Tell the story of how you found your current pets

[mvd]

Here's mine (about my dog Reba):

We wanted to help out the SPCA, and we went to the one in northern Montgomery County. I very quickly picked out my dog Reba (she had really sweet eyes, was active, and was good with the handlers.) But we were put on a waiting list, as others wanted her. We went to another SPCA, but no dog we found was like Reba. So we waited. A couple days after, we got the call that we were chosen to own Reba! I think it helped that we kept calling, asking for the latest status on her. I couldn't have dreamed a better dog.

Reba got to the SPCA after she was abandoned with her sister by the road. It's bad enough to abandon a dog, but to make things worse, the SPCA was very close by! It was a policeman that found her.

[ThomCat]

1. Millie Dear was born under the porch of a crack house.

They were catching the kittens and setting them on fire. Some friends of mind saw this and rescued the kittens. They asked the crack fiends how much money they wanted for the kittens. They said, "I dunno, how about a dollar?" So for a dollar four kittens were rescued.

Millie was barely old enough to have her eyes open. She's skittish as hell and hides around anyone but me. But she's seven years old now and she's the lady of the house.

My twin boys, Silver and Gray, were already adults when I got them. We believe that they must have been owned by someone who passed away. They had been loved and well cared for, for were suddenly taped up into a box and left in a Vet's parking lot. We figure the family didn't want to keep them after the owner passed away.

I adopted both of them, and they are the biggest mushes you ever met.

[LynneSin]

2. I literally rescued Abbott from the Garbage Dumpster

Poor cat was thrown away because he was no longer tiny & cuddly but instead he was a 15lb horny cat. The only thing they did before getting rid of him was to put a flea collar on him.

I really didn't want a cat and put signs up everywhere trying to find his owner, who never bothered to have him fixed. That damn cat kept me up every night howling to all the other feral cats outside he could smell.

So after two weeks living with a horny cat I decided that if I paid to get him fixed that I was keeping the damn thing. He's been with me now for 3.5 years.

After 3 months of having Abbott, I thought he should have a girlfriend so I went to the local cat rescue group and adopted Evita.

[ThomCat]

10. I hope you, and both of them

are happy with the arrangement. :)

[ET Awful]

38. I remember when you got Abbott!

You were asking all us DUers for advice and everybody was telling you to keep him :). If I'm not mistaken, that was right before I got Quinn (or within a few months of it).

[livetohike]

3. Cindy and Murphy - both shelter dogs

We lost our old guy Ranger on Valentine's Day 2003. His litter mate passed away in Sept 2000.

I looked on-line for puppies at local shelters and saw a few puppies but the one that I really wanted was up in South Central Los Angeles - 100 miles away. This is a "high kill" shelter and the thoughts that this little eight week old puppy could be put to sleep haunted me. So the first day she was available for adoption, we drove up there early on a Sat. morning. We found here right away and I bounced a tennis ball in front of her and she caught it on the first bounce. We adopted her, but she had kennel cough so we had to wait until she was healthy to bring home our second dog Murphy. Cindy is a Catahoula Leopard (probably mixed).

Murphy was local at a county shelter. We adopted him one month after Cindy and he was also eight weeks old. My husband worked two miles away from this shelter and met me there on his lunch hour. He was a playful puppy who always seemed to be smiling. He is an Australian Cattle Dog (probably mixed).

The two are inseparable. Cindy outweighs Murphy 86 lbs to 51 lbs but they play as if they are equal in size and weight. I love them both :-)

Cindy:


Murphy:

[mikeytherat]

4. Here we go:

30+ ferrets - adopted mostly from college students or families moving away

Three cats:

Hannah: Walked up our driveway and plopped down at my feet
Tate: Captured on a friend's horse farm
Charlie (short version): Plucked from the middle of a busy bridge during rush hour

mikey_the_rat

[XemaSab]

5. Polly we got from an ad in the paper

Bailey was my mom's colleague's aunt's dog's puppy, and he was free.

Jasper the Snake I got from this dude I knew. I had wanted a rat snake for a while and I went to the pet store just to look and I ran into this dude Kerry. I had always strongly disliked him, and my New Year's resolution that year was to be nicer to him. I was talking to Kerry about snakes and he mentioned that he had two small rat snakes, and if I took both of them he'd throw in the tank for free. I took them both, and named one Jasper and the other Opal, based on their coloring. Opal ran away a few months later, but I still have Jasper. :)

[Shine]

21. Jasper is my 12 yr old son's name!

LOL. We've had many many people come up to us and tell us they had or have a DOG named Jasper, but you're the first person I've heard of who has a SNAKE named Jasper. Too funny.

It's a cool name. :thumbsup: It means "Master of the Treasure", did you know that?

[XemaSab]

31. I didn't

All I know about it is that it's one of my favorite rocks. :D

[Shine]

33. Yup, same here. I wore it all the time when I was pregnant with him.

another factoid: It's the English version of the orginal "Gaspar", who was one of the Three Kings, hence the "master of the treasure". I'm not particularly religious but my Catholic Mom was thrilled to learn that bit of news. :) Especially since she'd had a DOG named Jasper as a kid that had gotten rabies and then bitten her. She had all this negative association with the name until it was redeemed by my discovering it's biblical connection. Funny, huh? :eyes:

Aren't you simply FASCINATED? :7

[XemaSab]

40. For sure!

:D

[slide to the left]

6. I married her owner, nt

[Blue Diadem]

7. I got a call from a friend

One of their coworkers at the detention center had found a dog at their campground. They'd been bringing the dog into work occasionally to visit the kids but finally kept him on a farm. They'd notified everyone they could looking for the owners but no one claimed him. It wasn't known if he was lost or someone had dumped him.

When we picked him up, he was so dirty and still so underweight it was awful. When we first saw him he looked like an old dog..sad and droopy tailed. The minute he saw us and especially my granddaughter, his eyes brightened and he began that tail wag wiggle that happy dogs do. Then he promptly hopped in the car, climbed on my daughter's lap and kissed her face all the way home. Even though underweight, he still weighed 65# and he reeked of horse p' from being at the farm. The vet told us he was probably about 9 months old..no more than a year.

We've had him for 8 months..he's gained 20# and is a really great dog.

[ThomCat]

11. awe... :)

That's so cool that you took him in.

[Blue Diadem]

17. He's a cool dog, he even whisper barks at night..

and if he sees a cop he instantly sits. Couple strange things though makes us wonder what he'd been through..he's a yellow lab..but scared to death of birds and airplanes and when he dreams it's not always woofing he does..sometimes it's yipping.

