I left the shelter I was volunteering at after a traumatic experience that had me in tears for a month. When I found a new shelter to help out at, I immediately asked if there were any dogs about to get put down that I could foster. There was one dog that kept coming back and I was told that this was ‘it’ for him, this was his 4th and final time. Another volunteer was just bringing him inside from a walk and I turned around to see a little grey Scottie mix trotting back into his cage, all cocky and proud! I loved his confidence and couldn’t imagine why this cute little dog kept getting returned to the shelter. I took him home, but soon found out why no one wanted to adopt him and it almost broke me... Read More

The first time I saw Dolly, she was a ball of black and white fluff, dirty and matted, hiding in a blue blanket, one of 34 dogs rescued from a hoarding situation the previous month. She lived the first 8 months of her life in a dark enclosed shed. Water was only available via seeping rain water. I decided to foster her and I realized as I was driving her home that first day that I had a dog that had never been hugged, had minimal trust in humans, and I wasn’t even sure if she was house trained... Read More

I met my dog Alpine, while volunteering as a dog walker at our county shelter. After being adopted and returned three times it was clear he was unlikely to survive and would be scheduled for euthanasia. I took him home but soon realized he was much more complicated than any other special needs dog I had ever encountered. Just when I was ready to give up I had an epiphany... Read More

My husband and I received a call from our local veterinary office about Iris, a special needs dog with epilepsy who needed a home after her elderly owner passed away. The vet team warned us that she had many health issues. At the beginning, we were at the vet a few times a month, seizures, allergies, plugged anal glands, ear infections. We were exhausted. But then we changed her diet and something amazing happened... Read More

My dog Cookie came into my life when I was just about ready to give up. I was an avid cyclist and hiker, but Lyme disease, arthritis and stress took a toll on my mind and body to a point that I didn't want to get out of bed. Then I found and rescued Cookie, and she did something that changed my life... Read More

Just before her first birthday, my beautiful rescue dog began exhibiting signs of illness, awful and massive hotspots all over her body, nails so brittle that they would rip and fall off and a constant itch. We tried everything including many harmful medications. I was against it all but felt pushed that it would make her better. Eventually, I decided it was up to me to save my girls life... Read More

When my husband and I visited the rescue we saw a sad looking soul who was underweight, withdrawn, missing hair, very lame and scraped up. We both decided this poor boy definitely needed a chance at a good life. He started out wanting to spend most of his time curled up by himself on the floor away from us. He could only walk a short distance down the street to exercise and go to the bathroom... Read More

We drove hours to get to a shelter that had dogs that looked like our 'Charlie' who we recently lost. It was clear upon arrival that the owners were running a questionable “business” out of their home. My wife saw two pups huddled together under a rickety picnic table with green pus coming out of their noses. What was initially intended to be an exercise in coping with grief, became a mission to rescue these puppies. My wife whispered to me "I'm not sure if I am ready for this, but we cannot leave these puppies here"... Read More

It was in December of 2013 that my life-long dream of having a dog finally came true! I was sixteen, I knew I wanted to adopt so my parents took me to the pet store. Iker was rescued from a high-kill shelter when he was very young. He had six other siblings which were also rescued but sadly his mom was put down. We don't know much of what he has been through apart from that... Read More

I am not sure why her first mother had to give her up after nine years. Her second mother of only two years did not care for her health and wellness and kept her in their backyard. After Ms. Pia ran away from her second home, she was picked up by a Good Samaritan and brought to the Humane Society of Westchester, NY. Because she was microchipped, Pia was reunited with her family, only to be returned to the shelter a short time later because they were going away and couldn't keep her in the yard... Read More

I am 65 and after my dog passed away last July I decided I wasn't going to get another dog. And then a young husky mix appeared in my yard. I gasped when I first saw her! She was so skinny that all her ribs were protruding. I reported her to animal control, the police, our city manager, and even wrote a letter to the governor, all to no avail..... Read More

Goliath was one of fifty Chihuahuas that ranged in age from three weeks to ten years that had been rescued from a puppy mill. He was six years old and had spent his life in a cage as a breeding dog. I knew I had to help him but I had to sign a waiver to take him home acknowledging that... Read More

After the loss of our beloved golden retriever, Luna brought the joy and happiness (that only a dog can bring) back into our home. She was born on the streets of Mexico and was found with a broken hind leg and several wounds thought to have been made by a machete... Read More

My beagle, Bruno, is my life! When he turned nine, he was overweight and not in good health; I took him to the vet and he was diagnosed with Cushing’s Disease. I didn’t even know what that was! He was put on medication and even though Cushing's unfortunately does not have a cure, I thought there had to be a natural way to improve Bruno’s health! I found it .... Read More

