Do you have a great dog rescue story to share?

Question

I'm making a video to show that rescued dogs make great pets. I've already received some pictures and stories, but I want more! I know there are lots of rescued dogs that have saved lives, either by fighting off bears or by wagging tails at the right time.

Please tell me your story!

Beautiful stories! If you wouldn't mind if I used them, please send me an email via my profile, as well as any pictures you may have!

Yes! Send me lots of dog pictures!!!

Answer 1

I lost a young dog in February and was devastated! For lots of reasons taking her out was hard work and not very enjoyable for either of us.
This however meant that we were in a position to offer another dog a home and Willow arrived, although she was kept in a shed with 7 adults and forced to have puppies, she is the least fearful dog I've ever known. She can't be over-exercised though as too much and she collapses, She has to build up slowly whilst her diet helps her gain the muscular strength she needs. I've just been diagnosed with Heart Disease and suffer from Unstable Angina so can have an attack at any time. Like her I need controlled exercise and so we are helping each other! She makes me do mine because she starts to pester me at the times we should go and won't settle. She trys to pull her lead off the hook if I ignore her too long! She also seems to know when I'm about to have an attack. Since coming out of hospital last month I've had four and she's been by my side every time, even woke me up just before one started, yet when I had an attack of heartburn which is a similar pain she didn't react at all! (I didn't know till the Doctor checked me in Casualty that it was heartburn, she obviously did) I was telling him about how she'd woken me expecting him to laugh but he said I'd got a ready made service dog and to take notice when she behaves that way. I've heard of how they can tell Epileptics are going to have a fit, so I can well believe she knows when my heart starts labouring! One day she really could save my life so I'm more than grateful the rescue society saved hers! What is really odd about it all is that I've had lots of dogs in nearly 60 years of life and she is the FIRST who has been allowed to sleep in the bedroom. She was so unsettled by living in a house that it was easier to let her sleep where she could see us and now I wouldn't have it any other way! She is also the first dog we've rescued as an adult that didn't become my husbands dog! Any Shepherd owner will know what I mean, they are a one person dog and she was mine from the very first meeting!

edit, will have to get my son to show me how to send a picture but you are more than welcome to add our story to your collection!

Answer 2

OUR STORY:

We got news of a dog in Indiana that needed a new home. He was 1.5 yrs old and the owners needed to get rid of him right away.

We traveled to Indiana - 2 states away and met the dog and owner.
His Story:
He had been in training since he was a puppy and was chained up in his own yard and the owner was giving him a bath. This lady was walking by with 4 dogs, 3 yorkies and a yellow lab. Dino started barking at them and the lady screamed and let loose of her 4 leashes... Her dogs all ran into the yard and as a pack attack Dino who was chained up. The lady ran into the yard and grabbed Dino by the head and started beating him and wildly screaming as she was trying to drag him into the street - now keep in mind that Dino is chained up so is also being choked out at the same time as being beaten.

Dinos owner finally got the woman to listen and let go of him- but in the end she had a dead yorkie (poor little things never did see that anything was bigger than they are - very courageous little dogs).

Well, the woman was passing petitions around trying to have Dino put down and it looked pretty close to happening SO Dino needed to be removed from the State of Indiana ASAP.

The woman ended up sueing and the case ended up in court. I had to write affidavits stating how Dino was now a broken dog and could not be used in sport... he was ruined - he was the Grandson of Stormfront's Brawnson - 2 times National Police Dog Champion... His Grandmother was the most titled female in the USA. His potential was gone.

The court decided against the woman and she got nothing but did have to pay for Dinos Owners lost expenses - his purchase price and attorneys fees...

It seems to never be in the newspapers when a dog "wins in court"....

Dino still shuts down when he sees "pack"... any large group of dogs - puppies included.

Dino is a great family pet and as an adult he goes and plays at Schutzhund but is incapable of a title.

Dino is loved.... Dino loves people - that is good enough for us

I know this is not what you were looking for but it is the only rescue story I have to share...

Good Luck On Your Video
H.O.T. Dog
Handler Owner Trainer of GSD's

Answer 3

Wow...those were some amazing stories others have shared. I don't have anything quite so intense, they've never saved my life, but they are my sweet companions. Both of my boys came from the pound and the workers there had little background info on them.

King is a black mix with a few white markings (lab...and the next best guess is boxer.) He was dropped at the pound several times be his previous owner (don't ask me why they let him have the dog back after one time forfeiting him...) He is a very sweet dog...loves to cuddle!

Brock is a black lab. He was picked up as a stray, wasn't housetrained, and appeared as though he had been mistreated. He's still a little shy around people (and he hates having his picture taken!) but he's becoming more confident every day. He doesn't realize how big his body is and will gladly sit on your lap. He's a big ball of energy and is always up for a game of fetch and tug of war.

Here's some pictures. I don't know if my adoption tales are what you are looking for, but you're more than welcome to use the pics or stories.

