My husband and I volunteered at our local shelter and during this time, we made a promise to each other that there would be no more rescues, as we already had two adopted cats. My husband kept his promise; I didn’t. It was all Archie’s fault though. I was “kitty cuddling” one day when I saw him in his cage. He rolled, flipped and then reached thru the bars with those soft paws and he meowed at the top of his lungs (he still does this when he wants to get your attention) as if to say “just give me a chance”. At that moment I knew I would love this cat and of course both my husband and I adore him.

I was so surprised to see that he was in the Lonely Hearts Club and had been at the shelter about 2 months. Such a beautiful creature with his long silky fur and more surprisingly he had been returned twice before! Archie has issues I’ll admit. At first he would jump at me when I disciplined him. Who knows what kind of an unkind world he came from. With a little patience and kindness, he quickly overcame that and 2 years later he’s the sweetest baby ever and a wonderful playmate to our other cats. I sometimes remark that he’s not the sharpest tack in the box and my husband always says “well he was smart enough to find the most loving home a cat could ever have!”

IN 2009 I lost My Husky/Hybrid to a Stroke I was Heartbroken .. So My Husband said I could get a New Baby .. I went online looking for a Golden Retriever @ Golden Ret Rescue of California .. I found Ginger bear She was thin frail abused very skiddish .. I Got her home fattened her Up fed her treats and snacks in a Month she was a whole new dog I took her to groomers and wow she was 3 shades Brighter :-) I love her so much the best thing I ever did was Rescue my Ginger bear <3

My neighbor had called repeatedly, saying she needed to see me as soon as I returned home from work. I hadn't known her for long, so I was curious as to what could be so important.

I arrived next door and saw the usual assortment of dogs. And then something very small whizzed past me. She was only 5 months old and running around like lightning flashes. Her hair was long and in her eyes. I asked "who's this?" and she was scooped up and held out to me "She's yours, if you want her", Sandra said. Of course I wanted the wiggly, adorable little Yorkie. She was a miniature of my neighbor's dog, Hannah, whom I fell in love with when I met her. And she was the exact opposite of my beloved, calm, handsome, aging Golden Retriever, Garcia. I thought she would be great company for him.

Karlie's owner had brought her in to the local Petco where Sandra works, saying she couldn't keep her. I suspect she just gave up on her - she wasn't housetrained. After falling head over heels for her, my family worked hard to be consistent and loving, and in 5 months, she learned to steal hearts and go to the bathroom outside.

Karlie is three now, and not a moment goes by that we aren't captivated by her sweet, silly personality, and her ability to communicate and boss us all around. We weren't looking for another dog, but we thank Sandra and God every day for our newest family member!

Hi, My name is Special,

I was adopted on 8/10/12, My mommy came into the shelter and she spotted me.

I was the only little dog in that place, my other friends they were bigger then me.

When I saw my mommy and she seen me; we both gave each other big smiles.

I was waging my tail of course my mommy don't have a tail so she could not wag one.

She was standing at the cage thinking that I was a male, But I fooled her.

I know she didn't know who I was, because there was no paper on the cage door.

She left out of the room for awhile, and I was thinking she was not coming back.

It took her awhile to find out all about me; I then over heard that they could not find

any information about me.

They were out by the office talking about me, and that I may had been adopted.

So my mommy was not giving up on me she made sure they went back to find

papers on me.

It took them two hours and they had found the paper work.

They came back to my cage and took me out to go visit my mommy.

I was so happy because I got to go into my mommies warm hands.

And I know my mommy was going to be the one to be my mommy.

Then I was so filled with joy, because my mommy said I want her.

She had to pay a small fee, but she said it was all worth it.

Then I got to ride in the car, and ended up in my new home.

We both go for walks every day, I get to eat good healthy food.

But she will not allow me to eat people food, But that's alright with me.

I get to sleep with her every night

I got the best mommy in the world, and she got the best friend in the world. "Me"

Thank You for Taking The Time to Read our Story.

Loretta, and Special.

I was picked up by the ACC walking the streets, alone, scared and hungry. Someone had called and said they had seen me for a couple of weeks. I was swooped up and taken and dumped in a cage, around barking dogs and no kind faces. I watch people come and go and nothing. Soon I developed kennel cough, so now my days were numbered. In walked my Mommy, but she did not know it yet.

I saw her look at another dog, which was a min-pin and she asked for both of us to be taken out of the cage. She said the dog meant for her would pick her, not her them.. Well I gave my best performance and guess what, she fell in love.

This was in Nov of 2011, I was going to spend my Thanksgiving in a forever home.. Yipee

My mom had to wait to fix me, because I was sick and the medicine given to her did not work. She took me to the vet and did not stop until I was well, spending money that was hard on her due to her being disabled, but she said I was worth it.

