Please share you pets rescue story!! (pitbulls, ridgeback, border collie, lab)

[Boxerlady]

I have Charlie's, my boxers, written but its on my laptop and I will share shortly. He has a very touching one!!! I want to hear your dogs rescue stories!!!

[latetotheparty]

Bailey came into the shelter at about 3 months of age ..... not much is known about her history prior to that, other than someone had been pretty bad to her in her short little life...... i adopted her about a month after that...... it took her until about 3 or 4 years old to not be VERY wary of men.... and i think a LOT of that is because my house mate is a man and she and he ADORE each other...... she still has little quirks about her of things that she is frightened of (the trash can in the kitchen, metal bowls).... but has come a LONG LONG way over the 5 years i have had her......

Dave and his mom and siblings came into the shelter when the pups were 1 day old...... he was 10 months old when i adopted him and had lived his ENTIRE life in the concrete and wire fence shelter kennel..... didn't really even know what toys were or what to do with them at first..... he has made BIG progress in the 9 months since, although we are still working with leash aggression towards other dogs...... but even that is getting better by baby steps..... he just doesn't have a whole lot of confidence in himself yet and is easily overwhelmed if there are a lot of dogs around, like a busy day at the dog park..... gets drooley when he is nervous..... and tends to just go from person to person looking for scritches and hugs.....

just over the last week or two, he has decided he is afraid of the back yard.... can't get him off the deck and out there for love or money after dark and can BARELY get him out there during the daylight hours.... and only if i am standing out there with him ..... ..... he used to be like this in the wooded park we walk in every morning, but he loves THAT now.....

even though i have no children of my own, both are WONDERFUL with kids.... little and big ... and are very patient with being hugged all over the bodies.....

neither story particularly dramatic or exciting ..... but there they are ......

[Va-Cat]

I'll keep it short since most on here have already heard about them at one time or another.

Maggie - Chesapeake Bay Retriever - rescued in 1998 running wild and pregnant around a farm in Ga.. She was about 5 when rescued and was my constant companion and my Darling Heart. She passed in 2008 from renal failure.
Gator - Black Lab - rescued as a 6 month old puppy after he was dumped in rural Ga in 1998. He is our "Devil Dog" and still with us and as feisty as ever!
Bandit - Choco Lab - rescued in 1999 in Lancaster Pa. A puppy mill breeder that was around 6 1/2 y/o and scheduled to be put down if not taken in by someone that day. He was our philosopher and one of the noblest dogs I've ever know. Gently helped to the Rainbow Bridge November 2009.
Mariah - Chesapeake Bay Retriever - rescued from a Eastern Shore of MD shelter in 2004. At 7 months old she had never been able to see clearly because of a severe case of Entropian. Our "Tank", (as in indestructable) she is still with us and still creating chaos wherever she goes.
And my Sammie- Our 3 y/o Chesapeake Bay Retriever rescued after being starved and abandoned in an empty house by her "family" after their eviction. Rescued in 2008. My Sweet Little Girl passed just this January 2010 from an internal bleed caused by an undiagnosed tumor on her spleen.

Of course we have also had many, many more foster dogs come through our door and into our hearts over the years!

[dogmomof2]

I rescued Odie in 2004 when he was approx 3-4. He had been a service dog for a lady with MS, so he was trained very well (he likely wasn't an official service dog, was just trained to do special things). She passed away, and her family members abused him. He was passed around until he ended up at the vet's office to be PTS. They didn't want to put him to sleep, so my brother's girlfriend (who was a vet tech) took him home and fostered him until they found hum a home. He was there less than nine months and was returned because he chased (and possibly killed) ducks. I can't imagine him actually catching one, but... Anyway, he ended up back with my brother. One weekend while in grad school I went to my mom's house, and my brother came over and brought his dogs, and "Otis." I thought there was something wrong with him because of the thing on his back...turns out it's a ridge, because he's a ridgeback, duh! We clicked and I decided to get him. I broke my lease (no dogs allowed) and found a duplex with a fenced yard. He bonded with my boyfriend (now husband) the first day I brought him home, and we've been a happy family ever since

Odie has tons of issues, but we've worked through them to the point where it's managable. He used to know how to answer the phone (but we don't have a landline now), and will pick things up when you drop them, because he did these things for his first owner.