[Piltdown13]

8. Both "alley cats"

Tim moved up to live with me when his youthful exuberance got to be too much for my folks' two old lady cats. He was born feral in my parents' backyard (of his littermates, one was too wild to tame and the other two were adopted out through Animal Rescue).

My other kitty, Wes, showed up in our backyard a couple of years ago, literally skin and bones (and covered in fleas to boot) -- he weighed about 3 pounds less than he does now (a lot for a 9-lb kitty). He was probably some college student's pet that was abandoned at the end of the school year. We had planned to find him a new home, but by the time he had fully recovered, he was part of the family.

[graywarrior]

9. From DU

Lorien posted his picture and I adopted him.

[RubyDuby in GA]

12. My Rusty

Rusty was owned by a woman who worked with a girl that I carpooled with. One day this girl calls me and tells me that this woman has a 6 year old boy mini doxie that she wants to get rid of. I wasn't sure about it as I had just lost my precious Ruby about 6 weeks before to heart failure. She was 12. I told her I'd agree to dogsit while this woman went out of town. I met Rusty. He was so skittish around me or any other human. I told her I'd take him and she wouldn't have to bother with him again. Come to find out that she kept him in a very small cage all day, every day for 6 years- even when she was home! Why bother having a pet?

Anyway, Rusty hit paydirt (any doxie who makes it to my house lives the life of luxury). He's doing much better now and is currently plotting my death because of the addition to our family of his step-brother, Ted the Cat. :)

My boy:


Step-brother Ted

[ET Awful]

36. I guess he's in the lap of luxury, hell you even gave him his own

queen size bed :P

[deadparrot]

13. Went to the pound,

there was a man in front of us in line holding a kitty. Apparently, his family had recently gotten a dog, dog and kitty didn't get along, so kitty was getting the boot. It was like fate, I guess; within 15 minutes, Princess was ours. :)

[MountainLaurel]

14. Cali's photo

Was on the Web site of the Feline Foundation of Greater Washington. Her owner had developed serious allergies and asthma, and she had to put her two cats up for adoption because of her health. In the photo, she was on her back, with her big fuzzy orange belly exposed. I went to meet her, and she came out to say hello and receive some scritches, even though she tended to be very shy. I took it as a sign and adopted her.

In the sunshine:



DUing on my desk:



Watching over her canine minions (stepdogs Dylan and Molly):

[YankeyMCC]

15. Living near St Louis

During the floods along the Mississippi River...1992 (or was it 1993??) anyway I grew up with a dog as a pet, my wife never had a pet but wanted one so we decided to get a pet.

Given the time and place we figured we could turn our selfish want to some action of good...rescuing a 'flood dog' - the many dogs left behind by flooded out people.

We went to a shelter and I walked in and saw this beautiful black lab with a fresh litter of pups (they old enough to take home but just barley, they had been born at the shelter).

Meanwhile my wife had wandered inside and saw a dirty mess of a mut (4 to 6 months old) inside one of the cages. He'd been left a couple weeks back tied up at the shelter's fence with no note or anything.

I found her inside and said something like, "Found the perfect thing come look at these black lab pups."

yadda, yadda, yadda

Nathan has been with us (through 2 cross country moves) ever since.

And he's not black, not a Lab and it took about a month to get him clean.

[Oeditpus Rex]

16. Lucy found me

She was on my doorstep one day, meowin' her furry li'l face off. After several minutes of telling myself it was a bad idea, I relented and gave her a saucer of milk. Next thing I know, she's moved in and started redecorating.

[mvd]

18. These are all great stories

It's nice to hear all the happy endings after hearing about the dogs and cats that don't make it.

[Alleycat]

19. Emma Rose

It was the beginning of Aug 2004. I live in PA but the night before we got the remainder of some hurricane which came up the east coast. I really can't remember the name. Anyway it was Sat and I was picking up sticks and branches which ended up in the yard from the winds and rain. I went to throw them into the woods across the street and heard a chirping. At first I thought it was a bird but when I moved some bushes to get a better look I saw a wet, teeny, tiny pile of fur. I took her into the house and warmed her up. We couldn't get her to a vet until Monday so I went to the local pet store and got kitten formula and a little bottle. My daughter and I took turns feeding her. On Monday at the vet office she was weighed in at .7 lbs yes .7 the poor thing was smaller then the beanie baby cat my daughter gave her to sleep with. The vet estimated her to be about 10 days old at most. She got her name because of her marking, a dark black "M" on her forehead. My daughter thought she was too feminine to call just "M" so she became Emma Rose.

She is still small compared to the other two cats which came from a cat rescue but she is very lovable.

[Shine]

20. We were "in the market" for two kittens

after our beloved 19 yr old cat, Alfalfa, died. We've got two kids, a boy and a girl, so of course they wanted to get brother and sister kittens. That ended up being rather challenging to find, but we went to a couple of shelters and found sister kittens, instead, which we named "Flame and Spark". Flame is a dead ringer for Alfalfa, which is what drew us to her. They were born on Aug. 2nd, making them little fire sign Leos, so it seemed fitting to give them fiery names. They're about 1 1/2 yrs old now. They've mellowed a lot, thank god, but they're still real Partners in Crime.
Here they are, at 10 weeks old. :loveya:

[ceile]

66. Tortie!!

She's beautiful!
My tortie, Cuerva, is my baby-angel! I adore torties! I wish I had a photo to post. x(

[Shine]

70. Yup, we love torties, too. Her sister is what's called a "torby"

combo tortie and tabby. I'd never heard of that before, but her colorings are gorgeous.

:hi: to another tortie lover!

[bridgit]

22. Tim was found abandoned in a wood pile out by sac metro airport...

now he's casa gato :thumbsup:

[crispini]

23. From a friend and from a parking lot.

Fannie-cat came from a friend who had adopted her from a shelter, but she wasn't getting along with a current cat owned by a friend, so I inherited her. She is now the most outgoing, friendly, queen of the roost ever. She's incredibly smart and has quite a bit of "cattitude."

