New Beginnings

[Soosie]

Pet Mamas and Papas are special people in my book.  I have two rescue dogs and one older cat.  At least that was the pet family until recently.  There was a cat that I fed for a year or more.  Beautiful, offspring of a Sealpoint Siamese.  I thought it a boy and called him Suri.  Surprise, surprise.  Suri gained a lot of weight and I realized he/she was going to have kittens.  She had three and brought them to me.  They took up residence in my carport.  One of them stopped showing up and I hope someone in the neighborhood adopted him/her.  The two remained.  One looks just like a SealPoint and the other is white with grey markings.  Both have blue eyes.  They were pretty wild.  I talked baby talk to them and didn't try to touch them.  After some time, they started to come to me, rub my legs and let me pick them up.  My plan was to find adoptive pet parents.  Time went by and since I am on a busy street, I was very concerned for their safety.  One evening, I was picking up some broken branches near my drive when a car came through at about 80 miles per hour with a highway patrol car not so far behind.  Decision made.  I scooped them up and brought them in.  My house looks like a couple of two year olds live here.  I am estimating how long it will take to save to get them spayed and neutered and all shots. Also am checking for a group who will trap Mama cat and spay her and bring her back in the neighborhood.  She is a seasoned outside cat.  I have seen her stop and look both directions before crossing the street.   Oh, well, guess I will work up until lunch time on the day of my funeral.  A friend told me that this is God's way of giving me the big family I have always wanted but never had.

[ks60584231]

I have five dogs - three of which are rescued, one we got from Craigslist and a Sheltie I purchased. 

We also have a feral cat that we've had about eight years.  She came to us pregnant, homeless and scared.  I fed her, set out a box with blankets for her, and she presented us with three kittens.  I had her spayed after that.  The kittens found really good homes, but she stayed with us.  She loves me on her terms only.  If she's really unhappy with me she will bite.  The last time  she bit me on the ankle I had to go to the doctor because it swelled up and turned really red.  He said I had rabies - not this girl.  I went home and waited it out and sure enough it healed up within a couple of days.  That cat was only frustrated with me - and was not foaming at the mouth or acting any weirder than normal. 

As for my dogs?  They are incredible!  I have my Sheltie who is four years old.  Bailey is a Golden Retriever we got from Craigslist and the most gentle soul in the world.  The shelter dogs are Gabi, Mandy, and Carrie.  They bring us so much joy and give us a reason to wake up in the morning - heck, they are jumping on the side of the bed, whining and making sure we know we've slept enough and it's their time.  They all have incredible personalities and I wouldn't trade one of them.  They give us so much love and they ask nothing in return other than we get up and make time for them.  I honesly can't imagine life without dogs, and will never go without two or three.  They keep us occupied.  They keep us on our toes, and they love us.  What more can you ask for?

I say this all the time, but if you're looking for companionship, forever love and laughs, adopt a dog.  They will repay you ten times over and over.  They are incredible souls.   

[COskibum]

Our family rescues American Pit Bull Terriers and currently has two mid-sized females.  "Phoebe" is nearly all white with a chocolate brown eye patch surrounding her right eye and was left at a local shelter.  She's the sweetest pet ever who's insatiable when it comes to petting & snuggling.  "Beatrice Bee" is entirely white and as is common for 75%+ of all white Pitties, is entirely deaf.  She was left behind at a shelter as a newborn most likely as a reject from a puppy mill.  For a deaf dog she's quite the talker and has a BIG, BIG personality.  She also loves her petting, thinks she's a lap dog, and gives out plenty of kisses.  They each have their own recliner for daytime sleeping and cuddle up together overnight.  We can't imagine life without our two loving girls!

[h969372t]

I have almost always had a dog around my house. My husband bought me a red doverman when I was in my early twenties, however, every other time I got my animals at the humane society. If you get them there, they are neutered or spayed before they are adopted out.

My last dog was an American Bulldog that I took care of for eight years. He was three when I picked him up. I lost him a couple months ago as he had cancer. I also had a boxer but I lost her because of epelepsy about four months before the American Bulldog. Both came from the humane society and both were adorable. See no need in buying a dog with so called papers when there are so many beautiful dogs needing a home.

At my age it is a difficult decission to get another dog. Sure wouldn't want to leave them behind, as they have no way of taking care of themselves. Will have to think about that for awhile. However, I sure do miss the ones I just lost.. If you are a cat lover, the humane society has a lot of those needing homes too.  

