Success Stories
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Gherkin
Gherkin is a 2-year-old Great Dane in Forked River, NJ, who needs $1,500 for a prosthetic paw.
Forked River, NJ
I first saw Gherkin on one of my Great Dane FB pages for dogs that need a second chance. We had a full house at the time and I just scrolled by. Weeks went by and I kept seeing her face pop up. Nobody wanted her. She was being advertised as missing 2 hind toes and previously abused. I finally realized she was meant for me to save and she arrived on a transport van on a rainy Sunday morning with a bloody stump instead of a paw, wounds, scabs, scars all over her and terrified of people and leashes. The last 2 months we have been working with a trainer, treating her for PTSD, and many veterinary visits. From what we can piece together she was an ASPCA seizure from Missouri from a house that had the tenants evicted. There were 8 dogs left to fend for themselves in the yard and boy(s) tied her up and tortured her. The orthopedic specialist said her x-rays are consistant with what he sees in Puerto Rico when the dogs' hind feet are severed with machetes there.
Benji
Benji is a 7-year-old Miniature Schnauzer mix in Helena, AL, who needs $455 for treatment for heartworms.
Helena, AL
Benji was originally adopted from a local shelter by an individual who after deciding she no longer wanted him, intended to dump him. Her daughter reached out to the FB community to rehome him. I saw his face and I just knew he had to come home with me. Benji arrived filthy with incredibly long toenails - I don’t think he had experienced much love. He is pretty active, loves toys, loves his sister, and has enjoyed learning to eat dog appropriate people food. A few of his favorites are bananas, carrots, apples, and peanut butter. Benji follows me wherever I go and sleeps with me at night. He has become a very loved companion to both his sister and me.
Athena
Athena is a 3-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier-mixed breed in Ringgold, GA, who needs $220 for heartworm treatment.
Ringgold, GA
Athena is a gentle giant with what looks like a mix of possibly Great Dane and Pit. She has strikingly beautiful gold colored eyes, and the sweetest demeanor of any dog I've ever met. She's incredibly gentle and you can tell she came from an abusive background. We rescued her from McKamey, a local rescue center, and brought her home in March of 2018, shortly after our Boxer traveled over the rainbow bridge. Athena was very skittish and seemed afraid of everything, and had been looked over for adoption many times because they said she would cower down and growl at families who wanted to look at her. They had listed her as a "purple" on their site, which meant she was nervous. I knew the moment I saw her adorable face on their site that she was the one I wanted to bring home, and when we got to McKamey that day we didn't look at any other dog and went straight to her. She met us at the gate of her fence with a wagging tail and sweet little licks. We took her for a walk around their yard, and then into a "get to know you" room where we were alone with her. She rubbed up against us, constantly wagging her tail and smiling. She gave us kisses and was incredibly gentle with my 11 year old son. The employees said they had never seen her react to a family like this, and were pleasantly surprised. An hour later we had her in our car on the way to her forever home. She immediately claimed my boyfriend as her own, and she is his obedient sidekick. We chose the name Athena because she is insanely strong, but also because you could tell she had experienced a rough life and had come out on the other side of it. Her neck and hind legs were battered with scars and rope burns, missing hair, and you could tell she had been tied up for a long time. She was incredibly under weight at 45 lbs with not only visible ribs but also protruding hip bones. She had recently had a litter, as her belly was still pretty saggy. They said they found her roaming the streets eating out of garbage cans, but never found her puppies. A week after having her, and watching her search for another companion at every turn of the house, we decided to get a puppy for her. We adopted a mixed-breed puppy from a local family, got him checked out, named him Apollo, then introduced them. He's a hyper little dude who Athena took to immediately. He was about 9 weeks when we got him, and she has treated him like her own baby since we brought him home. They do everything together and often prefer to sleep in the same crate at night, despite having one of their own right next to one another. They are constantly cuddling and I call them yin and yang often, because they generally sleep head to tail curved into one another. When one is tired or has a scrape, the other tends to it. They (gross, and also sweetly) will share water, lol, whereas one will go drink for a while, then come back and let the other lick the water off of their face. They are a strange pair, but definitely inseparable. They have both been with us now for a year and a half, and Athena has plumped up to a healthy 85lbs, nearly double her weight from when we adopted her! Apollo is smaller, at 55lbs, but is stocky and strong from all the play-fighting with his "sissy". We have taken them on every family trip, and even chose to vacation in an area known for their dog beaches so they would be able to experience the water. Turns out they hated it, so we stayed for less than 30 minutes, but they enjoyed playing in the big fenced in sandy backyard at the beach airbnb. They are regulars at friends and families homes, and have doggy friends we joined on the beach vacation. They are inside dogs, which you could tell when we brought her home it was Athena's first time ever being allowed in the house. She's very gentle with furniture, and the only thing she's ever chewed up is socks. She doesn't really understand toys, but she loves a giant bone. She's taught Apollo to mind, and will get onto him if he's being too hyper/rough with children. She's literally a gentle giant - think of Nana from Peter Pan.:)
Prospero
Prospero is a 4-year-old Domestic Shorthair in New York City, NY, who needs $1,513 for multiple bladder blockages.