Jen-cat came from the parking lot where she was living under cars, flea-encrusted, and ear-mite ridden. She was very skittish and shy but curious, so I'd been feeding her and one day I left my apartment door open and her curiousity got the better of her. Trapped! She went right off to the vet for a bath, shots, etc. She box-trained herself very easily. She is still shy and semi-feral, and as dumb as a brick, but she's sweet and affectionate with me, and she gets along with Fannie and that's what matters. :loveya:

[Arkansas Granny]

24. My cat, Toots, was plucked from the side of a brick building she

was climbing to get back into the eaves where she had been born. My daughter worked in the building and took her home and had to keep her in a pet cage because she was so wild (the kitten, not my daughter). After a couple of days, she decided to let her out of the cage but keep her confined to the bathroom until she was a little more tame. Unfortunately, Toots was able to pull the cover off the A/C vent and fell down into the ductwork and there was no way to get her out. My daughter was frantic and pulled the covers off of several floor vents and dropped bath towels into the ductwork hoping that kitty would climb out. No luck there. My son-in-law wound up going under the house and disconnecting a section of the ductwork so the kitty could get out. For 2 or 3 weeks the grandchildren would crawl under the house twice a day to take food and water. Eventually, they were able to catch her in a humane trap and she wound up going home with me. It took some time to tame her, but she has turned out to be a sweet little cat, although she is still quite spirited.

My dog, Sapphire, was a spur of the moment decision. My friend and I were visiting a cousin of hers when this cute little white puppy with blue eyes wandered over from the house next door. She was so friendly and sweet natured that I fell in love at first sight. Since they had a yard full of dogs, I went over to see if they were trying to find a home for the puppy and they were. She has turned out to be just a lovely little dog.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

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You get the idea.

[mikeytherat]

26. So, you got her a parakeet?

;-)

mikey_the_rat

[Left Is Write]

27. If you really want to know...How We Got Dino...

Last November, a cat came to our backyard. He was a pretty gray tabby with a red collar and a friendly nature. It was freezing out, so I let him into the house. There was no tag on his collar, so I had no idea where he belonged.

I came to DU for advice, and after reading suggestions, decided I would take him to a nearby vet to have him scanned for a chip. Not wanting to try taking the cat in the car with two little kids, I figured I'd wait until my husband got home. I gave the cat water and let him play with my children. He made himself at home immediately, purring and snuggling and sitting in my husband's chair.

Later, after my husband came home, my teenage daughter and I took the cat to the vet. She held him on her lap, petting him and speaking to him in soothing tones. He did not seem to like the car ride. We got to the vet's office just before they closed; unfortunately, they were unable to help. He did have a chip, but their scanner revealed no identifying information. It was suggested that we take the cat to the Humane Society and have him scanned there.

Fine. This necessitated an overnight stay at our house. I wasn't turning that cat loose to freeze or worse. We stopped at the store on the way home. My daughter cuddled the cat while I ran in for a litter box, food dish, and some food.

As he stayed overnight, we were growing attached to the cat. He was friendly and affectionate. He slept between my husband and me, purring nearly all night.

The next morning, I was reluctant to bring him to the Humane Society, fearing that we would find his owners and have to give him back. We'd even started thinking of names. Still, if he were my cat, wouldn't I want him back? Wouldn't I want those who found him to do the right thing? We brought him in. Sure enough, the Humane Society was able to pull his information from his chip, and I was given the name and phone number of his owners. I called the number immediately. When a woman answered, I explained I had found a cat I believed was hers - had she lost one? I described him to her, and she said, "Oh! That's Boots!" She said she hadn't seen him for a while, and they wondered if he was ever coming home. The Humane Society people gave us a cardboard cat carrier, and we reluctantly loaded Boots up to bring him home. The children were very sad. We drove all the way back to our own neighborhood - Boots' owners lived just down the block from our house. After we dropped him off, my husband drove right past our house and up the street that would take us to the freeway.

"We're going back," he explained.

It was time to find a cat of our own.

Once back at the Humane Society, we were let into a roomful of cats to observe and talk to. Way in the back was an orange tabby, two years old, without a single prospect. It was the kittens who commanded the attention of most people looking for a new friend. The orange tabby looked at us blankly with his big eyes, but he came to the front of his cage. He sniffed my hand and blinked, a little more life coming into his expression.

"This is the one," I said firmly.

The Humane Society woman opened his cage and handed him to me.

"He's a sweetie, but he's shy," she offered.

There was something familiar about this orange guy, but I chalked that up to our having had an orange tabby before, when we lived in Minnesota. Something about him tugged at me, however, and I knew he was the one. My husband agreed, and before too long we were filling out the paperwork.

As I signed form after form, I noticed one that listed an intersection near my house.

"Is this where he was found?" I asked the worker.

"Yes, it is."

"That's in my own neighborhood!"

Suddenly, I flashed on a memory from two months earlier, near the beginning of the school year. There was an orange tabby hanging around my daughter's elementary school. I had seen him three or four times - he had no collar and appeared to be a stray. On that day, he decided to follow us home after my son and I had walked up to school to pick up my daughter. The cat trailed behind us by several feet, but he was definitely following us. After we'd walked a couple of blocks, I had decided that if he followed us all the way home, I would let him in.

He turned and disappeared just two houses away from ours. I did not see him again.

Until that day at the Humane Society. It was him! It was the same orange tabby who had once nearly followed us home! I knew then that that was the familiarity in him, and that it seemed we really was meant to be our cat.

He spent the first week or so hiding under our bed all day, but as he grew more comfortable, he spent more and more time out of hiding and sitting or playing with us. He's a regular fixture around here now.

Boots came to visit us often after that - at least once a week he'd show up at our house asking to come in and play. It's been months now since we've seen Boots...I hope that he's all right. I believe he came to us that first day in order to lead us to the orange tabby, Dino, who became a member of our family.

[Shine]

41. What a great story!

Dino was clearly meant for your family. :hug: Very sweet.

[Skittles]

47. wow

just a lovely story

[driver8]

52. That is such an amazing story!!

I hope Boots is alright, too!

[hatredisnotavalue]

28. We live in the country on a dead-end road

about half-a-mile from the area's cat shelter. Instead of paying the $5 to the shelter to take care of their cat, people will just shove the cat out of the car near the entrance to the shelter and drive off.

Eventually all of these drop offs find their way to our house or the neighbors. The lady above us now has six cats, the bachelor across from her has two and he hates cats, and we have had so many I have lost count. The lady further down the street has a purebred blue Persian.

