I'm not a animal rights activist or anything like that. But if your looking for a pet, a companion, consider adopting one from your local pet shelter.

There are many good dogs and cats that need your love.

There is a common misconception that if they are in the shelter, then something must be wrong with them. That's not alway true. Most often they were abused or mistreated.

I have several friends that have adopted. Their pets turned out to be wonderful.

"Don't buy while shelter animals die."

Pet adoption: Want a dog or cat? Adopt a pet on Petfinder

Roger that. All our critters are rescues.

And life is better with critters!

I (and the 120+ dogs and the hundreds of cats that live in the shelter that I volunteer at) would like to thank you for this post.

Most of the dogs that we work with are Pitbull mixes and they are some of the BEST friends that you could ever ask for.
With the help of the MANY volunteers and staff here at the Phila shelter, we have been able to save the lives of THOUSANDS of dogs and cats last year alone through advertising and sharing on social media. We are slowly changing the way that people see shelter animals.

And every post that brings this into light is another positive way to save these animals.

Thank you.

Could not agree more. If I decide to get another to replace the one I lost recently, it's comin' from the shelter.

Lots of good posts here on animals that certainly deserve to be given a good home. I went with a friend the other day to a pet adoption and he came home with a fine Springer Spaniel about 8 or 9 mos. old and he will sure have a good home with 2 caring people.
I have a fine dog right now even though she is getting up in age she is my girl, that is besides my wife.
I like cats too.

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James

CODY AGREES!
We adopted him at 10 months old, 4 years ago.

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Snuggles was a SuperPetz puppy mutt that has ruled the lives of me and 2 wives for 15 years. I'm really going to miss her. She is now blind, deaf, canine dementia, and the start of liver failure according to the last blood test. On good days, she is an active 6 year old dog. On bad days, she is a tired old dog that sleeps 22 hours. The best $65 I ever spent.

Full retirement will bring another small breed puppy to the house from the pound or shelter.

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S&WHF 366

I posted this because part of my job as a professional locksmith, I open, secure, and rekey foreclosed/abandoned homes.

Many of these have been turned into flop houses or commonly known as crack houses. I've seen used needles, crack pipes, used condoms, dirty diapers, cat and dog feces, you name it.

But what irritates me the most is the pets I see left behind. Starved, dirty, and neglected. From dogs, cats, hamsters, and even a turtle.

I have the local shelter's phone number programmed in my phone. So they come and pick up the left behind animals.

I can't overemphasize the word "irritated!

Agreed. I just recently had to rush my beloved Golden to the emergency room a few weeks ago. He was old and somehow his stomach became twisted. The vet came back with the worst news possible: I had to let my best fiend go. His name was Zeplin, a purebred we saved from an animal shelter. I haven't felt pain or grief that strong since my father was killed years ago. Having said that, I would absolutely do it again, in fact I think I may even owe it to my buddy to save another 2nd hand dog. Thankfully my oldest, and some say craziest companion Dusty, lays under the bed keeping watch over us since the old boy no longer can.

Those guys enrich our lives like nothing but our children can.

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This is my Spock. He is a rescue and coming to the end of his days. Here's a pic in better times.



100lb Aussie

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NRA Benefactor

I had a basset hound pass away recently after almost 10 years. I miss her so much and she came from the local rescue. I was looking at coloradobassetrescue.com a couple weeks after she passed and now have a pair of basset hounds in need of a home. You can see "Sarge" and "Rosie" listed under available dogs. I couldn't help it, I just had to give the old boy a good home and his girlfriend was part of the deal. I still miss my "Dorie Dog" but these two new family members are bringing my family a ton of joy.

Both my Bullies are rescues, er a they rescued me,

My Lab, Sophie is from the shelter and is the smartest most loving dog I've ever had. They seem to "know" what you did for them, you gave them a home and they repay you a thousand fold.

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Dick

If dogs don't go to heaven I want to go where they go. We have adopted our last 4 dogs from animal shelters and couldn't be happier. We currently have molly a lab that is getting up in years she is about 12 as best they can tell and charlie a yorkie that is around 6. The love they give us is amazing. We have had molly for 8 years and charlie for 2. And yes, thank you to the op for the post!

Ours have all been rescue dogs. Wouldn't have any other kind!

-Z-

Tyrod - one of our current rescue dogs looks a lot like yours. He's a nine year old Australian Shepherd mix, sixty five pounds. He's a gentle fella and devoted to us, of course, the feeling is mutual.

We have had four rescue dogs, a Golden-Brittany and an English Shepherd that have preceeded us to the field by the Rainbow Bridge. We have two now, an Austrailian Shepherd mix and Gordon Setter mix.