King http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g8/ksirmans/Kingonbed.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g8/ksirmans/Kingsleeping6.jpg

Brock
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g8/ksirmans/Brockpatio.jpg

Boys together
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g8/ksirmans/IM001212.jpg

Answer 4

Well, my dogs have never saved me from a bear or anything, but they've helped me get through a hard time in my life-my major surgery.
My first Dachshund, Daisy, I rescued from a puppy mill. I had been wanting a dog for a long time and heard about this lady that had a bunch of Dachshunds and she was going to euthanize about 7 of the ones she didn't use for breeding anymore. I knew I had to go out there and check out the conditions and it was terrible. There were about 60 Dachshunds, some miniature Schnauzers and Poodles, a 250 lb Rottweiler, and her own personal dogs, all outside in the Texas heat. All of the Dachshunds were in kennels and there were about 5 to each outdoor pen with one feeding bowl and watering dish that they all had to share and fight over. The ones that had puppies were in her house in little kennels that just barely held the mom and the pups and there was no food or water in there. I knew I had to rescue one of them from being put to sleep. I saw my little girl at the back of the kennel, not making a sound and giving me those sad puppy eyes. I couldn't let her die at 3 years old. She could have such a better life than that for the rest of her years. I took her from that horrible place that day. I felt so bad that I couldn't take them all. I still feel bad. I reported that nasty place to a Dachshund rescue of Texas not long ago when I was looking for another doxie to adopt. Now the lady barely has any dogs.
My next girl, Violet, got adopted about three weeks ago. I had been looking at various shelters and on petfinder.com for about 3 months and finally found a dog that sounded like a good match. The shelter was very nice, clean, and a great shelter and I had been there before. It was huge and they had several dogs and they have a dog park that you can walk any of the dogs you are interested in. I had Daisy with me and we took Violet out (her name was Annie then, but she didn't know it) and they hit it off great. We knew we wanted to adopt her and all of the shelter staff were ecstatic. She was their oldest dog at 12 years old, and of course the senior dogs are the last to go, so they were so happy. You'd never know she's a senior lady though because she has just as much energy as my four year old! She loves to play fetch and frisbee and will play for as long as you can throw. I'm glad I could give them both good homes for the rest of their years, I don't regret getting them one bit, and I wouldn't give them up for the world!

ADD: I sent you a bunch on pictures. I hope you got them. Feel free to use these stories if you'd like!

Answer 5

A driver drove past a white lump of fur for 3 days lying in the snow-filled ditch, mid-January in temperatures below freezing. On the fourth day she saw the lump move, stopped and brought the Samoyed b*tch to the closest local vet where it was determined she had been hit by a car and had a fractured pelvis and femur.

The local shelter was phoned and they knew the dog, Indira, and her owner. When they phoned him and asked about his dog he told them she was lying dead alongside the road.

The shelter took over her care, including shaving her down due to a massively infected case of ringworm. Her ears had been frost bit several times previous to the ditch incident and were a knot of scar tissue.. giving her ears like a Fox Terrier.

It was a long slow recovery and she was turned over to the Samoyed Rescue to assist with placement. With great care a home in S. Carolina was selected so that she would never again have to deal with the pain of frostbiting her ears.

Transport was arranged with one rescuer driving 1300 miles round trip to get her part of the way to her new home, and her new owners driving nearly 800 miles round trip.

Her former owner was prosecuted for animal neglect and animal cruelty- he was found guilty and spent 4 days in jail (time served) and had a $1000 fine.

Indira lived happily ever after.

Answer 6

I rescued my Australian Shepherd's pregnant mother in June of 2006 and successfully saw her through pregnancy and birth. She was impregnanted by an irresponsible owner whose Male Aussie had gotten to her. I fostered the mother and her six puppies, three males, two females.
I originally knew I wanted to keep Myles for myself, as he had striking blue eyes. But I also kept Willow, a female, for six months longer than her siblings. It took a while to find her the right home, but I finally found her a great ranch home to live at where she joined an older Aussie, Ty, and two acres with lots of sheep to practice herding.

Now Myles is my pride and joy, a truly fantastic dog. He competes in AKC Obedience and Agility, and is a fantastic herding dog.
Myles and Myles' family is my favorite rescue story to share, because I know I not only saved the mom's life, but six little joys as well.

What is so unique about these dogs is that, even though they are Australian Shepherds, I chose to let them keep their tails, all six dogs, so now there are six lovely, beautiful Aussies out there with long flowing tails. Since I am against tail docking, this opportunity meant so very much to me.