Lanie came five years later. One day I just decided we had to rescue another dog and Odie would just have to live with it. I saw Lanie's picture on Petfinder, and she was an older-looking Greyhound covered in scars. The picture showed her outside enjoying laying in the grass and basking in the sun...like she could still appreciate the little things in life despite all she'd been through. I emailed the rescue, filled out the app and we drove a few hours away to pick her up that weekend. She needed tons of dental work, so it took some time for her personality to come out, but she's a great dog, and sweet as can be.

[Sillypups]

Hubby & I have rescued so many Rottweilers over the last 25 years.

So many different stories...
Most were abused...several abused horribly.
Some just needed homes cause their owners were moving...getting married...had newborns...lost their job...lost their homes, you name it.

The badly abused ones learned to trust again. Their physical wounds healed. The emotional wounds took longer to heal.
Except for one Rotty... he was a beautiful big boy. We rescued him at 1-1/2 years old. He died this past Jan 31 at age 10 years & 8 months.
He was a great watch dog. Good with family, friends, kids & other Rotts & Bloodhound that we rescued.
He was so quiet his whole life.
I spent a lot of time trying to get him to play.
He never did. He never played with a ball, or a toy, or any of our other Rotts. He never played with humans either.
He just broke my heart. He seemed sad his whole life for the most part. He would just lay there & watch the world go round.
He LOVED to be loved, and you can bet I loved him so much...as much as a human can love a dog. He was my son for that matter.
If I was gone...when I came home, he showed in his eyes & smile he was happy I was home. That was my boy.
His nick name was Gentle Ben.
I just wish 1 time he got to see what it was like to play & have fun.
I miss him so much. Our home just isn't the same without him and I miss him every day. He was a very good boy.

[freesiia]

I've had many dogs and foster dogs. My current dog Peter was found by my husband on craigslist. Someone had found him staggering down a main street in Pomona. They brought him home but was then informed by the landlord that "no PITBULLS" were allowed. And they had 72 hours to get him out. So they posted on craigslist a free dog. We drove to Pomona to see him, and for all his 25 pounds of skin and bones he was so happy that anyone would give him a home. He is now 5 years (pretty close estimate of his age) and is my constant companion.

I fostered Cody, who was stolen from a known dog fighter in East LA. Poor Cody had been used as a bait dog, he was underfed and so small he couldn't fend off a flea let alone fight. Due to his malnutrition he had bowed legs and splayed feet. But once we got him healthy (well as he could be) and house trained he was a darlin sweet boy. We found him a nice home in Big Bear CA.

A co-worker works with several homeless shelters in Ventura CA. She overheard two men talking about a puppy that someone had left tied up in a homeless encampment for several days. A few folks gave her some scraps, but due to her constant barking and whining she was getting stuff thrown at her. My co-worker found out where she was, borrowed a crate from me and went to fetch the little thing. She was a blue pitbull female puppy maybe 5 months old. Skinny, dehydrated and terrified. My friend coaxed her with some food and water into the crate and brought her to me. We named her Honey because she had the coolest honey colored eyes. And when we first got her I said to my husband "honey, what should we name her" and she walked up to me like I'd called her. So she was honey.

She was terrified for months of any loud noises, if you approached her with anything in your hands she would try to attack, and men in general really frightened her. But now, almost two years later she lives with my nephew, who needed a special needs dog after coming home from Iraq. So together they are healing each other.

The worst one was Blackie, we really did not know his name but thats what we called him. He had been left tied to a car in a junk yard in a very hardened area in Los Angeles. The owner of the property would not give him up, said he protected the property at night. The only thing this poor creature did was live in agony. He had no hair due to the mange that covered him, he had defensive wounds from fighting off loose dogs in the area at night. He had no shelter, and barely food and water. A rescue org in LA finally paid the man to let them take him.
When Blackie came to us he had been treated for the mange but his skin was so delicate that you could not touch him or the skin would break. We used towels to hoist him up to bath his wounds and skin. We could not put a collar on him, nothing. It took about 6 months of medical attention and care but he grew back his black coat, he had white scars on him, but his temperament was sweet. He was very submissive to my dogs and for the most part just wanted to sleep on a soft bed, eat his kibble and get pets. The rescue org found him a home.

[chicagomichauds]

Aw I love all these stories!

I don't have a very long one for Jett. We adopted him exactly a month ago today from the Humane Society. He was surrendered along with his 2 brothers by someone from South Carolina. Apparently the puppies from the litter that did not sell.

Overall he seemed in good health and spirits.

