seconds he was in my arms and our bond was already formed. I placed him in my car and then went about the task of informing my husband we have a new family member. Prior to adoption, Walle was extremely abused and underweight. He bounced back within 6 mos and is happy and healthy. Hounds are magical animals that have such big hearts. Enjoy your new friend. I look forward to watching his transformation. You’re blessed to have found one another.

When my daughte, the lover of all things four footed and furry, was thirteen she begged. Begged us for a dog of her own. Begged is too pale of a word to actually describe. She harassed. And prayed. And was relentless. We caved and then came the search process. Where does this dog of her own come from? A few weeks into our search the answer came large as life. My daughters piano teacher had found a stray dog in the woods. He was the tallest skinniest tentative black lab mix you would ever see. After the search was given up to find his owner. Buddy the black lab had a new home and a new best friends my daughter. He slept with her. Did I mention he was the tallest black lab we’d ever seen. And was not as skinny after a few weeks at our house. Buddy was always attached at the hip to the people in his life from that moment on. It was as if he was saying I do t ever want to be lost and alone again. If you let Buddy out he would not go off the porch unless you stood there and watched him. Wherever my daughter was there Buddy was for 4 years. And then one summer my daughter went away for a couple weeks to Barcelona on a mission trip. While she was gone I noticed Buddy had gotten really skinny really fast and was not eating so I took him to the vet who said Buddy had liver cancer. Devastated did not describe the feeling of watching Buddy deteriorate in front of my eyes. Of course the doctor suggested relieving Buddy of his pain. But how could we do that with his best friend out of the country. So we waited. And he waited. Just like with everything else Buddy did not want to pass alone. He waited till his best friend arrived home. Waited until our whole family was surrounding him one night and with all of us there petting and holding him he quietly slipped away. It was one of the saddest days of our lives. And he was one of the best dogs we have ever had. It was like he was ever grateful to us for taking him in and we were ever grateful to him for loving us. I hope your Buddy gives you as many happy memories and love as ours did.

My dogs have literally changed my life for the better. I adopted the first one, Bubbas, in the fall of 2010. I had moved out of my soon-to-be-ex’s house. He helprd me make it thru an incredibly difficult recovery period – dealing w melanoma and a pending divorce. He is still to this day the only male, other than family members who has never let me down. He can sense when I’m hurt or sad, and tries to do what he can to make me happy.
My 2nd dog, Rory, was adopted.in Mtarch 2013. She is goofy and always makes me laugh. She is a year and Bubbas is 4. Best puppies ever!
Allyson

First, I want to say Congratulations on your newest member of your family! Joy is bursting out of my heart for Your family and the ahh-mazing outcome finding Buddy has show us all….Now, to my story of Cleo. I was mourning the loss of my 14 year old Cocker Spaniel “Charlie”, who has passed away May 15th 2012. He had been my constant companion through a very tough time in my life. The unconditional Love that I received from him was a priceless gift that I will never forget. He was so special to me I couldn’t bear the idea of replacing him too soon! I told myself I would wait to get another dog for a year, so I could travel and not have the responsibility and worry that goes along with being a parent to a four legged child. I am single and never had the gift of having my own children…Well darn if every night I would come home to an empty house and look at Dog Rescue websites looking for my next furry friend. I would cry myself to sleep missing my boy and wondering if I could possible wait a whole year before bringing in a pet that needs a good loving home….So two months to the day of Charlie’s crossing over I saw a notice from the San Diego Humane Society that they were putting 60 plus dogs up for adoption the next morning. These dogs were part of a Pet Store Sting bust and been kept at the SDHS for the past three months. Finally, the courts had formally charged the man responsible for animal neglect and that put the Dogs in the ownership of the SDHS. Well, in my mind I was going to go find and adopt another Cocker spaniel because every Pet Store that I had ever been in always had them…I prayed on my there to unite me with my next companion. I was in a full sweat worried I would do the wrong thing and regret it after word. I got there and took a number because it was first come, first to pick. I was #72 :/ and I thought OK, I am here and I will see how this plays out I got chance to see the dogs that where ready to find their new home. The look in the eyes of these pets just broke my heart. The tears streamed down my face uncontrollably! The folks there must have thought I was a nut. I didn’t not see any Cockers and my heart sank a bit…Just when I was ready to give up, I made eye contact with Cleo! 🙂 <3 She is an Akita! yikes…not a cocker by any means. I loved her instantly and whispered in her ear that I would love to be her Mom if she thought she would want that! After, being at the shelter for what seems to be hours, I asked one of the volunteers what number where they on? She said 26…Oh boy this would be a long day of waiting and possible heart break at the end. So, I left and went home. Crying the whole way and talking to Charlie and asked him to guide me. If Cleo was to come home with me.. so be it! My phone rang about 45 minutes after returning home. I was trolling the Cocker Spaniel rescue web sites with tears streaming down my eyes. I answered and the gal asked if I was still there, replied no, she said well if you want to come back you will be first to pick and they still had lots of dogs to adopt out. I headed back, walked in and the gal helping said "we still have the female Akita, if that is a dog you could handle" My heart jumped and I just couldn't believe it! Because Akita's are a very strong willed breed and are on the high risk. I had to meet with a animal trainer/behaviorist to determine if I could handle this dog or not! I am not a timid women and have always had a special connection to animals. I knew I could take care of her, but i had to prove myself to them. I was nervous, but just sat down on the floor and they brought Cleo in. She was so scared and I could tell nervous as well. Pretty quickly, she came to me and laid down next to me, put her paw on my lap and started to lick my hands and feet. The Trainer said with a big smile I think you found your next dog! I just say…she is a love bug and so so sweet! Everyone loves Cleo and she loves everyone. I know this was a bit long of a story… Cleo was and is worth it. Thank you Kris for always sharing your soul with us! You a so inspiring and full of light! Namaste Sweet lovely lady!!! And YAHOO for Buddy's recovery!!!