I now enjoy being loved and I have gotten over having to sleep with her to make sure she did not disappear and I know that when she leaves she will return. I am happy and so is she, we rescued each other.

Half Pint was found at a horse farm where he seemed to have gotten kicked by a horse in the face. His left eye was hanging out of his face and crusted over. He still walked around and acted like everything was hunky dory. We rescued him, when the ranch owner didn't want to keep the cat inside after his eye removal. He was going to be put to sleep. I couldn't do it. He was so filled with such life and character, loving everyone including giant dogs. So he got the operation and has good sight in his right eye. He was only 3 lbs when we rescued him. The vet stated that he was actually 6 months old, can you believe it. He is now 4 lbs, 7 months old. He's always going to be small but doesn't appear to have any problem navigating around the house, playing like a little demon and living it up. He longs to go outside but he is too small and doesn't have enough sight to be safe. So he has to be happy with outings with his mommy and daddy watching. He's a daddy's boy and daddy is Half Pint's forever. He said that little boy wasn't going anywhere.

Eight years ago the smallest black kitten was brought into my place of work the day after Halloween by a man who found her and one of her siblings in the woods. He wasn't able to catch her sibling, but he knew that our crew had a soft spot for strays and could usually find them good homes. She didn't look any more than five weeks old. My husband and I have always been dog people, but something about this cutie made me take her home. It took a couple of days for my husband to get hooked, but then he was lost in those eyes. We named her Jasmine (which ironically is a white flower). When she went into heat a month early, we discovered she was actually older than her size portrayed. She is very petite, about eight pounds. She immediately took charge of the household, including our Norwegian Elkhound, Tasha (45 pounds).

A few years later Tasha passed away at the age of 14. We gave it a couple of years and finally got another dog. An Irish Wolfhound we named Calista (55 pounds)! And guess who’s still in charge? Yup, Jasmine! She is an absolute princess! In this photo she's winding down in my (her) recliner after a long day of chasing Calista around.

I went to the Eastern Shore Animal League in search for a small dog to adopt. I had a dog named Rip that had been stolen away from me and I needed to fill the void so I could stop crying every night. The first dog I saw when I walked down the hallway of cages was a dog named "Lucky". With the way things were going with me at the beginning of this year finding out that I had liver disease and may need a transplant I felt lucky to be alive. I saw the dog and thought he was so cute, then I saw the name and thought, "this was meant to be". I went and picked up Lucky yesterday April 11, 2013 from the shelter and while I was leaving saw a collar hanging there that said "Lucky dog" on it with four leaf clovers. I have a tattoo of four leaf clovers on my neck...needless to say I bought the collar and took Lucky home. He loves his new house and yard to roam in and I believe it was fate that brought us together! He likes to cuddle and give lots of kissies, he slept with me all night in my bed...I love Lucky!!! Thank you ESAL, you brought happiness back into Lucky and my life!

I adopted Maddie Belle from Ninna's Road to Rescue when she was 12 years old. Maddie Belle spent 12 long years in a puppy mill having puppies twice a year. When she was pulled from the puppy mill her mouth smelled like rotting flesh. She was spayed and the vet pulled all but 3 teeth. Pus oozed from her nose because of the infection in her mouth. She was starving to death and dying from dehydration. Her eyes were white and cloudy.

Maddie Belle is now the Ambassador to Ninna's Road to Rescue and has her own facebook page! She speaks for those who cannot speak for themselves. Her motto is Adopt Don't Shop! She also supports Spay/Neuter your pets. Maddie Belle makes public appearances, helps raise funds for Ninna's Road to Rescue, and shares dogs/cats that are available for adoption.

Maddie Belle survived the puppy mill because she has a spunky fiery stubborn personality! She has her fears i.e. separation anxiety, certain household noises, opening of a soda can, and is fearful of flatware in the kitchen. I spend a lot of time holding her or carrying her in a pouch wherever I go. Maddie Belle is the baby now. Because of good nutrition her eyes have cleared. I never dreamed I would adopt an older dog. Her adoption has changed not only her life but mine as well. We were in a store yesterday and someone recognized her from her facebook page! Quite the celebrity!

I have 6 dogs all are loved and special to me. But I must admit that Maddie Belle Miller holds a special place in my heart!

I've been adopting animals for years. I even got a horse from the local shelter. I went in to get one cat after the one I had died of an abcess in her chest, but these two picked me and my sons. They were both from the streets, but now they have a warm bed to sleep on and they dominate the house. They're the most loving cats I've ever had, and they get along really well together. They're best friends to me, and to each other. I can't imagine my life without them.