If you want a photo of Myles or his siblings, just let me know :)




Here is his photo for anyone who wants to see it:

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc139/liachien/selfstack-1.jpg

And he has his own Myspace page...haha: :)

www.myspace.com/aussiewithatail

Answer 7

Hi, i rescued a german shepard from my abusive nieghbor some years back. He was tied to a door knob, and constantly kicked by any one that walked by him. i could hear his cries, but could not get in the house, i didn't care if the guy was home or not. anyway, the abuser put the german shepard outside one day, tied to yet another door. (so tight he could only stand). i watched for a few days, he did not feed the dog at all, and he only had rain water to drink. so i started feeding him, and giving clean water. the dog broke lose of his chain and i found him on my back porch scared and trying to hide. i had to take him back,(no i did not want to), chain him back up and wait for the abuser to get home. when he came home i walked over , told him i'm taking the dog, at first he argued, but i asked him if would like jail time instead? i got the dog! i remaned him CODEBUTTONS OR CODY. unfortuantly i had to put him down a few years later. he had such bad hips, but at least he had a chance to live and be happy with me. God bless my 4 legged son.

Answer 8

Well a rescue Malinois I worked with several years ago and ended up a police officer and went on to become a great service K-9.

Answer 9

Here's a link to my dog's adoption story and a page that is all about sharing adoption stories. Hope this helped.

http://www.the-puppy-dog-place.com/jacobs-story.html

Answer 10

i have two stories for u the first one is the story of how i got my dog sammy

-this is my little sammy boy. he came from a home where he wasnt loved. when i was 12 and i wanted another pet. we started looking at small animals like rats and guniea pigs. but one night my mom and sister were looking at dogs on petfinder. and my mom said that if i could convince my dad that i could get a dog. when we went to look at the puppies he still wasnt totally convinced. but the dogs were only 25 dollars so what could it hurt. when we got to the farm we found it to be a beautiful place. rolling country hills, a beautiful garden. it was owned by a mother and her son. they took us to see the puppies. i was so nervous. i didnt know what to expect. i pictured a huge pen outside that had a doggy door so they could get inside. but i was wrong. far from the truth actually. she led us into the barn. and i saw the most horrific sight. 15 puppies crammed into a 3x3 pen. sleeping in their feces. drinking their own urine. i was sick. i almost vomitted. i looked around and i found a beautiful long haired puppy with blue eyes. he was adorable. but then i saw him. my sammy. he was the runt. he was ugly. from that moment i was in love. we told her to hold him because we had other puppies to look at. purebred english springer spaniels easily worth 1000 dollars. we got there and found the puppies in the condition i pictured the other ones to be in. they were cute and there were only 2. but the only problem was that they were expensive. we told them we had other dogs to look at and we left to go get sammy. by the time we got him home. we noticed a voice mail on my mother's phone. it was the springer spaniel people. they told us that if we wanted one of the puppies we could have one for free because we seemed like good people and they just wanted to find good homes for their last two pups. we called them back and told thm the situation and they understood and said that they would have done the same thing. and they told us to enjoy him. now days he is great. i am always getting compliments about him. i have had one offer for him but i said exactly this "why would i sell my best friend in the entire world i gave up a free purebred dog for a 25 dollar mutt, but i wouldnt want to have it any other way. i am sorry but i wouldnt trade him for the world" this dog means the world to me.

- when i wrote this story for a contest i didnt realize the impact this do would have on my life. we had just moved to a new part of town where i knew no one and i was depressed and sat inside all day that summer. i got sammy and suddenly i had a responsibility. something to wake up for in the morning. something to LIVE for. he showed me that people were ok and i didnt have to be afraid. he made me the person i am today. without him i might not even be here writing this right now. i thank him every day for what he did for me

this story is about a puppy we found and named Lucky

--The name Lucky fits him perfectly. one night in the middle of May, 2007. my sister's boyfriend's mother was working in her garden when she heard the whimpers of what sounded like a little puppy. she followed the sound up a dead end road and into the woods. there she saw a little black puppy tied to a tree with a 5 foot leash. he was skinny and obviously sick. she brought him home. her two sons came home and took care of him. gave him food. brought him outside to go potty. while they were out with him two men walked up their driveway and told them that the dog was theirs and they tied him to the tree in hopes that someone would take him. my sister's boyfriend said "u know u really have some nerve. u tied up a poor defenseless puppy to a tree in the woods. and just because he was sick and threw up on ur carpet" the guy had gotten the dog as a replacement for his girlfriend's miscarried baby. only to find out that he couldnt own a dog where he lived. he gave eric Lucky's medicine and left. that night my sister showed up and decided to bring him home with her. Eric's family really didnt need another dog and we could take him for a few days. we took him to the vet the next day and she decided to do exploratory surgery on him. and found a chestnut stuck in his stomach. she gave us the bill the next day when we picked him up. we said we couldnt pay the entire thing. she said she would cut the price in half just for us. but it was still a lot of money. she told us that we could sign him over to a local shelter who specializes in cats. they would foot the bill and we could care for him. we did so and took him home. Lucky continued to get better and better. until a fateful day in July when we took him to his forever home. which we picked. Lucky was the thing that these people needed. they were a young couple who were trying to start a family. he is a huge part of their life and they would probably be lost without him.