He has only been with us one month, but we are all very in love with him. He has adjusted very well to his new family and home.

Jett is our first rescue dog, but he definitely won't be our last!

[Dashdog]

My first dog Maddie an English cocker I found at the Orange County animal shelter. I was about to move to a place that would allow dogs and while visiting my Parents decided to check out the shelter there. My landlord had asked that I get a smaller - med dog not a large dog. I found several I liked then decided to walk down what back then was called death row as all the dogs in that row would be put to sleep at days end. It was like they all knew that as all begged for my attention with barks, cries and front paws reaching out. I came to a run where the dog was sitting quietly in the back and when I stopped it got up and came over and politely sat down. It was a dirty matted mess but the minute it's big soulful brown eyes met mine I knew I had my dog. I went and paid for the dog and they got her out and she tugged me to the gate hopped right in my car and sat in the other front seat and gave me a big lick across my face. It was one of the few licks she ever gave. Turns out she was a 4 yr. old beautiful blonde and english cocker. We spent 10yrs together until lymphoma and heart disease took her home



Jazz came from a Petsmart adoption day. I was thinking Maddie had lymphoma and was going to be going to the vet the next week and once again was visiting my parents. My Mom needed some cat food so I went with her to pet smart. It was adoption day and I told her I am going to see what type of dogs they have while you get the food. I knew I wanted a dog I could do agility with but had not planned on getting a dog just yet. Well, there in a cage was my Jazz and her brother. 12 week old border collie cattle dog puppies. I had bought my own condo by then so owning 2 dogs would be OK and there was no size limit. I asked to hold the little female and when I did she stole my heart and I was not leaving without her. She was fearful but I did not care as I told myself I can fix that. They wanted her to only go to a home with a large fenced yard, I had a small fenced patio but I gave them my speech about how a dog needs an owners time not a yard and how I did have the time and eventually with a "you will be sorry attitude as this is a herding dog" they gave in and she came home with me. It has been 14 yrs now and the old girl has been a lot of work but she is my once in a life time dog and is still going strong.

Dash I got from the Santa Barbara humane society. Jazz was two and by then an only dog as Maddie had died a few months after I got Jazz. I wanted a second dog and was considering an aussie puppy that a breeder had but my heart said check out the local humane society and shelter first so I did. The minute I saw Dash who was a 1 yr. old border collie x springer mix, I knew he was the perfect dog. I had to do the patio verses yard dance again with them and they said no but once again I KNEW he was my dog so I said well how about you meet my other dog and he meet her before you decide so they said OK to that. I walked in with Jazz and they say what a high energy but well mannered girl she was and that was all it took as they said "well you do seem to know what you are getting into." As we were getting in the Car the vet that worked there saw us and came running out and said "they did tell you that he has serious aggression issues about being examined by vets or groomed in any way?" No, they hadn't told me that and having been working with Jazz's fear aggression I drove away with a heavy heart thinking what have I just gotten myself into I do not want another dog with aggression issues.

When we got home I soon realized he also had food aggression and showed aggression if I grabbed his collar to move him too. Well, he also loved food and with the help of that love ( FOOD) I soon had him over all aggression. He turned out to be a great dog that bonded to me right away in a very big way and soon was a dog I trusted with anyone and anything as he had the sweetest goofy personality. At 12 last year we said good bye as he had fought a long battle with nasal cancer and had let me know it was time for us to be apart.

Phoenix entered our life about 7 years ago. I was dropping something off at the humane society back in the vets office and as I was leaving a dog caught my eye. Mind you I was not looking for a 3rd dog and did have Jazz who by that point did not play well with some dogs and felt she owned everything and was not into sharing not even with her very best bud Dash. No, I did not need a 3rd dog but something made me go look at this dog.

In the back of the run stood 2 yr. old Phoenix a beautiful aussie, very frightened and it said she was deaf and had limited vision. ( she is a homozygous merle so the mistake of some careless breeder that decided to breed to merle coated dogs together). I knelt down and she slowly crept towards me. I decided to ask about her (no I am not getting a 3rd dog) .Turns out she had been found at 6 months running down the road and the people had kept her for almost a year but it was not working out so they gave her to the humane society. She had lived at the HS for many months and was so shy that they had had no one show interest in adopting her. She was very sweet once she got to know you so was by then a favorite of the staff and volunteers.