We were up to six at one point, but three have died of old age. We are now down to three. A calico, who is allergic to cat fur, a pure blooded Siamese and a 24-lb, multi-clawed coon cat, who tied the Guinness world record for most toes.
Here are two of them:


Since I am allergic to cats and find three to be at the top of the limit of this household, I now bring the cats in and clean and feed them up and bring them to the humane society in our largest city, where they have a much better chance of being adopted. Some of these have included a purebred white Persian, a huge Maine coon and her four kittens, and a Burmese. All were quickly adopted.

I truly would love to keep them all. But I believe in the quality of life for an animal and it just is too hard with a job, husband, kids and a dog to give these little guys all of the lovin' they need. Plus my allergy to cats isn't a respiratory one. I break out with huge welts on my face, arms, hands and legs which are not very attractive come tee shirt season. I had to draw the line somewhere.

As far as the dog, we actually bought him from a local breeder. I have never owned a purebred animal before, and was very leery of the $400 price, but he is a wonderful dog. We only owned mutts before who had a lot of emotional baggage, and were very likely abused before they came to us. Don't get me wrong, they were great dogs, but when you get a puppy at seven-weeks old and train and treat them the way they should be, there is a huge difference. Plus I feel like I have paid my dues when it comes to taking in strays.:)
Here is the dog playing with the obese stray Siamese:

[Wcross]

29. They were my neighbors dogs....

Buddy and Angel (the two dogs at the top of the picture) lived up the road when I bought my little house out in the country. They would come down and visit with me all day when I was working on it. They often brought along their pup PeeDee. The house burned to the ground and the family had to move to an apartment in town and couldn't take the dogs. He approached me and asked if I would like to take them in about a week later. I had already decided I would if offered. It turns out Angel was a week away from having her pups. (Curly and Larry) PeeDee was pregnant as well and only one pup (Moe) survived. I decided they should all stay together as a family so I still have all six dogs. Yes, they are ALL spayed and neutered now.



These two guys cost me 200 dollars (the fine) and worth every penny. I have named them Chairman Meow and Flea Taxi. I was pulled over by a state trooper for speeding. I stopped on the side of the road in a rural area. As the trooper was running my info I kept hearing little meows coming from somewhere. I waited for the trooper to leave then I found two little kittens that had just been weened. I took them home intending to find them a good home because I knew my dogs would kill them. I started to get the feeling that the dogs were cool with having pet cats though.

[driver8]

53. Another great story!!

Good for you for giving those dogs and cats a wonderful home. They look pretty cozy together.

[Poiuyt]

30. I went to the animal shelter looking to get a cute little kitten

When I got there, I saw the cute little kittens, but also the older cats. I knew the cute little kittens would have no trouble finding good homes, but I started to think that the older cats would just get put to sleep. That's when I decided to get my Carl. He was a stray and about a year old. He's been my best friend for 14 years now.

[Shine]

42. Carl is very handsome.

great pix! :thumbsup:

[Skittles]

46. THAT is one HANDSOME cat

yes INDEED

[driver8]

54. Great picture...Carl is very handsome. n/t

[ceile]

67. So handsome! n/t

[Nikia]

32. My husband went to the animal shelter while I was at work one day

There he saw a cute little American eskimo, the breed that his parents have also, who was 8 years old and surrendered because he was allegedly bad with children. After work, he took me there and begged me to let us adopt the dog. He also pointed out that if we didn't adopt him that he would probably be put to sleep since he had already been there a couple weeks and his age and disposition would make adoption less likely. We took him home a few days later.
He seemed to like his new home and people right away. We have had him for 4 years now. WE sometimes wonder about his former life, but he seems to be happy with us.

[ET Awful]

34. Well . . .

This lady I work with has a good friend who has a stepdaughter. Now, when this stepdaughter was 13, she thought it would be a neat idea to sneak two kittens into the house and raise them in her closet. Well, needless to say stepmom found out about the kittens after hearing them squeak at 3:00 AM. So through the lady I work with I ended up with Quinn:



And her sister ended up with his sister:

(the only picture I have of her and whoever took it didn't know how to tone down the flash so she looks really freaky).

About a year after I got Quinn, I decided he needed a playmate, so I started keeping an eye out. I ran into a lady at Petco one day who did rescue. She had about a dozen kittens with her that day, several that were really fluffy and looked kind of like Quinn, so I sat there and played with them for a while. None of them liked me, and they all squirmed and tried to get away. Then I saw a really thin, sleek, svelte little grey and white kitten sleeping over in the corner. I asked about her and the lady doing the rescue said "She doesn't like people very much, she hasn't been friendly to anyone, she always tries to get away and hide." But, I told the lady to let me hold her anyway, and as soon as she was in my arms, she snuggled up against me and started purring and nuzzling my chin. It was funny because she even tried to get away from the lady doing the adoptions (the rest of the kittens LOVED the adoption lady). Obviously, I had to adopt her. She picked me :P. So, on August 9, 2004, Althea came to live with me:



She's still the same way, loves me, but hides from anyone else. Quinn is very social though, if there are guests in the house, he's all over them trying to be friends. :)

[ChoralScholar]

35. Ginger was six weeks old, and we found her on the

side of US Hwy 64, east of Conway, AR. Her coat looked like old worn out carpet.

My wife got Julie from a guy giving away pups at Wal-Mart. It was for my anniversary, which is in July, so we named her Julie.

[China_cat]

37. Cotton was 'free to a good home'

at 6 weeks of age. That was 21 years ago.

Larry, Curly and Moe were the offspring of feral mother. After I started feeding her so that she wouldn't have to leave the kittens to hunt, she brought them to live under my workshop. She'd hiss and spit if I tried to pet her but she never made a fuss when I wanted to pet the kittens. That was 16 years ago.

Bailey had been adopted by 3 college girls living in a second floor apartment in the middle of Charleston. Not a good thing for a mix between 2 herding breeds. They ignored the fact that they were supposed to take him back to the shelter if the adoption didn't work out and, instead, advertised him in the paper. He was a year and half old and it was 1994.

Rosie came in March of 1995, a rescue of my favorite breed, the Bouvier. About the same age as Bailey. We lost her 2 weeks ago today when her hips gave out and the pain became too much for her.

Dotty, another Bouvier, was purchased from a breeder in 1997 at the age of 13 weeks.

Daphne is a shelter dog, pug mix, silly little thing, approximately 8 years old when we adopted her a year ago this past August.

[Flaxbee]

39. My husband's old front door had a window about face-high

and one day he said he looked up at the door and Tom the Cat's orange-and-white tabby face was peering in at him. Tom had jumped to the little ledge, done a kitty pull-up and stared in until noticed. When my husband went to open the door, Tom strolled in, jumped up on the counter and asked for tuna. That was 1993, they were bachelor buds until I came along in 1999. Tom is my permanent lap-warmer.