My husband and I had just recently lost our cat to a bladder disorder. He was our first baby so we took it pretty hard. I always love going to the shelter and just looking. It wasn’t even 2 weeks after we put our cat down that I couldn’t take the loneliness so we decided to just go and “look”! Well my husband fell in love with a little female Russian Blue. We took her to the quiet room and played. It was a done deal but I didn’t feel quite ready for a new kitten so we left. Not an hour later we went back and adopted her. We named her Milla (pronounced Mee-Lah) Blue, named after the actress Milla Jovovich and Blue for Ruasian Blue. We always say we are so happy that we saved her, but in reality she saved us!

We rescued our German shepherd mix 11 years ago when he was about 3 months old. He was picked up by animal control in a small town near us dragging a rope collar behind him. His owners refused to pay the fine for not having him registered so left him for animal control to take care of. The town would not take him to the local Humane Society because he had nipped at some kids who were hitting him with a stick and decided to euthanize him. Luckily my mother had heard his story and told us. We immediately decided that we would take him. We named him Chance and he has been such a wonderful companion. So sweet with our children, other dog and two cats. I cannot imagine our lives without him.

Well, it’s not really an adoption story, but my own rescue. Over the years, animals generally find me, and I always help them whether they are wild or domestic…. But this one I found. I grew up on a farm when I was younger and I played outside almost everyday. One spring, I was quadding around and had the urge to stop at an abandoned chicken coup. When I walked in, all I heard were faint little meows of a barely 10 day old kitten with his eyes still closed. When I found him, I quickly put him in my shirt to keep him warm and safe. His tiny little claws scratched me as he looked for food, any food. I quickly rode the quad home knowing that I was going to hand feed this kitten. Once I came in, we (my mother and I) started trying to feed him… He was sooo hungry it was very difficult. But then, the most amazing part happened. Our own cat had recently given birth, she heard his meows and came to the kitchen. She immediately layer down and we placed him with her. She knew he wasn’t his, but she adopted him, and my baby kitty was part of our family. He was ours for 18 years… That’s impressive on a farm, but all six of our kitties lived at least that long. And whenever we would take him to the vets, they were always surprised at how gentle and loving he was, they would always nick name him ‘baby’… Because he was, my baby!

We adopted our second dog Sammy, a Yorkie/Lhasa Apso cross, from a rescue organization just one year ago. The rescue organization had gotten him out of a kill shelter, where he was destined to be put down for being aggressive. I think the fact that he was little and cute was the only thing enabled him to keep being given second chances. After bouncing around several foster homes, we agreed to adopt him. I don’t know what went on in this little guy’s life previously, but he wouldn’t leave his food dish, for fear you’d take it from him, and he would flinch if you raised a foot near him or brought out the broom. Well, one year later, he’s a cuddly little muffin who has calmed down like you wouldn’t believe. The year has definitely not been easy (I have the bite marks on my hand to prove it!) but he’s taught me a great deal about patience and persistence (lessons I truly need in my life right now as I’m dealing with physical health problems) and our two dogs have been the brightest part of many of my days. Our first dog was not at all keen on having Sammy around to begin with – he needed his space! But we soon realized that the separation anxiety he used to have when we left the house completely disappeared. And now they cuddle up together on the couch all the time. Rescuing has really been a blessing for our whole family.

Nearly 12 years ago, when I was a teenager and still living at home with my mother, I witnessed a cat fight between two cats in front of our house. It was scary to see and I chased the cats off to separate them. A few days later, I was surprised when I went out onto our fenced-in patio to see one of the cats from the cat fight, a small black cat, asleep on one of our chairs. She eyed me up and ran off, and I noticed how skinny and rough she looked. We had never been allowed pets in our home growing up, but I always had a very soft spot for animals. I left some food and water outside in case she came back, which she did within hours. Over the course of the next few weeks, I continued to feed her and she began to trust me little by little, as she stopped by at the same time every day. Eventually she set up shop in our patio, and was there during most of every day. She would run over to visit when I came outside, sitting in my lap and purring up a storm. I spent many hours outside with her, cuddling and chatting with her. We lived near Chicago, and the winter months were fast approaching. I was worried about “Kitty”, as I called her. My mother has told me in no uncertain terms that I would not be bringing this cat inside, so I had better not name her, to keep myself from getting too attached. I built her a little cat house out of wood, waterproofed it, and filled it with blankets to give her shelter and help keep her warm. She stayed in there 24/7 throughout the beginning of a particularly frigid winter. Eventually, other neighborhood cats began to catch on, and during a particularly bad snow storm, I watched helplessly as Kitty had to defend her little house from another big stray cat. It was the final straw for me, and even my mother couldn’t stand to see her struggle and agreed to give her a chance. I opened the door and called for her. She ran right inside, and she has been mine ever since. I took her to the vet, cleaned her up, and we started our new adventure together. Kitty is perfectly happy to be a spoiled, indoor cat, and even now, twelve years later, she doesn’t like to go outside. I think she knows she’s got it good! And I know I do too. There is nothing quite like the love of an animal.