Now, the fatal mistake I asked to see her in an exercise yard so they brought her out. Knowing she was very shy I sat on the ground and she crept over and climbed in my lap . Surprised the person that brought her out. I played with her for a while and any time someone stopped and looked at us she raced back to me terrified of the stranger.

I thanked them and left and the next few days the image of Phoenix tugged at my heart strings. I called various friends hoping they would talk me out of it but they all said "Oh she needs you and you can do it" I contacted aussielads and learned about owning not only a deaf dog but a deaf vision limited dog. I made several trips back to the HS just to look at her again and each time she knew who I was and was so happy to see me that pull on my heart strings got tighter and tighter. I soon was talking to the behavior/trainer there and told him my big worry was Jazz. By that point everyone there wanted me to adopt her because of how quick she had bonded with me. Next came weeks of getting Jazz and Dash to accept her, Dash had no problem except if Jazz went at Phoenix he would join her as he was very loyal to Queen Jazz.

Jazz would either go at her or totally ignore her we worked at this for several months with me coming several times a week with Jazz. Finally we got to the point where she seemed to just ignore her and not go at her so they felt I could adopt her but I worried about what would happen on Jazz's home turf. Being this was a very special dog that they all loved they made an exception to their rule of no unadopted dogs off the HS grounds and let the trainer bring her to my house. Jazz ignored her, Dash was OK so I now had a 3rd dog.

Phoenix is a great dog and with the help of Jazz and Dash and our trips out into the world she did develop a lot more confidence. Problem was with her vision when one of the other dogs came in a room she would stare and if it was Jazz that eye contact would make Jazz feel challenged and she would growl a warning unheard by the deaf Phoenix, then jump her because she still stared. Dash would join in supporting his queen and while they never hurt Phoenix poor terrified Phoenix would be squealing like a pig. It was not daily but happened enough that I was concerned about Phoenix being so terrified. About 1.5 yrs into it one of my parents dogs died and being that their home was a 2nd home to me and the dogs I asked them if instead of getting a new rescue they would like Phoenix so they took her. My shy well behaved quiet Phoenix turned into a normal wild fun filled Aussie with my parents and their other dog Henry. Jazz had kept her under such tight control that it was quite shocking to see what she was really like. Once she moved in with them Jazz started cutting her a lot more slack and only jumped her if she broke one of Jazz's rules. In many ways they are great friends now and she and Dash got to be very good friends too The new guy Dazzle ) no rescue there as he came from a breeder) adores her and she loves no longer being the bottom dog and bosses him around.

I believe all my dogs were with me for a reason and that each was meant to be with me as there is just something very powerful about meeting a dog and knowing that yes this is your dog.

[Miaiam]

I am going to tell you guys about my dearest Maltese girls later on, but just on a quick note: God bless each and every one of you who had the kindness and generosity to adopt them

[Boxerlady]

I have been bugged by family for years to put down Charlies rescue story in writing. I have also been told I need to submit to a contest for animal rescue stories. I finally wrote it down on his rescue day this year. I have changed some names and addresses in it for their protection. On another note, the man we got Charlie from also gave us Coco a year before we got Charlie. Here is his story. Its long, I know.

[SIZE=3]Seven years ago on this day my life would change I just didn’t know it.
It would change by fate, by something I didn’t even want.
It would change because of a dog.
Over the years as a dog lover, I had heard the term “heart dog” used. Your once in a lifetime dog. I loved my dogs Duke and Coco, at the time. But then a little smashed black face came into my life on May 4th, 2003, I grew to understand what people meant by heart dog.
I hated boxers. I will admit that. I never wanted one. My boyfriend at the time, “Sam”, his sons mother bred them and every once in a while he would say we should get one. My answer? “No!!! They have smashed faces!! They are so ugly!!!”
When my friend “John” asked me to take “Thunder”, a little fawn 2 month old boxer, I agreed.
And “Thunder” came into my life like a Tornado…..literally. We picked him up the day of the Kansas City F5 tornado that ravaged KCK, Parkville and so many parts of KC. He was left outside, tied to a pole in his backyard, unable to seek shelter, to run, to do anything. Today when reading about the tornado I found this quote, “In the vicinity of “99th Street and Smith St” additional F4 damage was produced. Several structures were demolished and metal power poles engineered to withstand 200 mph winds were tossed to the ground” Metal Pole engineered to withstand 200 mph winds tossed to the ground. Its things like that that make me wonder, how on earth did he survive what he did?