Meanwhile, in 1998 I adopted my sort-of psychotic mostly white (calico tail and ears) Clarisse from a no-kill shelter in NYC. I had squatted down to look at a big gray tabby in the cage below Clarisse's when she reached thru the bars and grabbed my hair and purred. That was it, she'd chosen me (and later, upon meeting my husband for the first time, sat in his lap and purred like she was about to levitate - I guess telling me he was OK to marry, and if I didn't, she would).

Neener Pea (LindaKitty) came to us while we were in rural Virginia; lots of cats got dumped and our kind neighbor had 18 cats. Neener was an older girl, a calico with so much heart and soul, and the best mouser ever. You could hold her to you and just feel your sadness or anger being pulled out of you by her - she'd absorb your bad emotions and make you feel OK. Then, the day we were moving, she rolled off the second story deck (she had WILD, FLAILING dreams) and broke her tail at the base; we couldn't drive with her she was in so much pain so the kind neighbor (who secretly loved her) volunteered to care for her. Then the neighbor was unable to part with her - neighbor's husband was sick with cancer, and he loved Neener so much and she would sit with him all day after chemo and radiation and he just needed her (he hadn't bonded with any of the other cats, only Neener), so we let her stay with them. Sweet Neener Pea died last year (old age).

A feral we trapped, had fixed, and fed and loved wouldn't come to me (never let me hold her) when we were moving, but the people who bought the house were cat people and said they'd care for her; she eventually integrated into their family. That was Petunia.

Once in NC, hurricane Ivan ripped up the mountain valleys and brought us our massive, 20+ lb male tuxedo Ivan, skinny and very sick with an upper respiratory infection. He's got the biggest head I've ever seen on a cat, and the highest little meow. He's wonderful, but can get pissed pretty fast so you have to make sure you don't lose an arm if you scratch him inattentively. He was probably a little over 1 year old when we found him 18 months ago.

Then, last May, a small tortoiseshell showed up, obviously nursing or about to give birth. I fed her regularly, and caught her to take her to the vet for a check-up (and to see if she was preggers or had had her babies); they said she'd already had her litter. So I kept feeding her morning and night, whenever she'd show up, and one night she brought us her three girls. I cried, I just felt so honored. We kept the babies, I couldn't stand to give them away. The girls are Ingrid (short haired orange and white tabby, the spitting image of Tom); Marilyn (long-haired orange/blonde tabby); and Hedy (long-haired silver tabby). MommaKitty is incredibly bossy and affectionate, Ingrid is studious and quiet but quite the huntress and has a very, very deep purr, Marilyn is just a head-case - gorgeous and flirtatious and a movie star, and Hedy is beautiful, sometimes forgets to retract her tongue once done grooming, and is the fastest toy-feather-catcher in the east.

So, total seven cats. Two boys, five girls. All neutered or spayed, as the case may be. I LOVE my kitties!

[yellowdogintexas]

43. Our old cat was dropped in my daughter's friend's yard

and we ended up with him when one of our old cats died. He was so cute, a Siamese mix and we just loved him. When we found out he was available, we jumped on it.

He is now 13


Lewis, Clark and CatZilla were born in this house. They had a sister and another brother; the brother was adopted out and the sister decided to seek lodging elsewhere (she developed an intense dislike for her much larger brothers)

the five in a row right before brother was adopted.

their mother, who also decided to seek lodging elsewhere, apparantly we did not give ALL thekittens away.

Lewis now:

Clark now:

catzilla now:

Lewis and Catzilla doing kitty porn:

[The Flaming Red Head]

44. Somebody threw a litter of kittens and a mama cat out of a moving car

We thought they were all dead and then on Halloween night my son and I were driving by and we noticed a little bitty black kitty on top of the dead siblings and the mother and it was feeding on the carcasses. We live out in the country and had noticed the dead kitties days before this and it was amazing that, that little baby had survived as long as he had. No way could we leave behind an orphan with that sad of a tale, so my son managed to coax the kitten out some brambles where it had run and hidden and we took him home and fed him some real food. We named him Black Magic because it was Halloween and he was a black cat and the only survivor of his family, since then I’ve nick named him The Screaming MeMe because he never ever shuts up meowing.


Edited to say sometimes when he wants me to wake up and feed him, he climbs on top of me while I’m sleeping and he chews on my toes and my fingers and that makes me kind of nervous.

[Mad_Dem_X]

64. OMG, how sad - but at least you managed

to rescue one of them. Poor little guy.

[Skittles]

45. Riff Raff

he was an injured stray kitten who just wasn't making it, but he was terrified of humans. I ordered a feral trap over the internet, caught him, took him to the vet and now he is mine. I also trapped his siblings, they got adopted. And I trapped his mom, got her fixed and let her go (she's extremely feral). She stops by daily for chow.

My other kitty Clancy I got from the pound eight years ago, ten days after I had to put my 14 year old beloved cat L.B. to sleep. :)

Riff Raff is tuxedo, Clancy is solid black:

[silverlib]

48. "Beware of Killer Bees and Bill Clinton"

We found our pup, Sammie, in a newspaper ad - half border collie and half Austrian Shepard. We called the guy, who seemed somewhat crazy and he gave us directions to his place - down winding country roads and way out in now where, which is hard to imagine in Austin. We pulled up and saw the hand painted sign on the gait and thanked the good Lord we didn't have bumper stickers on the truck. He told us that we were the only sane people who called. We may have been the only ones without a dem sticker - as this is Austin.

We converted this precious pup to a Dem and she has been a wonderful companion for ten years.

We got Jimmy as a kitten out of box in front of Michael's, another Repub establishment.

Princess, the rat, came from the pet store. We had to lie and tell them she would be food for our pet snake.

[crispini]

49. kick for the critters

[spindrifter]

50. Okay. Here are three stories:

1. Small. Small was our first dog, a mostly English sheepdog. We knew the people who owned Small's mom quite well and were at their house when the pups were born. They "knew" we would love to have one of them. Well, we were living in an apt. then and had two cats, but of course we took Small. She was a great dog when our daughter was born--herding her and letting her flop on her when she was learning to walk.