[sm361854]

I had decided the time was right to get a new dog. My sister had suggested I look into getting a rescue dog so I started the search.  I went online and started the search. I always said I would know the right dog when I saw him.  One day I was searching and there he was, a little white dog with a smiling face, I immediately put in an application.  This poor little white dog had been terribly abused, he had a broken pelvis and hip and was skittish, but getting better is=n foster care, he needed someone who could be patient and would be patient with his needs after his surgery to repair the broken bones.  I had a large fenced in yard, no children in the house, and someone was at the house 24/7.  It would have been easier to adopt a child that to adopt this poor little dog, but I applaud the rescue for vetting so thoroughly.  They called and checked my references and the vet that I have used.  6 weeks after my application I meet a woman at the drop-off location and there he was.  I named him Duncan, he snuggled with me all the way home (I was not driving).  He checked out his entire new back yard, came into the house and went from room to room and snuggled back into my lap and fell asleep.  There were challenges: he would growl and try to bite anyone who shuffled their feet wearing men's slippers (or that style), and walkers.  On his first vet visit the vet confirmed his injuries and said it appears that the dog was kicked repeatedly and hit with a stick or cane like object.  He would need a lot of love, and firm but kind and gentle mind reconditioning.  I am happy to say that with a lot of love Duncan became a perfect dog, loved the beach, got over his fear of slippers and walkers, loved everyone: children, old people, dogs, cats and even horses.  He lived with us for 15 years before he died of heart congestion.  I really do miss him every day.

[c199489m]

We had 2 furrbabies that we adopted after Hurricane Katrina.  They were Spooky (a beautiful black cat) and Delilah (a lovely little calico).  Spooky immediately took my late husband as her human and Delilah took me as hers.  After my husband died, Spooky wandered around the house, crying and looking for him.  She died about 2 years later and the vet said it was "broken heart syndrome".  Delilah was a little lost without Spooky because they had been together, but she followed me all over the house after that.  She looked for Spooky for a while, and she died about 2 years afterward.  The vet said it was also "broken heart syndrome".  At that point, I had lost my husband and both of my furrbabies, and I thought my heart was broken.  One day, I looked out my back window and saw a pretty little tabby sunning herself on my picnic table.  I started talking to her and taking food out for her (she was so thin, you could see her ribs).  She adopted me and let me know that her name was Puss.  One day, I opened the back door to take her food to her, and she walked into the house, sat down, and looked at me as if to say, "Well, I'm here.  Where's the food?"  She has never tried to leave since that day.  In fact, she had 4 kittens in my bathroom a few weeks later.  We are a very happy family of 5 now and I can't imagine what my life would be like if Puss hadn't come along.  

[KLemire]

SusiePunkinI lost my 6 yr. old rescue cat, Susie, in May 2018 after my Dad passed from complications of a stroke. We were in FL. and I ended up in the hospital (Lupus)

and my family traveled to MA. for his funeral. So my Mom (whom I lived with for 7 yrs. after my divorce, along with my Dad) gave Susie to my brother-in law to catsit until I got out of the hospital. Susie didn't know them and escaped. I went to shelters/rescues in their area to find her & put up flyers. She is micro-chipped.

About 2 months later I returned to the Pasco County Rescue and a kitten reached out to me through her cage. I couldn't resist her. I brought her home and Mum sold the Florida house and we relocated to the MA. city I grew up in. She, Punkin, is a delight! She is so loving and funny that she has helped Mum and me with our grief over losing my Dad of 61 yrs. and also for Mum's loss of her husband of 63 yrs.

Punkin is a mix of Domestic American & Norwegian Forest Cat and is growing into a beautiful and very furry 6 month old cat! 

RESCUE is definitely the WAY TO GO.

Sincerely, Kathy L. of MA.

[an9513419]

Hi everyone.This is a tail of many dogs...and cats we have bought,were given,and rescued.We started out as newlyweds with a pug soon to be joined by another pug,then we adopted a shepard.We were outgrowing our mobile home so we bought a house big enough for our expanding 4 legged "kids".Over time we would find out that another pug needed a home that made 4 dogs,then another pug needed a home you guessed it,then there were 5 dogs.They all got along great.Then an adorable kitty came along in the motherly way,Guess what we had 7 kittens.We were able to give 5 away to good people but we kept the mom and 2 of the kittens.they all got along after awhile.This was over 10-14 years.Eventually we lost a couple to illness,but the 2 more dogs came our well(thats the day we had the vacancy sign on the door).Soon after another 6-7 years all the original dogs and cats were gone but never fogotten.My sister needed a place for her dog when she moved here,guess what.he has been with us 9 years.One day we saw a few kittens running around without a mama,so we were able to take them in and turn them into house cats(5) of them.Soon the news got out to the other strays we were offering all you can eat "buffets",soon we had 5 outdoor cats.3 are essentially domestcated but 2 are not.They know their names come when called and all but 2 have been neutered.Iwould'nt take a million dollars for any of my "kids". 

