I went to Homeward Bound animal rescue in Decatur IL, to see another dog that already had been adopted. I was walking outside looking at all the other dogs they had available. Suki came up from a walk with a volunteer, she asked if I would like to finish Suki's walk and I said sure. She did very well on the rest of her walk so I took her to a viewing room. She must of known this was important because she started kissing me as to say " take me home lady!"

She had a few restrictions when I filled out her paperwork. Not being around kids was one of them. They couldn't of been more wrong! She is such a lover to my bf's twins. They love her SO much.

Suki has her issues and we are still working on a few things but I wouldn't choose another dog if I could. She came into my life 3 years ago and I wouldn't change anything about her.

Please consider adopting your pets. I think they save you just as much as you save them.

This beautiful little man wondered in our yard one night and tried to pee on my son's leg as he worked on a car He was covered in ticks, fleas, and had worms and was one big matt of hair, also had an eye infection and ear mites. I have groomed poodles and worked with dogs since I was 11 so... I put some alchol in a quart canning jar and started on the ticks first, it was half full when I stopped. tick and flea dipped him, stripped him down, wormed him, cleaned his ears, fed, watered and bathed him as my whimpering jack russel Norman waited with bated breath for his new buddie. Well 9 hours later at 4:30 in the morning, we all got to bed! Vet, neutering, shots, no chip (wouldn't have returned him anyway!!) etc. The vet said he had been neglected and abused for a very long time... he is about 4 years old, so we just celebrate his birthday with Norman on his, January 1st. Mr Bates is sooooo very special and loved, he is finally home for good!! He does have a bladder problem, not medical though and needs diapers sometimes, but so what!!! his Momma has the same problem, I need a diaper now and then! This photo is a day he wasn't feeling to great and had gotten in my bed in my spot so I put his sweater on and covered him up, look closley, could you abuse or neglect this gorgeous little guy? When he smiles, he looks like my Grandfather that passed 12 years ago, who knows???

We rescued Newt in 1996 in North Carolina. Since that time he lived in five U.S. cities and four foreign countries, He had flown more miles than most people. He was the sweetest, most loyal cat anyone could wish for. He acted as the ambassador of good will whenever we brought feral foster kittens into our home. Although one of the smartest cats I have ever known, Newt had a silly side to him as he never did figure out that his tail was attached to him as he chased it endlessly! He brought joy to our hearts and home every single day for almost 17 years. Mr. Newt died last week. He may be gone but he will never, ever, be forgotten. R.I.P Newt.

I was at the shelter looking for a cat; my beloved Junior had recently passed away and I was so very lonely. I had an open mind as to what kind of cat I would love to take home with me, secretly wishing for a Calico-type lol. When I approached Casey's cage, it seemed like he was happy to see me. A black and white cat...hmmm...no where near a Calico, but I thought I'd give him some loving and return him to his cage. But during our initial meeting, that boy reached up and gave me a kiss, then a bunch of kisses. I knew then he chose me to be his forever Mom. We've had 8 wonderful years together, he's my best buddy, my loving companion who entertains me till it hurts to laugh any more. I haven't been lonely one second with my treasured Casey. We have a mutual sense of unconditional love for each other, which is great due to the way I look first thing in the morning. Casey is the second adult cat I rescued from the shelter, and that is the way I will always go. Everyone wants a kitten while adults have a shorter survival time in shelters I believe. Thank you for this opportunity, and thank you for all the great works you do.

At the animal hospital, the sign on his cage said he'd been used as a blood donor kitty but was now up for adoption. He was unimpressive; skinny and needed a good brushing. While waiting for my own kitty to be brought to me, I stroked him through the cage bars before being called to the reception desk to answer a question.

Afterward I didn't return to his cage but strolled around the large lobby. Another client tapped my shoulder. "Excuse me," she said, "But that cat you were petting has been following you in his cage as you've walked around. I've tried to play with him but he won't pay any attention to me. He only watches you and follows you, and I just think you should know that."

I believe in signs from the universe, but I wasn't sure about this. I already had two cats and didn't need a third. Still, I felt this was an unusual thing not to be easily dismissed. I made one more test: I told the universe that when I left I would glance back, and if he was looking after me I would accept that he was meant to be with me. At the exit I looked back. . . there he was, cage side closest to me, watching me leave him.

He's been part of my family for 10 years and we adore our Flynnie. He's quite the conversationalist although he still needs to learn to use his inside voice. And I'll be forever grateful to the woman who alerted me to this sweet boy who claimed me as his through the bars of a cage.