2. The daughter grew up and met a young man from Plano, Tx. who just had to have a German shorthair like his stepdad had. He got himself a puppy at a shelter in Denver, and that was Brandy. The story gets a little intense with the daughter and her beau moving from Seattle to Colorado. Eventually, the daughter liberated Brandy and came home--we were in a studio apartment at the time while our house was being remodeled. It was the two of us, daughter and Brandy for several weeks.
Brandy just kind of stayed with us as the daughter did her student and traveler thing.

3. Brandy grew to a ripe old age and eventually had to cross the Rainbow Bridge. I was so dependent on getting up at 4:30 a.m. to take "her" out on her a.m. walk, going out after dinner with her, and spending great times whenever possible at the dog park that after a couple of weeks I was on Petfinder pretty compulsively. One morning I found "Trek," a German shorthair located at a shelter a ferry ride away from us. I called the daughter and said check it out. She did and we agreed that she would call dad and tell him to get over to get that dog. He just made the ferry and came back with the dog, who had to be re-named: Daisy. Daisy is quite different in appearance from Brandy, which is good. She is another great GSP and we are thrilled to have her.

[w8liftinglady]

51. my sweet Chrystal(who died tonight)-next in line to be euthanized at the .

..pound.She was such an intelligent,gentle dog.I'll miss her.

[mvd]

60. Very sorry about your loss

It's like losing a member of the family. :hug:

[SeattleGirl]

55. How I got my dog and my three cats:

My dog Chloe: (Actually, she is technically Mr. SG's dog, but she loves me too.) Mr. SG had a dog, Shadow, for 17 years. He finally had to have her put down, because of some bad health problems. He was heartbroken, of course, because he had had her for so long. I thought having another dog eventually would be good for him, but I wasn't just going to bring one home. So, the Christmas after Shadow was gone, my daughter and I bought a new food dish, a collar, leash, and some doggie treats. We put them in a box along with a note that said, "When ready, just add puppy" and gave it to him for Christmas. Before the end of January, we had Chloe, whom we got from a private home. We'd looked at shelters, but all the animals were grown, and he wanted a puppy.

My cat, Miss Kitty: She is almost 16 years old now. I got her from a local shelter. She was in a cage with some other kittens who had been found abandoned. All the kittens except Miss Kitty were at the front of the cage, mewing, wanting attention. Miss Kitty, a grey tabby, was this tiny little fur ball curled up in the back corner of the cage. I fell in love with her instantly, and brought her home.

My cat, Baby Cat: A former co-worker of mine brought her into work one day. Her neighbor had THROWN the kitten OVER THE FENCE, the creep! Mary already had 4 cats, and keeping another one was just not doable for her. So she brought the kitten into work, because she KNEW I would not be able to resist, and she was right. I did not tell Mr. SG I was bringing her home (my bad, I know). I made a little bed for her in an empty copy paper box. He came outside as I was getting the box out of the car. When I showed him the kitten (a long-haired calico), he did the same thing I did -- fell instantly in love with her. My daughter, who was living with us at the time, named her Baby Cat.

My cat, Katie Cat: Katie is spawn of Baby. Baby got out before we could get her fixed, and had 6 kittens. We kept Katie (long-haird black cat with some auburn tint in her ruff), and found good homes for the other kittens. Had we not been able to find good homes for them, we would have kept them, rather than taking them to the shelter.

[Horse with no Name]

56. My turn

Tabitha belonged to a Home Health patient of mine that was going into a nursing home. My patient said that it would make her happy if I would treat her kindly. I've had her since 1992.
Finnegan belonged to a nurse that I worked with's roommate. Apparently Finnegan didn't like my friend and he used her clothing for a catbox.
When my friend's roommate left for two weeks, my friend was going to take him to a shelter or give him away. I've had him since 1995.
Bosco was gender-confused. Our neighbor had him--although his name was Sophie (they thought he was female) and he had a habit of sucking on people--weaned too soon. He was on his way to the pound when we acquired and re-named him. We obtained him in 2002.
Freckles is my dog. We rescued him out of a Walmart parking lot. We've had him since 2003.

[Carla in Ca]

57. We were in a rescue network

We got a call to go out to the desert to a breeder's house. We were told it was really a puppy mill. The next day, we went and grabbed the first Beagle we could find and brought her home. She just turned 5 last week.

Please see my journal (March 7th) for a post explaining how we almost lost her. She is fine now but what a traumatic ordeal!

[bumblebee1]

58. Our animals

Our dog Shep, came to us in California. It was after our Pekingese Pepper died. One of my husband's co-workers gave her dog to another co-worker. This guy was going to put this sheltie into the pound. One day, my husband went to this guy's house. The guy threw the dog to my hubby. He's holding it like a baby. Hubby came home with the dog. He then calls me at work to get some dog food and a collar. My response was, "A collar and some dog food? We don't have a dog." Hubby's reply was "We do now." So, I came home from work and the grocery store to find this tri-colored sheltie sitting on our patio. He needed a bath.

Our rats: This also started in California. Hubby found this rat at the resort where he worked as part time security. A woman and her son came into the lobby. The lady asked where the bathroom was so she could wash his hands. He was out by the fountain playing with a rat. The resort staff had the attitude of oh, great. That's all we need. My husband and the little boy went out to find the rat. The rat was found by the fountain. This rat was a domesticated one with a brown head, white body and a spot on his backside. Hubby put said rat into his truck. The rat proceeded to eat all his sunflower seeds. Later that morning, I was told about the rat. My response was "You brought home a what?" The rat was brought into the house. I figured "Why not? So hubby put Rotten into the bathtub since he had to be somewhere else. He figured the rat wouldn't jump out of the tub. Wrong!!! I look down the hallway to see the rat and the dog walking side by side. To keep the rat from getting lost in the house, I inverted a clothes basket over it. When my husband came from his appointment, I told him that Rotten needed a cage. Eventually, this rat took to me. To be honest, I never considered having a rat as a pet. Now, I just love 'em.

Since then, we've had 15 rats, though not at the same time. We now have two females named Cleo (short for Cleopatra) and Diana. Our steel nosed Siamese point male died last weekend. His name was Sasha.

Our guinea pigs: We got these two boys at the our local pet store. We named them Sweetpea and Zorro. We got them as young pigs.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

59. Long list...

Midnight...crazy cat. Literally got her from an alleyway next to our apartment when she was 7 weeks old during a blizzard. Only surviving cat of the litter (including her mom).

Cuddles...stupid Ragdoll cat. Bought him from a breeder by Stokes State Forest (NJ).

