I recieved a call from the vet office less than 24hrs after losing our 12yr old Siberian Husky, Jesse, to an aggressive tumor.

Vet said she knew we had just lost our husky the night before, but..... A family had just left a 5 month old husky with Parvo to be put down.

The vet believed that the dog was in the very early stages of the disease & could be saved if we would be willing to pay a portion of the treatment,

we could have her for no additional cost. We had 9 pets now, I was looking to downsize, but I felt that God was asking me to do this.

I had paid $200 for Jesse 8 yrs before & it was the best money I ever spent for a dog. I needed some confirmation from God, since I REALLY did not want another mouth to feed. So, I asked God that if he REALLY wanted me to take this dog, the vet bill would not be more than the $200 I paid for Jesse. We went to meet

dog and I spoke with the vet. She said that she would call me at home in about 30 mins and give me our cost to save the dog. I did not tell her about my talk with God. We went home, got the call. Vet quoted our part at $199.95. Good Lord, I hear ya! :-) Then the vet said that if the 1st treatment did not go well, it could cost up to $750 to save her. I told the vet that I already knew the 1st treatment would take.... AND IT DID! The vet called 2 days later and said, 'come get your dog'! :-) That was 2 years ago and Hanna has come a long way... and so has my husband in dealing with the grief of losing Jesse. No dog can replace Jesse... but Hanna has made it her mission to make her daddy happy everyday with her love and kisses. ALWAYS RESCUE IF ABLE..... there's no better HAPPY CRITTER KARMA! :-)

Comet and Dasher's story starts long before we adopted them. Their mother and father were dumped at a local humane society, she gave birth to 7 babies Christmas morning (hence their names -- the 9 reindeer). By the time they arrived at the shelter we adopted them from, mom had already been spayed, so they were bottle fed. For 4 years they sat at the shelter, they wanted nothing to do with anyone. When I saw their picture on PetFinder, I immediately fell in love. The shelter manager was hesitant about letting me meet them, for 4 years they had passed over EVERYONE. As soon as they sat on the 'meeting couch' with me, they immediately took to me -- climbing on me, sniffing me, etc. The shelter manager's jaw nearly hit the floor, she basically asked how soon we could take them home. When we brought them home a few days later, they wouldn't come out of their hiding box and barely ate. Thinking I made a huge mistake, I called the shelter for advice. Today, you would never guess that they were very timid. We actually have to walk around THEM in the hallway (they refuse to move!). They have ruled the house for 3 years now, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I had adopted a small black and white cat, Lucille from the animal shelter in Coeur d'Alele, Idaho and she was loving and sweet. She disappeared some months later and after 2 weeks I saw a black and white cat that I thought was her on the edge of the woods. I live in the mountains of Northern Idaho and there's wildlife all around. A cat has to come a long way to get here through coyote, cougar and bobcat country. I soon realized that this new cat was much larger than Lucille and didn't come when I called. I put food and water out for him and soon he was coming closer to the house. He was flighty and if something scared him he appeared to glide or skip over the ground to get away, thus the name Skipper. He finally got brave enough to come inside and I was able to get him in to be neutered. The vet determined he was about a year old. He's 12 now, though he still plays like a kitten and weighs in at 15 #. He has relaxed a lot as you can see by the photo. He loves to wait outside the door when he knows one of the other cats will eventually come through then he jumps out to scare them. He makes us laugh regularly. You just can't beat a rescue animal for filling your life with love and light.

Susan

Tazz has been an exceptional cat from the start, very personable with a strong presence. He belonged to a family member who left him after a divorce. He lived here and there, mostly outside in Montana and I think from his scars and torn ear that he had to defend himself more than once from other cats and dogs. Just before he came to me he was living outside in a camp where the temperature was in the single digits. At that time he was 17. I've had him 4 years now and he just turned 21. He is healthy and happy and brings us a lot of joy..

We got him some sweaters to help him stay warm in the colder weather. He joins two other household member cats who wandered here, 14 miles from town in the rural mountains of N. Idaho. Love goes a long way in keeping animals healthy and their love goes just as far in keeping us healthy.