hi kris,
I love to see people that are involved with a healthly way of eating and nourishing the body and mind . We love our dogs as well we have 2Great Prynees . Rosco el magnifico ,Guinevere of the birch . Well stay healthy and keep doing great work to inspire people . I am waiting for a free book from you …:). Love Nettie Pelc . I am a Certified raw food chef .got certified from Cousins in Chicago il , 8 yrs ago . I do host some gatherings to help people see a better way . Well just stopped in to say hi ….

I have three rescued cats and two rescued dogs at home. Most noteworthy are the stories of my Luna, she was recovered by police in a house drug raid at eight weeks old with a broken leg and cracked pelvis due to an untreated pit bull attack. She spent two months in a cast but is now three years old and thriving, although she is suspicious of people and dogs she doesn’t know. And the next noteworthy rescue is my little Jasper. The reincarnation of my canine soul mate Jack the beagle who passed away four years ago. After I adopted Luna I was financially and time constrained so I vowed no more adoptions. But then Jack came to me in a dream and when I reached for him he shrunk down to a tiny body. A week later a puppy that looked just like that tiny form from my dream was at the local SPCA. The name Jasper had been running around my mind since my dream and when I met him for the first time the shelter worker that handed him to me said, “his name was something different when he came in but I’ve been calling him Jasper”. I cried as soon as I saw him because I knew it was my sweet friend that had come through time and space to go around with me again. Thank you Universe for this gift. xo

Beautifully written Kris! So happy to see Buddy’s progress! I am in the process of fostering a Chocolate Lab who is recuperating from being hit by a car. I’m hoping to meet her in a few days! As you said, I have enough to handle with one pup and a teenager, but now that I’m working from home most of the time, it’s a great opportunity to help a sweet wounded soul. Thanks for bringing attention to adopting homeless animals in such a lovely way! Happy Thanksgiving!

Dear Kris,

One year ago we wanted to have a pet. Our daughters received two sweet kittens from a kind woman farmer when we were in holidays, but unfortunately we couldn’t keep them because of our house’s landlord. She forbidded us to take them home. So, the kids were so sad that we wanted to find fur friends for them! We searched in advertisement journal for Guinea pigs. A young man had rescued two brothers from the former owner that didn’t care about them. And he couldn’t keep them anymore (he had two rabbits, a dog and a cat at that moment). So we decided to adopt them instead to buy baby ones. We had already names for the kittens: “Bisou & Monchéri” (by the way they were French), we couldn’t name the new boys like that, so they are “BOMBO & MAMBO” :). It was not so easy at the beginning, they were afraid and quite shy but now they get well. Bombo will be operated next week because of a tumor, but I think he’ll fine soon! Thanks for sharing this kind of stories! 🙂 such a good idea!

Many years ago, my hubby brought home a beautiful, apricot Cocker Spaniel. Someone dumped her in the corn fields. It looked like she was used for breeding. She was our sweet, sweet Sandi. She is no longer with us. We lost her earlier this year to cancer. It was very hard on me and my three girls (15, 14, 8), especially my youngest who had always been with Sandi. Our latest adoption story is about my Laila, our lovable, faithful, but unsociable dog.

My 14 yr old daughter (which inherited my love of animals) and I were volunteering at the humane shelter in town. As we signed in, there was a note on the board to make sure and visit kennel N12. Hmmmm. We went straight to N12 to see this eight month, miniature yellow lab (mixed with Beagle) sleeping on a cot next to a huge care bear that was bigger than her. Her eyes told us she was scared. Her papers didn’t have any info on the family that previously had her. The new note said she needed lots of love and attention. So, we took her for a walk/run, fed her treats and just sat in the grass with her as she tried to lick us the whole time.

My daughter has always wanted a lab, but our house was too small so I had this brilliant idea. This was the perfect opportunity to get a mini yellow lab! What could go wrong? She loved us. I asked my hubby and he wasn’t too hip on the idea since he thought we volunteered at the shelter in order to adopt (not true!), but he gave his blessing. The very next day I took my other two daughters and we all met in the socializing room to make sure she got along with all of my girls. She loved us all!!!! She walked through the halls with no problems and was actually scared of the other dogs barking at her from behind the kennels. So, we adopted her. We had to wait for the paperwork to go through so we went shopping next door for her new items (collar, leash, bedding, brush and food) and named her Laila.