[ip3285]

Since I've been an adult and on my own, I've always had rescue dogs.  Back in the 1970's I was working as secretary to the manager at a water conditioning plant. - the only woman in the place.  One morning two of the delivery man came into my office with a baby kitten who looked like it was less than a few hours old.  They said they found it in the trash bin out back.  The whole litter was in the trash, but this was the only one alive.  Since I was the only woman in the plant, I was a "mother" and needed to take the baby kitten.  I took it home.  It was barely able to walk, and couldn't eat, so I fed it with a baby bottle.  It managed to crawl over to my two large dogs, snuggled up with one of them, and contentedly went to sleep.  The dogs were very patient with the kitten.  Kitty, who I named "Culligan" after the place I worked and where she was found, grew into a healthy cat.  She was affectionate with me and the dogs and lived to be 18 years old.  She's the only cat I've ever had, as I'm a "dog person", but I loved that kitty from the first moment she was put on my desk.  

[kh2942]

We recently adopted our third rescue boxer.  This sweetheart came to us from a group that rescued 15 boxers from a hoarding situation.  She arrived severely malnourished, scared of EVERYTHING, and with an injured foot.  She is a testimony to the phrase LOVE CONQUERS ALL.  It was difficult at first, but this girl is now a happy, playful, and loving little dog.  Once we earned her trust and made her feel secure in our home, she was able to relax and enjoy her new life!  We love her dearly, and are SO grateful that fate brought us together!  Please consider rescue for your next dog or cat...there are so many wonderful pets waiting for their forever home!  You won't be sorry. 💗

[pb30261888]

I always encourage folks who might be seeking a pet (dog or cat). All of our pets, both dogs and cats, have been rescue animals. Mainly from respected shelters. When we lived in RI, our family all volunteered at the local shelter and we found several wonderful dogs there. Our biggest success story was a 13 mo old black female lab which had been in 5 homes in her first year! The final decision from the placement director had put a tag on her cage which said: "Place or put down."... We decided to take her to the dismay of the director.  I personally walked her over 200 miles in the first year, training (which she had never had!), and just getting out her young energy.  She turned out to be the best companion ever. She lived to be 16-1/2 years old with us. A wonderful story. Our current dog was part of a litter lierally dumped on the road in the middle of the night. A friend found the litter in the middle of the road at 11 pm! Our surviving pup (his sister passed at 5 sadly), is now over 6 and doing well. Our daughters have both rescued a dog and two cats as well! We have always found wonderful animals at shelters AND I firmly believe that when you 'rescue' an animal, they somehow know it and respond accordingly. 

I recommend rescuing animals whenever from REPUTABLE shelters!!!

[MollyC77263]

Hi! My daughter and her husband adopted an adult cat (7 years old) from the Animal Human Society here in Minnesota.  He is a lovely cat and quiet. Both of their previous animals (dog and cat) had died a couple years ago from old age. They had Doz and Scoochie for many years so it was sad when they died a few months within each other. However, I am happy to see them adopt again an animal needing a loving home like theirs. When they brought Charles home he within a week developed a "kitty cold" which I am told is something animals can come down with when coming from the Animal Human Society. Charles was taken to the vet by my daughter and her husband and he has his antibiotic to take for his cold now. I get to care for Charles when they have to travel on business (like this week). Charles and I are getting to know eachother and his cold is better.  I live in an apartment where no pets are allowed, so for me to care for Charles is such a delight. I think Charles likes me too!

[MollyC77263]

Hi! My daughter and her husband adopted an adult cat (7 years old) from the Animal Human Society here in Minnesota.  He is a lovely cat and quiet. Both of their previous animals (dog and cat) had died a couple years ago from old age. They had Doz and Scoochie for many years so it was sad when they died a few months within each other. However, I am happy to see them adopt again an animal needing a loving home like theirs. When they brought Charles home he within a week developed a "kitty cold" which I am told is something animals can come down with when coming from the Animal Human Society. Charles was taken to the vet by my daughter and her husband and he has his antibiotic to take for his cold now. I get to care for Charles when they have to travel on business (like this week). Charles and I are getting to know eachother and his cold is better. I couldn't resist attaching a photo of Charles here. I live in an apartment where no pets are allowed, so for me to care for Charles is such a delight. I think Charles likes me too!