Don't overlook the older dogs, they can fill your days with joy. Strider is nine, he spent a year in foster since folks didn't want an old dog. Nine isn't that old, give them a chance for golden years in a forever home.

Here is little Poochaloo....15 year old rescue we got last year. She's a sweetheart! Hates cats, though....

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Even older, even crankier....

I'm connected to the Melrose Humane Society up here in MA.

Some beautiful animals have been saved and placed in new homes. Once a year in the Summer there is a get together and all the adopting parents come with their new friends.

It really is a great time, seeing how happy the owners and pets are.

So if your looking for that certain pet, please adopt one.
They are all looking for someone like you.

Here is Pig who I took in about 5 years ago: (Spoiled Rotten)

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Doesn't hasta call me Johnson

Of course, I'm a little emotional about this subject. But, you are right. There is usually nothing wrong with the animal, just the people that put them there in the first place. Just hope the animal doesn't hold a grudge (most don't), and show their appreciation for your understanding.

Had to add, I have 3 rescued dogs, and one rescued cat still living. These are the most wonderful blessings in all the world.

DIRECTV - "Stop Taking in Stray Animals" 2012 Commercial - YouTube

I keep showing this to my wife. She's a softy, apparently.
My wife has brought home a cat (that has dissapeared) and today a 2 yr old Weimareiner. She says she's sweet. We have an 8+ year old male. I'm not sure how this is going to work out...

The commercial is funny to us because it aired the day she brought that cat home. He never warmed up. The other cat we have ran him off, I think, even though he is half the size.

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War Eagle! '10 BCS & '13 SEC

My house is full of dogs. One of my stepdaughters breeds Aussies, so we often have an extra dog or two staying with us. But we still find room for a rescue every so often. Usually we foster them for a number of weeks or months until a permanent home can be found. I think it helps them to socialize with other dogs, especially if they have been isolated and penned up.

One day my wife brought home Pepe, a Mexican beagle that had been in an abusive home. She hadn't asked me, and was a little hesitant about my reaction. Well, I sat down with Pepe, and it took me about 30 seconds to bond with him. I said "I guess this little fellow has found a home here." Pepe was not the best looking example of his breed. He was kind of snouty and had a terrible overbite. Being a beagle, he was pretty vocal, and being Mexican, he didn't speak a word of English. But he sure was good company. Smart, too. I never had another dog figure out how to open the refrigerator. We had to bungee it shut to keep him out.

One day when I was out of town, he and the other dogs got out of the yard. I'm pretty sure he had figured out the gate. The others came back, but the Pepe didn't. The next day, my wife got a call from the vet. He had been found dead in the road. We had chipped him, so they were able to trace him back to us. I like to think that at least we were able to give him a couple of pretty good years. He sure gave us a couple.

My daughter came home with a pound mutt about five years ago and broke my string of thirty-six years of "no critters". I had an Irish setter that broke my heart when I had to put him down in '72. Bailey has become part of our lives now, even Mrs. Nixon, who never had a pet in her life until this one came along, is happy with her. Bailey was probably mis-treated early in her life which infuriates me to no end. I believe that animal abusers should get a really good, inner-city or country-boy beating every day until they "get it". Anyway, Bailey was nervous and jerky for a couple or three years when she first came home but in the last couple of years of love and patience, she has really blossomed. My daughter is moving to the big city saturday and leaving Bailey with us. She won't miss us, but the dog...

Russ

Keep em coming folks. Stories like this are what it's all about.

Makes me wanna cry.

Both of our cats are rescues of sorts. One had been a breeder's stud. If we hadn't taken him on, he would have lived the last eight years in a cage in the corner of a cattery. He would have had food, water, and medical care, but no human to call his own. Now he has three. Our other boy was found by a friend, who is a teacher, on the school playground when he was a week or so old. We bottle fed him for weeks, all the while knowing he likely wouldn't make it. He turned three sometime around last Halloween. At 13 pounds, I think he'll pull through.

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Insert short witty words here

This is Kyra, we adopted her July of 2011. She's about a year and a half now.

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Your story just made my day.

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Doesn't hasta call me Johnson

My wife adopted a 3-4 year old Chihuahua from our local Humane Society in december. She is a very loyal little dog and has settle into our routine quite nice. Here she is sporting a handle bar applied by our 5 year old son. She takes it all quite well.

All of our pets were rescues.

Our latest rescue, Fisher. He's a Chihuahua/Dash Hound mix.



And Bobby. We became instant buddies.



His favorite spot lately.