The car ride went well. We brought her home and she loved her bed. This was a piece of cake! She did well with our three cats. They showed her right away who was boss and she learned quickly. I wasn’t actually sure what the problem was and why she was at the kennel. Who wouldn’t love this beautiful and loving dog? Well, we soon found out. My hubby walked in from work and low and behold, she attacked him! She had this howl of a bark (Beagle bark), stayed next to us as her hair stood on end and nipped at my hubby’s legs to keep him away. He wasn’t very happy. Not happy at all. He told me to take the dog back and he was adamant about it. I told him how well she did with the girls and to give her time to acclimate to her new surroundings, but he said, no. I immediately called the shelter and talked to the director. She told me to bring Laila to have one of the volunteer men work with her. When I took her back there, she was like a Jekyll and Hyde! She had this hideous howl and bark and hated everyone there. He worked with her for a while, but it didn’t help. The director told me that she was just scared (it wasn’t aggression) so she suggested my hubby be the only one to feed her for a week and for him to work with her (getting down at level and speak in a loving tone). I told her he won’t do those things. I’m the animal lover here! He just tolerates them. My hubby gave me until Monday to take her back (it was the weekend). She loved us so much, but she really did not like my hubby and continued to try to nip him when he got too close to us. Somehow, she developed this sense that we were her pack and we needed protecting.

I couldn’t abandon her. I just couldn’t. He again said, no! So I pleaded, argued, pleaded and then argued again the whole weekend. By the second day, I couldn’t help it. I started to cry and told him I wasn’t taking her back and I stormed outside. Boy, it felt like that argument that whole weekend was the start of World War III and for a dog! After much emotion and discussion, I got to keep her! My hubby ended up feeding her for four days and Laila learned to trust and love him.

I wish I could say there was a perfect ending. There was a happy ending, but not a perfect one. It’s been two years and she still loves us and only one other person in our family, my oldest daughter. She worked with Laila, gave her treats and played fetch with her (Laila’s favorite game). It’s been a challenge when I have friends over since it takes time for Laila to bond. We also have to make sure she’s on a leash outside since she still likes to run and bark and keep people away. I just found a workaround Laila’s personality. She’s a sweetheart, loves my girls, loves to play fetch and actually, really loves my husband, but just doesn’t like other people! She’s still my sweet, loving Laila and she’s part of our family.

Our adopted babies have brought only joy and love into our lives. We adopted Cody ten years ago, and he has been such a blessing. It wasn’t until I wrote a thank you note to the shelter letting them know of his progress that we found out that he was considered unadoptable. My note was published in the monthly newsletter as proof that a difficult dog can be a success story. We worked through his separation anxiety and wandering ways with patience. He has since learned to welcome two kitties into the family. Though moving, children leaving for college and divorce, he has remained a constant source of love, calm and peace. My heart swells with joy knowing that your family has this same kind of blessing. I know Buddy thanks you and will every day, forever.

I am a firm believer that our furry children come into our lives to teach us lessons. Here’s my story. The daughter of a friend of mine called me one night out of the blue. A friend of hers had picked adopted a black puppy when he was, let’s just say, a bit drunk. He still lived at home with his mom and she told him that the puppy could not stay and had to be brought back. The ride home for this puppy was three hours away. The young woman knew I had just said goodbye to my furry child about four months earlier and that is way she called me. Would I be interested in taking this little puppy into my home. I jumped into my car and drove over to her house. The puppy was adorable, but he was black. Why was that an issue for me? I had been severely attacked by a black dog which traumatized me. I was always nervous around black dogs. One look at this little puppy and the look on the young man’s face, I knew, this little puppy would end up on the side of the road somehwere. I took him. He was so small, he fit into my hand and his eyes were open but you could tell he couldn’t really see images clearly. I worked for a large company and knew I could find this little guy a home. Well, after just a week with him, he found his forever home – with us.

We named him Kola, which means “friend.” Kola helped me overcome my fear of black dogs and brought so much love, joy, and happiness to our lives. He crossed the Rainbow Bridge, but we continue to bring furry children into our lives. We curently have a rescued mixed breed that we adopted from a kill shelter in South Carolina and have brought my mother’s little dog into our pack as she could longer care for him. Our lives have been so enriched with our furry kids and we are thankful to share their lives and have them in our lives.

Congratulations to Buddy for finding his path to you, and to you and your family for the love and nurturing you have given Buddy. Enjoy the love, adventures and joy!

I had a similar experience almost exactly a year ago! I had always had cats growing up – but for the past five years or so our house had been animal free. One Sunday morning, we saw an article about a local animal shelter doing a “Black Cat Friday” and featured in the article was this beautiful tuxedo cat, with this little stripe down her nose, named Chelsea. She had been brought into the shelter, as a 7 week old kitten, in 2008 and had lived her entire life in the shelter. Reading the story brought tears to my eyes – no animal should have to spend their entire life in a shelter – no matter how good that shelter may be. We ran down the next day and I absolutely feel in love with her.

Since she had been in the shelter for so long, it took her a little longer than normal to adjust but I worked with her, every night, for over a month and slowly but surely, she became more and more confident. Now, almost a year later, I’m so proud of how far she’s come. She is one of the sweetest cats that I’ve ever had the privilege of loving and being loved by.

A couple of months after I adopted Chelsea, I started volunteering at the shelter. They had done such an amazing job of taking care of her for all those years, that I wanted to do the same to help other cats. Shortly after, this little scared cat was brought in and I felt an instant bond with her – her name was Callie. A few months later, someone came in and wanted to adopt her out into a barn and I fought for her because I knew that she deserved a happy, loving home – she was no barn cat. During the process, I got a few grey hairs but in May of last year, my little Callie came home with me and now her and Chelsea are the best of friends.

You don’t realize how much joy an animal brings into a house until you’ve gone so long without one. The light and love they bring into the household – it’s just the most amazing feeling – and I’m a strong believer that shelter pets are some of the most loving animals that you’ll ever have. Some of them have been through so much, yet they still find it within themselves to share their unconditional love.