Ginsberg...given to me by a friend/coworker. A stray pregnant cat adopted her. I got one of the kittens.

Peaches...rescued from a "Ragdoll" breeder. No papers (I think she's a Birman, not a Ragdoll) and her kittens didn't have papers. Bred pretty much every time she went into heat. Her kittens didn't have papers either, but cost $700. Peaches was free because she was "too burnt out to breed." Only 5 lbs. when we got her and she's a skinny 9lbs now. I don't think they fed her or touched her at all. She's getting over her fear of people now.

Leopard Geckos...two (Killer & Stumpy) were bought at pet shop and one (Spot) given to me by a reptile breeder friend (didn't have suitable housing for the extra male, but I did).

Bearded Dragons...Raoul Duke & Dr. Gonzo were given to me by the same reptile breeder friend (one was disabled and therefore unsellable, the other one wasn't sold before she had to go away for a month). They're brother & sister. She still owns the parents.

Bunnies...Darwin & Elfie were bought at the pet shop. They're both dwarfes. Darwin was so small at the time, that she fit in the palm of my hand.

Fish...pet shop.

Mouse...originally intended as gecko food. It was the pinkie that didn't get eaten. It's being hand-fed now and it's name is Snack.

[LibertyLover]

61. We have 4 adopted dogs

Sam, our alpha male greyhound, picked us. We had gone to the rescue group's house to fill in the adoption paperwork for a greyhound. I casually mentioned to the staffer that I had adopted our German Shepherd (now deceased). Next thing we know, my husband and I were ushered into the kennel area to meet their available dogs. After asking if we were afraid of dogs (?) the staffer let several of these wonderful animals out to run around the yard. One large red brindle male immediately came up to me, put his head on my chest and looked up at me with soulful brown eyes. It was love at first sight. Sam wouldn't leave us, even to romp with his friends. The staffer informed us that we had passed the test and if we wanted him, he was ours.

Ptah, our older whippet, was found tied to the door of a shelter in North Carolina. One of the workers there contacted her friend, who rescued greyhounds and had Italian Greys as her personal dogs, and asked if she would take a whippet. The friend agreed and took the abandoned whippet puppy home. She adored him, but he kept trying to play with her Iggies and whippets play rough - too rough for iggies' safety, so reluctantly Ally realized she had to rehome Ptah. She posted a message on a message board for the Kingdom of Atlantia (SCA) and my husband saw it. He wanted to adopt the whippet. So I called Ally and found that we were the only ones who had called. Ptah was ours. I drove down to North Carolina to pick him up. When I got to her house, Alley let Ptah in to meet me. He came flying into the room, jumped into my arms and nose-nibbled me. Ally said that she had never seen him do that to anyone else. On the ride back to Maryland, the poor dog alternated between barfing and licking me.

After our German Shepherd died, I wanted another GSD. We contacted a rescue group and met one of their GSDs, but nothing clicked. Nice dog, but not mine. But at a meet and greet a few days later, my husband found a Siberian Husky puppy that he fell in love with. He had lived next door to a husky as a teenager and really liked the breed. So, home came Bragi (named after the Norse god of music - if you have ever heard a husky howl, you'll appreciate the sentiment). Bragi and I didn't mesh really well until shortly after my mom's death. He chewed on a door mat and the filament got caught in his intestines. He was very sick and needed to have the blockage surgically removed. While he was recuperating from surgery, I was home sick with 'flu and grief and we spent hours cuddling together on the couch. For all that Bragi is our biggest dog, weighing in excess of 100 pounds, he is the omega of the group and gets pushed around by everyone. But he is very good with our little girl. From the moment we brought her home from China, Bragi would spend hours by her, watching her every move and making sure that she was ok. If Bethan cried, Bragi was right there to check on her and to make sure that my husband or I soothed her and got her to stop crying.

Hex, our female greyhound, was adopted. We had seen her photo on the rescue group's web page and liked her looks. We arranged to meet her and she spent the visit draped across my lap. So, of course we had to adopt her. She is just the most happy-go-lucky thing. She loves to slurp you and cuddle. She is also a fantastic surrogate mom.

Our fifth dog was not adopted, but was purchased. However since it was from a pet store in the mall and he was on sale, we count him as an adoption. One Sunday my stepdaughter and her then-boyfriend came down to our house for dinner. Casey announced that she needed to go to the Mall shopping. I was having some friends over for lunch, so I suggested to my husband that he go with them. My friends came over and we were sitting at the table having dessert when my husband called. He asked how serious I had been when I said that if the pet store ever had a whippet it would have to come home with us. I asked why I thought that was not a rhetorical question. His response was that there was an adorable 8 week old whippet puppy sleeping in Casey's lap. To make a long story short, home came an 8 week old whippet puppy that we named Djet. He was immediately adopted by our greyhound bitch, to the point where she was regurgitating food for Djet. They are still close and will cuddle together.

Adopting dogs has worked very well for us. Our guys are a wonderful family and I can't wait to see them when I get home.

[mvd]

68. My dog Reba is a German Shepherd mix

Not sure about the exact mix - her original owners left no info. and didn't visit the pound after Reba was found. I've gotten various opinions on DU from people seeing her picture. My guess is that she's a Shepherd, Golden Retriever, and Collie mix. At first, I didn't Reba would get as big as she did - but it's worked out fine. That Retriever length combined with the Shepherd size makes her about 110 pounds.

[Patiod]

62. Some Ruskies had put her out on the street

(Sorry for the ethnic slur, but anyone who leaves a little kitten outside to fend for itself while the family goes back to visit the Motherland deserves worse than the only-moderately-perjoritive "ruskie")

Neighbors of a friend's sister left kitten outside while they went on vacation.

After a few days, kitten came over to sister's house, planted its butt down on the front step, and started yelling. Friend took pity on it, and took it to the vet, who diagnosed it as starving and dehydrated, with ticks, fleas and earmites. Friend then brought it to us, saying "if he doesn't get along with my cat, he's yours. And his name is Bernie, 'cause he's Flyers black white and red" (Alert feline connaisseurs will already note a problem with the story -- in that black, white and red cats are not male)

Anyway, the kitten annoyed his cat, so she ended up with us, where she annoyed Andy the big tomcat we were boarding, and earned the name "The Little" (as in "where's Andy and the little one?") Now she lives with and annoys us on a daily basis.