On a hot day10 years ago on my way home from work I saw a little black dog in the road, looked like she had been hit by a car. I stopped and flagged down a car heading right toward her and told him what was in the road ahead. She was lying in a pool of blood, looking dazed. 2 young men stopped to help me, one a Marine who had a poncho in his car. We put her on the poncho and the young men helped to get her to a local vet. The vet said she was about 3 months old and in shock. He gave her some fluids and said she would have to go the emergency vet overnight. I lived 70 miles from the vet and the Marine offered to go back and take her to the emergency vet. When he got there the vet told him that she had imporved so much she could stay with him. The next day I picked her up (IV and all) and took her to my vet for further testing. Fortunately, she had no broken bones, just a laceration in her leg; but, stayed at my vet for a week. My vet told me that she had parvo, which she was able to treat. We already had 2 rescue "girls" and I tried to give her to people I knew, I was not giving her to someone I didn't know, she was too special. Today, 10 years later she is the best dog. Everyone loves her and she loves everyone. She is a talker, she talks to everyone that passes. The neighbors love her too and call her the Mayor of Sandy Ridge. (Katie is on the left, then Ashley and Carolina)

It was a hot summer day in August, 3 years ago. I was near my bathroom window and I happened to look outside, where I saw a small skin-and-bones tabby walking near the woods.Right then, I grabbed a bowl of cat food and water and I bolted outside so that I wouldn't miss her. As I approached the woods, I bent down with the food and water to see where she was hiding and found her crouched in terror under a small bush, just staring at me with her big green eyes. She looked to be about 2-3 years old and previously owned by someone as her coat was beautiful and clean. I decided to try coaxing her out with the food. It was a good hour before I could get her completely out and to my porch where she could eat, but it was well worth it. As she was eating, I noticed that she was spayed too! This cat was either abused and abandoned (she is extremely scared of brooms and loud noises) or she became lost from her original home. Either way, I decided that I would keep her if she decided to stick around; she did, and I named her Pumpkin (ironically, I found her in a state of starvation and now, she's around 15 pounds!) She is an amazing cat that is loved by everyone who meets her. She waits for me religiously everyday on my porch when I get home and trusts me completely.

In August 2012, me (12) and my sister (6) were playing by our barn when we heard small meows coming from underneath a pool. Since I love animals I started to look for the kittens. After looking for 2 hours straight I finally found them, 4 tiny and cold kittens (Tillie, Boots, Cola and Cuddles). I took the kittens in and raised them as if they were my own kids, I got up at night to feed them and my MALE Yorkie / Shih-Tzu mix, would lick them to make them go to the washroom. Sadly, 1 kitten (Tillie) didn't make it and she ended up passing away at 3 weeks of age. The other 3 however, went to amazing homes. Not a day goes by where I don't miss them, but then I think about it and realize how lucky I was to have had that opportunity and for ALL OF THEM ( including the one that passed away) to have gone to GREAT homes. P.S. During the time we had the kittens we did see the mother and we tried to catch her, sadly we never did. Also, about a week after the kittens had left we found out the mother had two more kittens (Jepperz and Tiger) that looked to be about 9 weeks old (the previous kittens were 9 weeks as well). We caught them too and they also went to loving homes. We believe the mother was in the middle of moving the kittens when we found the 4 kittens. I encourage people to when they find kittens take them in and raise them because I promise in the end it will be VERY rewarding.

This is my sweet petite. She's 13 and she only weighs 8 pounds because she was malnourished for the first three years of her life. I know that because she was my sister-in-law's cat. Shortly after my sister-in-law moved into a no-pets apartment, I asked her where Smokey was. She said she'd just let her out when she moved. I went searching. I found her under a tree, panting.

Over the next two years, I taught Smokey to trust that there would always be good food, clean water, and time for her. I recently marveled to a friend who is a veterinarian how sweet that small cat is, considering her start in life. She said Smokey got that sweet when gentle hands put her carefully into a soft blanket and took her away from her death under a tree and turned her into into a healthy cat. She said cats aren't stupid. Se knows you saved her life. She isn't going to give you any trouble. She's just going to try to balance the debt by loving you.

She is my best friend.

In 2001, I rescued a litter of kittens who were abandoned in a neighbors back yard. There were 5 of them, but I could only catch 4 on my first try. While the 4 recuperated from their various illnesses at the vets, I tried every day to catch the remaining kitten. Finally, two weeks later I caught him. (I also set a kindness trap for his mother, but she got out, and I never saw her again.) The kitten had a huge growth covering his eye, and the vet said he was blind in that eye. We tried for two years to save the eye, but ultimately it had to be removed. I found homes for 2 of the kittens, and keep 3. He's now 12 years old and living the happy indoor life. Booger doesn't know he's blind in one eye, and this pic shows him playing peek-a-boo.

while walking my dog Suzy(a rescue) one night I saw something move in the darkness. suddenly a cat came up to my dog and started to snuggle with her. I tried to coax him into my home but he would not come in. I left food out for him and then the next morning while walking Suzy he appeared again and then he walked along with Suzy and I. I came back home and he waited at the bottom of the stairs so I gave him food again and grabbed my camera and Suzy came down the stairs and this happened. I was determined to get him inside so I coaxed him with food and after a few days he would come in for a few minutes then leave. after about a week he decided to stay and Suzy and him are best friends now. I named him Remo after a character in a movie