[DiannaB86494]

This is Little Jo.  I adopted her about 4 years ago from the Forever Home Feline Ranch in Springfield IL.  She was a kitten when I got her.  She brings me joy and I am so thankful I decided to adopt a fur baby back then.  We also have several feral cats who live outside.  We are working on having them spayed and neutered.  2 have been done so far.  My husband feeds them.

[mike44nh]

We have two little furbabies that we adopted through petfinder.com. Both of them came from humane societies in Arkansas. We adopted Gypsy (our 11 pound chihuahua mix) in June of 2017 and she is a total love bug. When I received an email from petfinder this year alerting me to another dog that fit my parameters we soon after adopted Abby, a 20 pound (and growing) Heinz 57 pooch whom we adopted in June 2018. With adoption from shelters the vaccinations, spaying, and microchipping is included so that saved us quite a lot of money. Both of our pups are girls and they adore one another and are practically inseparable. Gypsy came to us at the age of 6 years but Abby was just a pup at 3 months of age. We've had dogs before but they were always adults so adapting to a young puppy has been eye opening but we wouldn't trade her for the world. We LOVE our two girls very much and can't imagine life without them.

[DiannaB86494]

they are beautiful ❤️

[EveRH]

@Soosie - Good luck with your kitties! As soon as feral cats or kittens turn up near you, I strongly recommend looking for a cat rescue group in your area! They can help with the trapping, and cost of neutering & initial vet exam.

Late winter 2017, a small tiger cat began showing up at the food I put out on my deck for the wildlife. Because it was still the dead of winter, I didn't want to chase her away, but posted a photo on the local Nextdoor group's website, asking if anyone's can had vanished .. she had a very distinctive short, kinky tail. No one claimed her, but someone responded from a local cat rescue group, volunteering to help me trap her for neutering. Within a short time, 2 young black cats showed up with her, with variations on the tail defect! So over the next 6 months, I got all of them neutered/spayed. But as ferals, they're deamed not adoptable, because so many people want "lap cats", and they were released back at my house. As this past winter approached, I got 2 of them used to being inside most of the time, but couldn't break them of their desire to go out. The 3rd one got injured outside, and during recuperation from a broken leg, he learned to use a litter box, and because my pet. Now that the weather's nice again, the other 2 spend at least 20 hours outside each day, and less than 4 hours in the house eating & napping.

I lost my last cat about 2006, and since I was house hunting, I didn't want another cat. After I moved, I was still happy just feeding the wildlife. Now I have these 3 indoor/outdoor cats, and the indoor one recently had another serious injury, this time requiring surgery .. and I found out he has bone cancer too, which may be why he's had these 2 injuries. It's a new ways of life, for sure!

[Soosie]

I think some of the best people in the world are animal lovers. They have big hearts and take care of God's creatures. This is an update on the two kittens I took in a few weeks ago. They have grown so much and there is never a dull moment. They have long slender front legs and have used them to bring out the dust bunnies under my refrig. Also a couple of other pieces of furniture too large for me to move. They have learned to climb to the top of my high back chair in my office and I saw one of them eyeing the hanging light fixture in the room. I am praying he doesn't find a way to get to it even if he does want to clean it. I named them Sadie and Sammie. I was pretty sure Sammie is a boy, but what are the chances of having two male cats? I now think Sadie is a boy so I asked on my Facebook page if someone could think of a name close to Sadie because he responds to the name. He is now called Shady. I am saving for the Vet bill. I think I will try to get them to a Mobile Vet for shots to save, but want my regular Vet to neuter them. I certainly didn't need two more kittens, but here we are. I told my Vet I will have to work forever to put food on the floor.