[Mad_Dem_X]

63. We got Beau (our dog) from the SPCA

We'd decided to get a dog, and to try to get one from a shelter. When we got there, all the dogs were barking and carrying on except one. He was just lying there quietly, a pit bull/shepard mix with brindle coloring, skinny legs and a big head. I went over to him and started talking to him. He was so sweet and gentle. Then I noticed the number above his cage, that the SPCA had assigned to him: 66. My husband and I were both born in 1966, so I took it as a sign that we were meant to have this dog. We think he was beaten by his previous owner(s) because he cowers a lot and is scared of many things, but he is well trained and the most lovable dog I could ever hope for.

[NMDemDist2]

65. let's see

Sue Z. (Aussie Shep mix)was at the pound in Sacramento, CA. she had been abandoned at the River park and she waited and waited for her "people" to come back. eventually the lady who lived nearby got her to eat and caught her. Sue Z had been abused by her old owners and was about 8 months old when we got her. She's 11 now and other than getting a bit deaf and losing some of her sight from cataracts, she's doing well.

MeMe (Gray tabby) is our only cat. My neighbor's dog killed my Miss Kitty and she felt so bad. MeMe was a stray hanging out at the neighbor's work, drinking out of the swimming pool and eating out of the dumpsters at the hotel. It was love at first sight. Sue Z. and MeMe are best buds and MeMe is probably about 10-12 years old and doing great.

Einstein (Border Collie) was in a pet store! Neither my DH nor I could believe "our" dog was in a pet store, but there you have it! We got a full refund for the ridiculous $ we spent on him because I diagnosed his dual hip dysplaysia when he was 7 months old. The vet thought I was nuts but the X-Rays told the true story. He's 8 now and moving pretty slow. We're planning on getting his hips done this year now that he's struggling, poor guy.

Sadie (Shetland Sheep Dog or sheltie) we got from a breeder after our beloved Penny (a Yorkie/Chi mix) died. While neither DH or I really wanted another dog, Einstein was literally grieving himself to death over Penny. His face turned almost completely white within two weeks. I told hubby "You may not want another puppy, but 'Stein needs one bad." She's three and a really good girl.

[veganred]

69. I was "undercover" researching an illegal breeder

I was doing undercover research trying to catch a guy who had a large illegal dog breeding operation. I was visiting his home pretending to be a potential buyer when I saw a herd of yorkshire terriers running around in the back. I lost my "work" mode for a minute to check them out. The next day, the breeder called and asked if I wanted to take an old yorkie who he was going to have killed because she could no longer breed puppies for him. I did not really want a dog because of my traveling etc but knew I had no choice so I said yes. She was underweight and emotionally screwed up for living in a crate her entire life but has improved a great deal. That was in 2000 and she is still with me at the ripe age of 14.

My investigation resulted in 15 counts of animal breeding violations/animal cruelty for the breeder and me having a great companion.

[OhioBlue]

71. Kitty

there was a tiger kitten that wedged itself between my storm door and back door meowing - my niece was here, so I let the kitten in to play (neighborhood cats often come in if we have the door open in the summer) This kitten was different - so cute and cuddly. After a while, I put her back outside and shut the doors - later, I heard her meowing again - but, not wanting a pet.. I didn't let her in. When I left for work the next day, she was there. When I got home from work, she was there. So, I bought a litter box, food, food dish, etc. and took her in. She was sitting on my lap purring, following me around and I hear someone calling for a cat outside. I pick the kitten up - go out and ask if it was her kitten - it ended up being the neighbor's kitten and he was on vacation and his girlfriend was looking for her.

So... she comes back to my house a couple of times, I let her stay until the neighbor is home and take her back.... Eventually he tells me he just has too many cats and has to get rid of some - I still had the litter box and food dishes for her, so I took her in. (She was a rescued kitten) So now we have kitty and one of her offspring - (we were told she was fixed but she surprised us by having a litter of 4) They're both sweet kitties - even tho kitty isn't that found of anyone other than us and bubby wakes me up at 2:30, 4:00, 5:30 a.m. consistently..... lol....

[WolverineDG]

72. A long drawn out tale

Nellie: Got her 14 years ago when I came home from work early. I was crossing a very busy intersection when I noticed some "trash" rolling in the road everytime a car passed it. Got close up & realized it was a very tiny KITTEN. Hit the brakes, got out, put the kitten in the car, took her home. She was very young, her ears were still folded over a bit. She wouldn't drink any milk, but she did take to the canned cat food that I had. My older tom adopted her & became her "daddy." I took her to the vet the next day & got yelled at because she was 4-5 weeks old & too young to be away from her mother. I then explained how I happened to get her & he said, "if she lives until next week, bring her in for her shots."

Lizzie: She was about the same age as Nellie, but she adopted me about two months after Nellie showed up. I opened the door & she walked right in as if she owned the joint. She was such a lovely cat, very loving & loyal. She got cancer last year & I had to put her to sleep in August. :cry:

Hermione: I've had her about 5 years now & liberated her from my brother's garage (he & his wife are hoarders). She definitely has her own style & does not get along with any of my other cats. The only one she did get along with was Lizzie. Even before Lizzie got sick, Hermione would cuddle up to her & purr like mad. After Lizzie got sick, they were constant companions. Hermione now plays nursemaid to me when I'm sick

Draco: as a small kitten, he just showed up one day & sassed the dog. He is now the bane of Hermione's existence. :evilgrin: But to me, & sometimes to Nellie, he is a very sweet boy.

Misty: In theory, I've got her temporarily from my other brother whose wife went psycho & said "It's the cat or me." Poor cat. Bad decision, bro. Anyway, she's very sweet & gets along ok w/the others but doesn't want them to get too close. Draco has a crush on her, but she's having none of it. (BTW all the animals are fixed)

Riki: In theory, she was going to go back outside once she recovered from getting spayed, but she now refuses to go outside. She doesn't get along all that well with the other cats (I'm hoping that's going to change). She is very sweet with me & likes to sleep on my feet or on my pillow.

Sirius: My friends thought I needed a dog to go with my new back yard. I'd never had a dog before, but he is very sweet-natured, friendly, loves to play.

Bianca: Another animal that I have "temporarily" but only in theory. She's very sweet to me, a bit bossy with Sirius, but does not like strange people or strange animals in her territory. She also barks at trees. :crazy:

dg

[flvegan]

73. Two adopted, one found, one stolen.

I have 9 rescues here, as well, all up for adoption. All of them found abused or found dying.

Don't ask how I got the rescues. I'll take the 5th every time.