I have adopted 3 dogs in my adult life. Right now we have an 11-year-ish old corgi mix we rescued after our 14-year-old dog died from cancer. After we lost our dog, I went to the local shelter to drop off some food and supplies we had. I saw a 10-year-old dog there who looked so sad and resembled the dog we had lost. At that time I had a 3-year-old and 5-year-old and was thinking I shouldn’t take on a dog. But this guy was 10 years old, I thought, how much work could he be? Turned out he was a very energetic dog who wanted to play ball all the time and he also was a fearful biter who had obviously been abused in his life. I was devastated thinking we’d have to return him, but with training he has become the sweetest dog in the world. We got a friend for him a year later, a mom rescued from a puppy mill. He is so sweet to her and they love to play together. I work from home also and these 2 are my constant companions now that both of my kids are in school. I love to adopt, especially older dogs.

Jake was adopted almost 14 years ago. He is my best friend. He has seen me through my father and mother’s passing. My children growing up and leaving home. It just wouldn’t be home with out him. He brings an energy to our home that wouldn’t be there without him. Thanks for letting me share, Pris

Almost 3 years ago, my sister nephew and I went to a no-kill shelter with the idea to each adopt a cat. There were hundreds of cats in this shelter and being among them was overwhelming. how could you ever pick one when they ALL need a home? I stepped outside the “cat room” feeling defeated. Walking through aisle of caged cats one glanced up and looked me in the eye. A lovely tabby with bright green eyes. I asked to hold her and she settled in to my chest still looking up at me. I said, “This one” and brought her home. She has never let me hold her like that again! But every morning she curls in to my side resting her head in my hand and purrs so loudly it still makes me tear up. She’s my girl.

Congrats on your new fur baby!!! It’s unimaginable to me who could do this to an animal. My daughter is a vet tech and one day a man brought in a little kitten who had “fallen” into a bucket of motor oil. He wanted to know what to use to clean it because he had more at home who also had “fallen”. The techs cleaned up the kitten but were suspicious, as it was very young (maybe 4-5 weeks at best). How could it “fall” into a bucket when it could barely walk? They ended up going to the man’s house and picking up the entire litter (7 total). They were able to clean them all up and my daughter brought one home to recuperate. Well that was 17+ years ago, and Bandit is still with us! He has been a very loving joy in our lives, and I can’t imagine life without him in it. I truly believe that he knew we saved him and he was grateful to be with a loving family. He’s an old man now, but our 2 other rescue kitties (age 3) know & respect him enough to let him be king of the house. 😀 All the best to you and your family, Kris!!

Lucky Buddy! I love animals also .I recently took in two more furry friends, with the passing away of my daughter in August, bringing my total to 6. Nicole was never able to have children,” Cuddles” and ”TeddyBear” were her babies. They have all adjusted very well!

My dear friend adopted a l9 month old Yorkie-Poo from a family in crisis. She named her Shakti…she is a little energy ball! That first few days were challenging, but they bonded & started their life together…then she found out her sister was gravely ill…her cancer was winning this time, so she had to go. I have 2 rescues myself Chewie & Olivia, 14 & 9 yrs. old. We have Shakti with us now for however long it turns out to be. My guys are teaching her manners…establishing boundaries & she’s getting it…she’s a smart puppy! To me dogs are pure love…everytime I leave the house & return it’s Christmas morning! Yay!@ You’re home! We missed you SO much! 5 minutes or 5 hours. Glad you shared your story & boy did Buddy hit the jackpot…looks like you all did.

Just as Buddy has been blessed with entering your life he has also been a huge blessing to you. It is such a miracle how our animal friends have an impact on us and support us in our personal growth. This unconditional love bond is amazing in teaching and guiding us to be the best person we can be when we are open for transformation. My daughter adopted a lizard when he became “useless” after a science unit in school. It is amazing to see how she has stepped up to take ownership and responsibility for her new friend. I see new kindness and compassion blossoming in her as she tries to find her place in this world.

I have a cat (Flatley) who lost her brother and so I wanted to get her another boy (she’s not so keen on females) for company and so I went to our local cats’ rescue centre looking for an older male to take home. However, the older males I saw seemed too boisterous for my elderly Flatley and the lady at the rescue centre said “come upstairs and I’ll show you a little secret – I shouldn’t be showing anyone these yet as they’re only 4 weeks old”. That was it, there were six kittens: one black and white ball of fur (male), 4 tabby and white balls of fur and an all black shorthair (all female). I immediately got my name down for the male and named him Xavier and he’s been the best, softest, innocent, playful, MASSIVE, yet gentle, perfect companion for Flatley. All of the other kittens soon had people claiming them with the exception of the black (seemingly, runt) shorthair of the litter. I said if no-one had ‘claimed’ her when I went to pick up Xavier at eight weeks, I would take her. Hence, Phantom is part of my brood now also. I visited Xavier and Phantom during those four to eight weeks before I could take them home and on one of my visits I met a tortoiseshell who was caged. Apparently, she had been abused by some children and also hit by a car and had part of her leg/bone removed (at the top of her right thigh) and had to stay in the cage for weeks. The lady at the rescue centre let me get her out and she purred her head off and basically told me she was mine. The lady at the rescue centre certainly saw me coming as I said I’d take her too! India (as she became known) is a total nut job (it’s like all those weeks in the cage made her psychotic (but in a good way!)) and she’s the most energetic of the bunch and so loving and hilarious. You wouldn’t know she was hit by a car until you see her sit down and she sticks her right leg out in front of her – adorable. My mother was very ill with a brain tumour when I got this bunch and brought them home to Flatley (who has accepted the females brilliantly too) and, sadly, my mother is no longer with us, but my puddies bring me such joy and so much laughter that I know I made the right decision, even though four are more hard work than two and I can’t afford all organic fruit and veg ‘cos of the cost of their ‘must be above 70% meat’ diet!) but I wouldn’t change a thing! They keep me sane, laughing, and up and I’m thankful for them every day.