[dragoona]

Hi,

       Our four legged baby died unexpectedly and I was heartbroken. I saw a dog on an ASPCA website whose face reminded me of our baby. I bonded with her picture and felt like her eyes were looking into mine and saying "save me." My husband wasn't ready for a new dog but he went with me to see her. Turns out the dog had been abused and was so scared of people that the shelter had to put her in a foster home. Luckily the foster parents allowed us to come to their home without any notice to see her. She is a beagle mix and hid under a desk the whole time we were there. I thought maybe this was a bad idea but I sat nearby and put my hand near her. After an hour she let me pet her. The foster mom thought that was great and asked if we were taking her home. I looked puzzled at her and she explained that it had taken her over a week before the dog let her pet it. So she thought it was a great sign. We brought her home and worked on bonding with her. It has been a strain at times as "Penny" is afraid of everyone (especially men) and everything. She kept her head down and her tail between her legs for about 6 weeks. We cheered the first time she wagged her tail! She did not make a sound for about 3 months. Any noise still scares her. But it has been 10 months and she now sleeps with us, sits on my husband's lap and has learned to play. She did not know what a toy was. She goes to the dog park twice a day and now greets some of the regulars there, both the owners and their dogs. She may not ever get over her fears. At times I wish I knew what her previous owners did to her but then I probably would be both angry and sad if I knew. Saving an abused dog is not always easy but it is rewarding. Kudos to others who have saved one.

[LaDolceVita]

@Soosie  Nice to see you posting again, have not seen you in awhile!  Perhaps I have not visited the right places.

[Soosie]

An update on my life as an animal Mom. I didn't get to Suri in time before she had a second litter of kittens. I did find a great rescue group and am working with them. For now I am fostering Suri and 3 kittens in my utility room. I went ahead and had Suri spayed. I couldn't wait and take a chance. When I saw the big male cat laying in wait on the neighbor's walkway I told him to take his love interest else where. Then I did a little dance. I have named the kittens and Foster Paws has given them and Suri their shots and has done testing on them. I have Sandy (male), Sly (male) and Sassy, (female.) They will go to be spayed and neutered in the near future. Sly has become the big man on campus. Naturally, I have gotten attached to them, but I can't spend the rest of my life spending and cleaning. That is about all I do these days. I will take Suri to a pet adoption day this week and pray she finds just the right home. She is a beautiful and sweet girl and deserves this. I have arrived! I can legally be called the "Crazy old Cat Lady."

Soosie

[EveRH]

@Soosie - I can relate to your situation, as I wound up with 3 young feral siblings hanging around my house early 2017! I worked with a rescue group to get them neutered & examined, but since feral cats are hard to socialize & place, they just release them back where they were picked up .. my house! They are very affectionate with me, and spend a lot of time in the house, but they are terrified of other people & want to run outside to hide. Last year one broke a hind leg outside, right after being neutered, so during rehab he learned to use a litter box, and has become my 100% indoor cat. This spring he was injured again, and I found out he has bone cancer. He had hip surgery (not inexpensive), and I'm not sure of his long-term prognosis; had he not been taken in, he would have died last winter. The other 2 seem to be OK, but one refuses to use a litterbox .. even in the worst weather, so I had to shovel snow off the deck & stairs, so they could go outside to the bathroom! Because they're split between inside & outside, it would be even more difficult going away, and having to depend on someone else feeding them & cleaning up .. because the wildlife would eat whatever food was left out for the cats, if they weren't fast enough. Between cat food, litter & medical treatment, it's cost me $3,100 this year already!! But I really love them all, and can't imagine leaving them behind if I moved.

[DiannaB86494]

thank you for taking care of the feral cats

[n566192l]

I have a cute little fur baby story I'd like to share with the group. While searching my Next Door App, I noticed a local woman had posted about her missing cat. I happened  to have a tracking dog staying with me. So I contacted the owner of the Cat via lNextdoor, and brought the dog over. Anyway to make a long story short, the dog was able to find the cat. Both the cat and the dog are now friends. I was so happy because the cat was 14 years old, and it's owner was so upset. Nancy

[DiannaB86494]

aww I love this story !!

[EveRH]

@Soosie - Check around; if these are rescued kittens, you may be able to get basic veterinary treatment at a discount, at some facilities. You're lucky your kittens "clean" your house; mine create the dust bunnies, with their shedding .. epecially the one who's indoors full-time.

[an9513419]

The local animal rescue league will spay/neuter for 30.00,but must take then a trap gage,with no Id or collar.Thats the main rules.They can't be very young kittens either.Hope this helps yuo.

[n566192l]

Soosie,

If you go one line you can find cheap or free spraying or neutering. Several places by me offer this service. State run programs run quarterly. I took my girlfriends dog to get fixed last January. The cost was only $17, through my paad card. Please check into this,  as you will safe hundreds of dollars.. Nancy