The events of that day vividly play back in my head every year. I was at work when I saw on the news what was happening, my first thought…….MY OWN HOME!! MY DOGS!!! As I watched the path and realized where it was going I thought of this small little boxer that was to become my dog that day. I knew we had to go get him, against all odds we did. After the tornado, Police were only allowing people with drivers license which matched addresses in that area thru the barricades. Some how “Sam” got there and “John” unchained him from the pole he ran immdetealy for a puddle of water and drank like he hadn’t drank in years. “Sam” put him in the car and he curled up in a ball and slept. We thought, “What a quiet little dog.” HA!!!!! He was also severely malnourished. Skin and bones. I took him to get neutered and the vet would not even perform the surgery until he gained weight. “John” even had the nerve to charge us for him saying that he had to make back some of the $300 he spent on him, so I paid $150 for a dog I didn’t know if he would live or die. It was the best $150 I ever spent.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]From the beginning Charlie was anything but quiet. Full of life and love. Once when we left him in the laundry room while we were gone and he ate all of the laundry detergent. We had to give him hydrogen Peroxide to make him throw up and he threw up bubbles. For months, he would only use the deck and patio to go to the bathroom on. The hose became a useful tool. He loves stuffed toys that made any sound. Two of his favorite being a chicken that squawked and a goose that honked. He loves attacking the hose when it sprays water. He loves car rides. I can not go to Sonic without him whining, wanting a cheeseburger. He can jump high; I mean HIGH, as me, all fours off the ground. When he is interested in a noise, he tips his head. When he is happy, he rolls on his back. He can spell F-o-o-d or W-a-l-k. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]As he grew I grew to love him. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]Around a year old he started having problems. He started becoming very dog aggressive and attacking our other dogs. It’s almost as if he would go into a trance and attack them. Because of the way he acted someone told me it could be a tumor. I took him to the vet and they ran tests and nothing came back. I spent around $400. They wanted to do an MRI. $1500. I couldn’t afford that. I loved him but knew if he had a brain tumor we would just have to wait it out. We accepted the reality that everyday could be his last.
Somewhere around 2005 he started having seizures. We weren’t sure if it was the tumor or not. He would have them every couple months and still does to this day. Again, they suggested an MRI, which I could not afford. The vet tried putting him on Phenobarbital but it made him pee and pee and pee and pee. We decided the seizures weren’t bad enough for the side effects. To this day I still don’t know if he has a tumor, if so it would be slow growing. In November 2008 we believe he may have suffered a mini stroke. If you look closely at his ears you can still see the effects. One only lays flat, he can’t perk it and he also has issues with his paw on that same side.
Why after so many years did I decide to write this down? A few reasons. Something about seven years means something to me. This year as I think about this day, I feel accomplished. Many others couldn’t or wouldn’t have gotten Charlie this far.
Also recently I met someone online, someone who I actually encountered a few years ago on Craigslist and did not keep in touch with. She had what we believe to be one of Charlie’s brothers. He was adopted from the KCK animal shelter at 3 years old in 2006. He and Charlie are a spitting image of each other. There is always the chance they are not related but after looking at pictures of this dog, it’s a feeling I get. I know it may sound crazy but this dog and Charlie have some kind of bond. If not the bond of brothers, the bond of enduring something horrible. Max, also suffered health problems and passed way in March from Cardiomypathy. 7 years old. The same age as Charlie. It made me think of how short of time they are actually with us. We have to treasure every moment. Every sloppy kiss, every paw box, every time they whine for food, jump on the guests, chase the neighbors cats or snuggle next too us and make those sounds only a boxer can make.
He was blessed because I became his owner. But he was not the only blessed one. I am blessed because I got to know him. In every essence he is my child; well except he is dog and I didn’t give birth to him. lol I would put my life on the line for him but in return he has and would put his on the line for me.
People who don’t love animals may critize me. I have gotten used to it. “You can’t love a dog this much.”, “You need a life.”, “You need children.”, and “Your life isn’t whole if you love your dogs this much.” To those people, I say oh well.
Today 7 years doesn’t seem like enough time. I’m not done knowing this dog. If were up to me I would never be done knowing this dog. But I know sometime in the next few years I will be. Maybe it will be a seizure or a stroke or cancer. I can’t analyze it now because when it boils down to it, it really doesn’t matter. All I can do is love him.
Charlie, thank you for the last 7 wonderful years as my dog and here’s to the next however many more we get to share together. I love you son. [/SIZE]