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_It was love at first shot_

Great post! I couldn't agree more. And even if you're not looking to adopt, please don't forget that most shelters operate on donations and with the help of volunteers. Food, toys, beds, blankets, bowls, leashes, collars, cash, everything is appreciated. I'd also like to add one more thought. If you are looking to adopt, please don't forget about the senior and special needs animals. So many times older dogs spend their last days in a shelter because most people want a puppy or younger dog. But seniors can make wonderful pets. I adopted a senior Doxie with special needs that had been picked up as a stray. Angel was approximately 10 years old, had to take thyroid meds daily, had a heart murmur, fatty tumors, and was almost completely deaf. But she had this look in her eye that said "please don't let me die here". The rescue manager said she was a sweet dog, even though she wasn't pretty. I thought she was beautiful. Needless to say I adopted her. Every day she showed her appreciation for giving her a home. It was obvious she loved being here as much as I loved having her. She only lived two more years, but I know those were probably the best years she had ever had. So don't walk past the seniors. They want and need a home as much as the puppys.

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Misty

Here is Gracie. She came home yesterday and fit right in. She's a 2 yr old weimaraner. Our 8 year old Weimy, Eli, didn't seem to mind at all.
Gracie didn't say a peep last night, until we went to bed. She didn't like that, but quieted down pretty quickly. Wife said she whined when I went to take a shower before bed.
She's a little thin, but as you can see from the one on the left, we'll cure that!
She seems REALLY well behaved, and that's saysing a lot for a young Weimy.

Forgot to add we have 2 small kids (6 and 3) and she didn't mind them at all, either.

I'm a sucker...

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War Eagle! '10 BCS & '13 SEC

Lot's of damn good people in this thread.

If not in this world maybe the next, "It Will All Come Back To You"

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Doesn't hasta call me Johnson

It's great to have pure breeds but we give love to mutts because we are mutts, am I right?

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_It was love at first shot_

You should get him a tube amp. It would be a much warmer place to sleep.

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Insert short witty words here

The other amp is tube but he likes the carpet on the bass amp.

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_It was love at first shot_

This our rescue Aussie. He now tours the assisted living homes For seniors and let kids with reading problems read to him at school. "Dancer" is a poster boy for rescuing dogs.

Old dogs deserve respect. They have spent their entire lives loving and giving. The least we can do is return the favor.

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Even older, even crankier....

Mixed or pure, big or small I love them all.

If one has their heart set on a specific breed there's a rescue some where for that breed.

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Dum vivo cano

Ok, now I'm crying.

I have to say great post also for I adopted from the shelter about 12 yrs ago , the dog we saw was a TV star trying to get adopted he was the star of the week when I saw him , a pommerian - first thing on the morning news when i saw him so before they were even open i took off to the shelter , waited for the door to open then signed on the paper as the first person to adopt , it was love at first touch so now he was the new fam dog , best buddy our fam could have had , he at that time was 4 yrs old someone the night before had put him in the night drop door which we never could understand why for he was trained , well behaved and loved everyone - he then became the best atv biker dog , he loved riding the quad - once you said wanna go zoom zoom he was already in the truck ready to go, he was afraid we'd leave him behind..silly Buster Still miss him to this day.... long story short he died ....its been over 2 yrs now & broke our hearts .. its still hard to talk about him

I would love to adopt a dog someday but I have a wife and I am busy training her. So far nothing is working. She really hated trying to drive out of the driveway with the zapper collar on.

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Vaya con Dios

Did you try a whistle?

We've rescued four Goldens thru the years.

[IMG][/IMG]

It makes me very happy to hear all these stories, and to know how many people on this forum have rescue animals. Our dog and the 4 remaining cats all came from a shelter.

As for the senior dogs and cats, we do adoption events at senior citizen homes and bring all the senior dogs and cats. They make a great pairing.
And the people don't have to worry about the animal outliving them and being dumped.

The good part, they were nice enough to leave you a little room, not much. Looking at those mugs makes me smile.

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Doesn't hasta call me Johnson

Buster had a wonderful life thanks to you, and you from him.
It is tough to loose them, believe me I know. To this day I carry Ladies dog license on my key chain and always will, lost her in 1980.

But there may be another Buster waiting for you at the shelter.

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Doesn't hasta call me Johnson

Hey, it's okay to be an animal rights activist!! Everyone, always spay or neuter your cats and dogs. My town of around 75000 has to euthanize something like 8000 dogs a year. Who knows how many cats! Sad....

Fred was 20 before he went home, and Xena is 14, she's a grand old cat. They rescued us.

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I've had rescue dogs all my life.

I aspire to be the great person my dogs think I am.