[all4thedogs]

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

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

[rockys_mom]

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

[hollysmom]

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

[Lonewolfblue]

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

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

[Shaina]

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

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

[max1]

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

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

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

[titaniummd]

Originally Posted by Devi

Cera (pronounced like "Sara")

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

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

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

We named him Snowey.

[Dutch5352]

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

[Cheetah]

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

[case sensitive]

Sally, my basset/shepherd mix.

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

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

[Pip & Alfies Mum]

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

[Shastar]

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

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

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

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

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

[threedognite]

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

[robndeb]

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

[5dogsandahuman]

We have three that we rescued.

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

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

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

[reynosa_k9's]

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

[JHB]

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

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

[scintillady]

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

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

[Aussiefan]

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

[Vixen16]

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

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

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