My story starts 14 years ago in Guam. I adopted Daisy from GAIN- the local shelter back then. I was transplanted to Guam with my husband’s (at the time) job with the coast guard. He was headed off island for training and I wanted a companion. She was full of worms and barely 4 lbs. After good nourishment, lots of snuggles, and a wonderful vet, she have me 14 years of wonderful companionship. She was my constant through the wonderful and the not-so-lovely. I just lost Daisy last month and as I am nursing my own broken heart I am so filled with gratitude that a tiny pup who grew into 56 lbs of pure love chose me for her doggy mama. Love and appreciation to all those who adopt a pet.

A few months back after a long day at work I was on my way home in an industrial area in Puerto Rico commonly known as “El Cinco”. After a short left turn I noticed a “Puertorrican terrier” a name given to a mix race dog in the island; he was asking for help….I mean he could barely walk yet he was making his way to people. He had various infected wounds and kept bleeding with every step he took.

At this point I felt so bad that I started crying, you see this dog wasn’t a regular cute mix race dog he was definitely half pit-bull, which intimidated me so much I was afraid to help him. I didn’t know what to do, he was medium size and I am 5’2″ with an SUV. I started thinking that if I picked him up he could bite me.
My mind went immediately to my fear zone…. yep FEAR ZONE that exclusive space in my mind dedicated to commemorate my fears… and in this case one in particular; a few years back I was bitten by my dog maybe because he ran out the night before and he was dehydrated or maybe because I touched him in a wounded area after a night of party… the point is that from that moment on I’ve kept small dogs and even a cat and this half pit-bill did not fit in any of the previous categories. To make matters even worse I didn’t have enough money to take him to the vet.

After a few desperate moments with the help of a few people in the street we picked him up and put him in my SUV, took him to the vet and left him there for observation and care for the wounds. I named him CINCO after the area that I found him, this also means 5 in Spanish. The next day I received a call from the vet’s office telling me that he had to be operated, since he had a broken leg in addition to the other wounds…I immediately accepted but had no idea of how I was going to pay for CINCO’s hospital bills. Then I received a call from one of the ladies that helped me put him in the car and though she didn’t have money, she and I contacted a few rescue groups, friends, family and strangers in order to have them call the doctor and make a donation. We used a slogan “Cinco para Cinco” ($5 for Five).

After many vet visits to Cinco, an operation and many donations we raised the money and even found him a foster home, that two months later became a permanent home for him. He now lives happy and I must admit that my fear of pit-bulls is almost gone.

We decided to adopt a second dog from our local shelter. Apparently I am not good at identifying pregnant dogs (lol) and came home with a beautiful 3 year old husky/border collie girl named Dutchie. Dutchie was surrendered to the shelter as the owners couldn’t handle any more dogs (maybe that was a hint?) I took Dutchie for her check up 4 days after we adopted her as I was a little concerned of how quickly she was putting on weight….
The vet pronounced her young and strong and due in 7 to 10 days…huh???
Along came 7 puppies….the best surprise ever! We found homes for 6 of the darlings and kept one little girl named Bella….the tiny duplicate of Dutchie. We love them…they are the light of our lives. I would highly recommend taking a chance on love…you just never know.

I actually have a not-so-nice fostering/adoption story. Our family fostered a kitty who, when she came to us was half-starved and her fur was shaved due to excessive mats. We loved her and nursed her back to health. After a few weeks I noticed she kept gaining weight and was, in fact, pregnant and looking for a place to have her babies. I called the humane society to tell them about this and told them I would care for the kittens, and they wanted me to take her to their vet to get checked out. The next day when I picked her up I had to sign a release understanding the risks of a late term abortion. I had no idea they were going to take the babies. Our kitty was never the same, and neither were we. We haven’t fostered any animals since then because it was such a trauma for my family. I agree with the mission of fostering and adoption programs. But don’t always agree with their methods of population control.

My little 3 pound dog, Mia, and I were minding our own lives when another sweet little 3 pounder got adopted by our neighbor. The old owners had neglected her so badly that her vet needs were urgent and costly. The neighbor could not afford to keep her. How could I say no? Sugar, the super spastic but amazingly sweet, little bundle joined our family. She is now bouncing, running, her coat looks great and she only has a few more surgeries to go. We love her.