In March of 2017 I travelled to Cuba for what I thought would be a cheap holiday in the sun. I met ‘Millie’ and another dog who appeared to be her sister, on a beach a few kilometres from the resort where we were staying. They bounded up to us like old friends, walked us back to the resort and quickly settled in. I instantly fell in love with both dogs and upon my return home, I immediately started researching "dog rescue Cuba". Because there are no animal welfare laws in Cuba, I was certain that without help, their future could be short and grim...... Read More

When I found my girl, Gaia, I thought she was a coyote that had been hit by a car. She was malnourished, could barely walk, looked as if she’d been attacked by other dogs and possibly been used for breeding in a puppy mill. Gaia also had terrible Demodex Mange. Although I was struggling financially, I instantly knew that I had to adopt her...... Read More

Our last dog Logan, who my husband and I raised from a puppy, died in June 2018.  Our home felt empty without the love of a dog, so we decided we were ready to adopt. This time we decided to open our hearts and home to a shelter dog.... Read More

We rescued our two Pomeranian dogs, Loki and Tobi in 2012. In 2013, a pre-dental CBC (complete blood count) identified that Loki's ALT levels were elevated. Over the next four years, despite using multiple protocols to lower the ALT (Milk thistle, SAMe, Denamarin, etc.), Loki's ALT continued to climb but never reached what our vet considered "alarming" levels. The Liver Detox recommended by Dr. Dobias... Read More

I was a cat person all my life; I never planned to have a dog. Then one day in 2005 my life changed when I found an adorable litter of six puppies abandoned in a field; five of them were golden, and one was black. I brought them home and, unfortunately, the black one had parvovirus and almost didn't make it. While I was nursing him back to health, I managed to find good homes for the other puppies. Thankfully the black puppy survived, and I had planned to find him a good home too, but I was in love! I named him Pluto, and suddenly, I was now a dog owner.... Read More

My dog Dorothy means the world to me! She helped reduce my blood pressure to normal without medication by forcing me to get outside, even on days I never would. We hike and swim together... Read More

If I tell you how much my dog, Zai, means to me, I would sound like a crazy person to most people. I met her when she was brought to the Utah Humane Society, where I used to work. For the first two years of her life, all was good. I fed her a raw diet, spent much time in the Utah mountains and fostered herding dogs “together.” But everything changed when we moved to the East Coast in 2015. First, she had hot spots and then contracted Lyme Disease...... Read More

I rescued Chloe two years ago. When she first came to me, she was skinny and shy. They told me she wasn't a very affectionate dog, and very reactive around all animals. From the moment she walked through my door I could see she just needed some love. Within a month she gained 10 pounds, simply from... Read More

I am a foster mom for Big Dogs Huge Paws. I first heard about Mr. Cleetus in February of 2017; he was a 9-year-old Mastiff with emotional and physical ailments. He didn't get along with the other foster siblings and needed a forever home. I took just one look at him and knew I had to adopt him. The first time he walked into my house, he knew it was his home...... Read More

I first saw Stanley’s sweet, sad face in late April, on the Facebook page of Diasozo Animal Rescue in Greece. There was nothing to him, just a skeleton with the saddest dog eyes I had ever seen. When Diasozo found him, he was just a baby, alone and abandoned in a junkyard using two old car seats placed on top of each other as a shelter. He smelled of rotting skin and disease and... Read More

My story is a little different as I love eleven dogs . My husband and I rescue the ones that are older or ill and are unlikely to find homes. We have one Dachshund that is paralyzed, another couple of “Wieners" who were returned to the shelter more than once and another older “Dachsie” that came from a hoarding case and fear-bites when distressed... Read More

I rescued Chaya on Valentines Day 8 years ago, and shortly after, my beloved three-legged older dog Oz died of pancreatic cancer. Chaya was with me at the vet when Oz passed, and it seemed like she knew that her new job was to take care of me.... Read More

I met my dog “Monkey” at the Maui Humane Society shelter. He was admitted together with five other dogs who were rescued from a house fire. The owners simply could not look after them after losing their home and he was obviously traumatized by losing his home and his family.... Read More

My Maddee is 15 years old. She’s a chihuahua/manchester terrier mix. When she has about one year old she was given to me by a friend who could not keep her. She was newly adopted from a rescue of over 50 dogs (animal hoarding).... Read More

Four years ago I lost a rescue dog who my family had taken in 3 years prior. Her name was Mika and she was a magnificent Alaskan Malamute. Her owners had abandoned her and I loved her so much. She was gentle, loving, intelligent, cunning and beautiful.... Read More

My beautiful Boston Terrier Austyn was diagnosed with stomach cancer in August and within two weeks he was gone. I spent those two weeks sharing his last adventures using the hashtag #mydyingdogslastadventures. Sharing my boy's last adventures with all of my friends and family has been very therapeutic for me during the last few weeks.... Read More

I was at a low point with my health and depression following a traumatic event. I didn’t know what to do to heal and meanwhile I couldn’t force myself out of bed many days and was so resigned to the depression that I often couldn’t even muster brushing my teeth.... Read More