Yesterday I lost a great friend. Snowey came to our animal shelter a couple years ago. He looked like a mess. His hair was matted and dirty. It took a couple of days until Snowey would trust us enough to work with him but when we did WOW! His eyes just sparkled. He was so proud of his new coat. Snowey won the hearts of everyone who met him. We decided he could become our new shelter manager and that is exactly what he did. Snowey died yesterday from what we think to have been a brain tumor. He will be missed.

In March of 2011, I had a huge hole in my heart from the loss of my most precious feline love, Cody, to complications of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. He was only 7 yrs old and it was a total shock, as he was just diagnosed the day before he died. I had rescued him from a kill shelter just over 6 years before and he had been the light of my life ever since.

I knew that no other kitty could possibly replace Cody in my heart, but I also knew that he loved me enough to not want me to be so lonely, so about 2 wks later I began looking at cats on the Petfinder web site just to get an idea of how I would feel about adopting again. After several days of looking at 2 particular cats, I called about one and found that he had just been adopted. The next day, I checked on the 2nd cat and realized to my horror that he was at a kill shelter! They said they didn't have anyone else interested in him, so after a 3+ hour drive to the shelter, I adopted him.

He is such a sweet, fluffy boy - just like a big teddy bear - that we decided to name him Teddy. He settled right in without any problems and learned his name in 1 day. He meets us at the door when we come in, he sits at the table with us while we eat, he sits on my lap while I read my email, and he snuggles with us while we watch TV and sleep. He rarely lets me out of his sight, following me around the house. I may have rescued him from the kill shelter, but he rescued me from my pain and loneliness.

I can't thank the many shelters and rescue organizations enough for their life-saving work. Please adopt a rescue. They will repay you 10-fold with their amazing love!

So at the time when I got Shasta I had just given up my other dog.(A pit cross) So there was some sadness there but it was good too. It was a day at the street fair in a little town we lived in and there was puppies there. I asked for one being only 14 at the time. (Now about to turn 18) I couldn't get one. But my mom did say that we could go ask a friend about going with us later that week to amusement park. I couldn't wait for that and it sounded fun since we had met them there anyways. So as we pulled into there drive way there was a dog changed onto a dog house. She barked at us but all I could say was "That dog is cool" My mom thought I had lost it. As we went in and talked the lady of the house said that the dog was born right there but couldn't come in because it would poop in the house. So it lived there on the side of there house. After some more talking and a little begging my mom said yes that we could take Shasta home and try her out for a week. Once there I groomed her all up (Mostly just shaved her down) so she could come into our house. For the next 4 hours I was in my room with her just working on getting her to come over to me. After that and having me leave for work with my mom and so forth I found out she would poop in the house if not locked in a crate. So we worked on that and just getting her used to people. It took close to 3 years before she wouldn't run from my mom and we could pass her food without her having to hide to eat it. Now she thinks she's a small dog and happy as ever. She's also really good with kids and everything. So good that she didn't even mind my mom's crazy old dog.

I rescued Alfie 4 years ago. I started out as his foster mom and adopted him because I fell so in Love with him and he was so previousley abused I needed to be sure that he would never be treated bad again. He has been such a little Love Bug. I just dont understand how anybody could hurt an Animal. Alfie and my other boy Sammy are budddies and they get along very well. When I first brought Alfie home he was so scared of everybody, so i just let him come to me on his time. I didnt want to crowd him and scare him. he didnt even know what to do with a squeeky toy, he watched me and sammy play with the squeeky and before long he wanted to play. Now it is one of his favorite things to do. He also Loves to dance. I Love both of my Dogs more than anything and I wish I had more room so I could foster and adopt 2 more. Rescueing my Alfie is the best thing I have done. I still foster but not as much. Alfie get pretty jeoulous of other Dogs.

Toes was my choice after several visits to Cats 1st, a no kill feral cat rescue for mostly kittens. There were so many kittens to pick from. Since she was the largest of her litter, she really stood out and she has 8 toes on each of her front paws, so she was easy to name. She is a beautiful muted tortoise with very high energy and very inquisitive.

Then a friend took in a stray that showed up at her house and although she was allergic to cats, she fed her for weeks and let her in to sleep on her screen porch. When the snows came my friend could not bring her into the house and the shelters she contacted were full until after Thanksgiving. After hearing the story and meeting the cat, I volunteered to take her home for "a few days". This cat was so mild mannered and friendly, she stole your heart.

And so Socks, named for her distinctive long white stockings, became big sister to 6 month old Toes. Toes and Socks -the perfect pair. Lily my 4 year old mini dachshund rescue fit right in too. They all play, eat and sleep together. They give me so much love and entertainment everyday. Please rescue, life is short, make it worthwhile.