We have 3 fur baby’s. My husband and I when we meet each brought a dog with us. He had a beagle mix named Cougarand I had just a straight up mutt named Emma , both were adoptions. After marriage we owned enough land we adopted again from a local rescue and brought a big love into our life by the name of Hudson, a HUGE german shephard with a HUGE heart. They all loved each other. Sadly we lost our sweet Emma last new years eve after she had a long battle with melanoma. Hudson and Cougar were still together though and both around 9. About a month ago we decided to bring another sweet girl Ms. Stella Gaffney. She is 5 and when we meet her she had the sweetest eyes and both our dogs loved her. She is a glorious brindle who has to have greyhound or something fast in her as she loves to dash around her 4 acres of land with her new brother and sister. They all say #gobuddygo! I love our rescue animals they are simply the best.

I wasn’t looking for love when I found Frank — or rather, he found me. The man I was dating at the time was driving down a desolate stretch of Southern highway and saw what he thought was a possum by the side of the road. Upon closer inspection, he discovered a badly neglected dachshund: a hairless scab-riddled emaciated mess of a dog with several missing teeth. The dog jumped into my former boyfriend’s car, but wouldn’t let anyone remove him from the vehicle but me. I was in no place to adopt a dog, nor was I planning on it. At the time I was a financially challenged graduate student who was just emerging from a serious bout of clinical depression. When I took that little dachshund to the veterinarian, I thought for sure that I was taking him on a drive of mercy, that the pup was too far gone to recover. It was, in hindsight, pretty much how I felt about myself. But under the scabs and the mess was a determined little dog who fought his way back to health — and in taking care of Frank, I found myself recovering too. Frank went on to live a long and happy life with me and my family (my Dad came to love Frank just as much as I did). Boyfriends came and went, and we moved several times during our life together, but for eight years Frank was my constant companion. He has since inspired my work with rescue dogs, and my writings about them. Now I live with two young adopted dogs: Sadie, a lab/golden mix (who was adopted from a local family), and Lola, a dachshund/terrier mix (who was rescued from a high-kill shelter). I have never once regretted opening my heart to an animal in need. Their capacity for love and compassion and play is endless, and I am so grateful for the reminder to embody those qualities in my own life. Thanks for sharing your story, Kris!

I’m happy that Buddy found you and your huge open heart. He will have a wonderful life now. Several years ago when I was living in the city I noticed a cat high up in one of the trees on the edge of my lot. It was a very tall tree, and the kitty was not going anywhere – under obvious stress. She was crying and very afraid. After watching her for several hours I came to the realization that the situation wasn’t going to get any better, so I enlisted the help of a friend of mine who brought over a tall ladder and climbed up that tree and rescued her. She was very grateful for that! I named her Alice and she has been my best friend ever since that day.

Your story bring tears of joy and warms my heart.
And thank you so much for bringing attention to animals who need so much love, good care and a forever home. It breaks my heart thinking of all those animals mistreated, abandoned, left to die…

This is a refuge in the Ottawa region http://www.refugerr.org/ I like to support and help get the word on their work (or I should say Rose’s work ’cause she’s doing so much on her own.) Rose rescues horses that have been beaten, abandoned and left to die and she nurses them back to life. The refuge is not just for horses though; she has about a hundred animals she has rescued.

Namaste and thank you for your generosity and kindness Kris!
Love and warm hugs to Buddy (and your family)
XO

Buddy broke the ice as I have never emailed anyone I follow, but have sent silent thoughts to all that have touched my life. Tears rolled down as I read about “Buddy.” He’s warm now with a full belly and most of all he’s loved. He never gave up!

Kris, I’m so happy and thankful you took this boy into your home.
I adopted my little jack russell early this year and he’s been the biggest source of love (and fitness!) in my routine.
I feel such despair when I hear about what humans can do to animals, any gesture to improve their situation is an act of kindness and repair.
Thanks again,
M.

Around the first part of summer, we had a cat show up on our back porch. There are a few wondering cats in the neighborhood, but this was a new guy. He was big but still technically a kitten, we guessed between 6 and 8 months. We already had three cats and they happen to be picky eaters (spoiled!) so we always had plenty of food we could put out for the new guy. He wouldn’t let us near him, but would come around almost every day. We sit still while he’d eat to get him used to us, and then magically one day, he let me touch him and he warmed up to us from there out. We gave him a name (Floyd) and always kept an eye out for him. His coat got soft and shiny, he filled out and he’d crawl into my lap and fall asleep. We knew we were going to keep him, so we got him to the vet, got him fixed and immunized and now he lives inside with us. He’s adorable and loving – I can’t imagine NOT taking him in.

All of our other cats are strays or abandoned as well, one left in a friend’s yard, (lost her this summer after 17 years), one brought over by a neighbor (12 years ago), and the other two rescued from outside of a CVS where they were dumped (4 years ago).

It breaks my heart seeing Buddy in the before pics. I’m so glad he found you.

My cat, Franny, had been abandoned at a gas station, when I found her. She was a tiny little thing – only 1 pound, and she had a lot of health problems. I wasn’t sure I wanted the responsibility at first, but I’m glad I took that leap. She’s been my girl for a little over 3 years now. I just love her.

My husband and I adopted a beautiful German Shepherd mix who had been rescued from an abusive life. When she came to live with us her teeth wore worn down in half, from chewing on the cage that imprisoned her, scared to death of any noise and even the wind. She was a great dog, full of personality, who we cherished until it was her time to go. Still miss her everyday. Buddy reminds me of our Daisy. Thanks for sharing your story and for the giveaway.

13 years ago while driving on a back road in Stamford, Ct. I spotted a paper bag that was moving! As we passed it, I yelled out to Tom, I think that bag was moving…Tom thought I was crazy but I would not let it go…I told him we needed to go back and check to make sure I was not seeing things.. Which happens sometime! After me pleading with Tom, we turned around. We pulled over and sure enough inside a brown paper bag were 2 sweet kittens. They were barely a few weeks old but someone dumped them! We immediately drove to Dr. David, our vet at the time. He was WONDERFUL! He was there when we had to say good bye to my sweet girl, Feebee only a few weeks prior. Feebee had one paw that was orange and one paw that was taupe. When I looked in the bag and saw that one was orange and one was taupe I said to Tom, right paw, left paw and he knew exactly what I was saying… They had worms and needed a lot of TLC. Tom and I fed them by hand and gave them their medicine. Fast forward to now…Fenway Park (after the Red Sox for Tom) and Shea Stadium ( after the Mets for me) are 13. They are the most precious things. They show unconditional love every minute and I know they are grateful for us saving their lives! They are our Furkids since we do not have children and we love them back every single day!

I was living in Mexico, a place where dogs are treated to the equivalent of trash. It was heartbreaking for me. I wanted to rescue every dog, I saw so many of them starving, and I cried. Constantly. I decided that though I could not rescue them all, I could provide some sort of kindness. I went to Costco (yes, there’s Costco in Mexico) and bought a Costco-sized bag of dog food so that way, whenever I was driving around town and I saw a starving dog, I pulled over, and poured out a heap of food. It is literally the only thing I can do, because the crisis for dogs there is overwhelming.

Well there was one little dog who was about 4 months old and she learned that I was the sucker around; that my love and food for dogs had no end. So she started coming by every morning and every evening for dinner. She was beautiful- one blue eye and one brown eye. She was so sweet. She let me pet her. I tried to have her come inside, but she would not. She was so fearful because of the way that people treat the street dogs there. The people in the neighborhood hated her because with the two different colored eyes, it was clear that she was not pure blooded, meaning she was “just a street dog.”

Finally, I earned her trust to get her inside my house because I have an indoor courtyard and I thought she could run around or relax and just be safe. I wanted her to have a place that she could come in a storm, on the days of extreme heat, etc. I wanted to rescue her to live with me, but we already had two dogs and a rescue cat, and I thought that if I could give her shelter any time she wanted it and food, then that could be my part.

Something that was cute about this dog was that she had these crazy ears. One was often sticking straight up while the other one did all sorts of silly movements. When I finally got her inside, I found out that her ear wasn’t sticking up because she was trying to hear, it was because she was infested with ticks and just could not put her ears down. At that moment, I knew that I had to rescue her. She was just a baby, just like 4 months old, and she was totally abandoned in this world. I sat down for one hour removing ever tick I could find. I brought her to the vet immediately, who continued to get ticks out of her ears. We bathed her, got her her shots. She was a little underweight but the vet said that with proper nutrition she would be 100% healthy.

My husband and I named her “Estrella” which means “star” in Spanish, because she came into our lives and completely lit it up. Like you, I feared another baby would be too much, but it turns out that our hearts are so capable of so much love, even more than we think possible, and our lives are not burdened by adding another fur baby, rather they are expanded. We love our Estrella more than words can express. We LOVE her different colored eyes, her tenderness, and her playful nature. And she loves us with the purest heart that exists in this world with a gratitude that I think only a rescue dog can feel.

6 years ago I was a volunteer at an animal shelter, working with dogs deemed unadoptable. My husband and I were finally ready to open our hearts to a new dog after the death of our beloved first dog.
We thought perhaps around 6 months old- 50/60 lbs….
Then in came Bear, a 100lb 18 month shepard that was just scared. His previous two owners had not been there for him. He ws locked in a room then tied outside all the time. He was very barky and deemed aggressive, then he was set for euthanizing.
We fostered him as he was sick and he took our hearts and we decided he could not be put down. It has been a labour of love. Three years ago a friend told us he needed a job. We got into K9 search and rescue and now the dog I was told would never be able to walk down the street without reacting is nationally certified in trailing. He finds lost people and has expanded our life in wonderfully outrageous ways!
Adopting can completely open your heart 🙂

I believe that the animals we are meant to have will find their way into our lives so Buddy is right where he belongs.

We have 3 dogs and 1 cat, all rescued. They all have a story but I’ll share Samwise’s story. Sam is half dalmatian, half border collie. He and his 12 siblings (11 boys and one girl) were thrown in the garbage by the man who owned their mom. At some point, he decided to call a local shelter and tell them where they were. They rescued the 3 week old puppies (the girl had died) and two foster families hand raised and bottle fed the 12 boys. The owner of the mom refused to turn her over or even have her spayed. Sam will be celebrating his 10th birthday next week. He has a few quirks in his personality that I think is due to him not having his mother around but I love him.

Our 13.5 year old great dane/dutch shepherd, Ike was found wandering the streets with his brother and taken in as a stray.

Our almost 2 year old Pit bull, Oliver was surrendered to the shelter with his 5 brothers when they were 8 weeks old.

Our 12 year old cat, Bella ran into my husbands heart when he found her outside his work place one day. A tiny, underweight kitten.. he brought her home and she stayed.