New York, NY
I first adopted Prospero in 2015 at Broadway Barks in New York City. I was a performer in the Tony award winning musical Fun Home and went to the event to support my cast mates. I had no intention of adopting a pet that day, but I saw this tiny little runt in an adoption truck and he stole my heart. He has been at my side ever since!
Zorro
Zorro is a 10-year-old Shih Tzu in North Chelmsford, MA, who needs $2,000 for teeth extraction and jaw fracture treatment.
North Chelmsford, MA
We rescued Zorro from Friends of Homeless Animals of Rhode Island – FOHARI.ORG last month. We had been hoping to rescue a senior dog for some time now and give him/her a quiet, loving home. Our home was missing a pet. I worked with a wonderful volunteer from FOHARI – Deb Morgan. We were initially interested in a Shih Tzu named Shorty. But after he arrived in New England and Deb had him for a few nights, she said she didn’t think he’d be a good fit for our family because he is always under foot and Deb worried about him being a tripping hazard for my 82 yo mother who lives with us. While disappointed, I had to agree with Deb. And then Zorro became available. Well as the old saying goes “good things come to those that wait”!! Zorro has been a perfect match for our family. While we had multiple trips to the vet within 8 days of picking him up – first for a double ear infection and then, of more concern, for an infected abscessed tooth and cracked jaw, he doing so much better. He had most of his teeth removed on June 5 and happily after a 3D scan, his jaw is appearing to repair itself on its own per the veterinary dental specialist whom our vet referred me to. He will have remaining back teeth removed in late August after his jaw has fully healed. Poor fellow came to us with a “hot mess” of a mouth unbeknownst to us and to the wonderful folks at FOHARI, but again he is doing, and more importantly FEELING, so much better. We love our little man and an appreciate the help with regards getting his mouth issues cleared up so he can be pain-free and live the happy life he so deserves!!
Chessie
Chessie is a 4 year-old Maincoon in Plainfield, Vermont who needs $2,000 for Bulla osteotomy .
Plainfield, VT
Chessie was a rescue at a home the owner was foreclosing on and leaving all items including the beautiful cat now chessie, when asked during sale of items where he was moving, in this case OR from VT we said this will be a trip for the kitty he replied no it wont.. I'm leaving him... from there it has been a long road to recovery as you may already gather from our tale, chessie was not well cared for.
Tiny Tim (T.T.)
Tiny Tim (T.T.) is an 8-month-old Tabby in Anderson, IN, who needs $750 for hernia-diaphragmatic surgery.
Anderson, IN
Tiny Tim (T.T.) arrived August 28, 2019. He is approximately 8 mos. old. He eats less than most of our other kitties (around 10 on any given day). I saw that his sides we sunken profoundly, and I thought maybe worms. I took him to the veterinary clinic 9/3/2019 and an Xray turned up a ruptured diaphragm. The talk of a massive surgery is scary at best, but the $1200-$1500 price range is a nightmare. The video shows his breathing requires his body to do serious work even when resting. The vet says that his organs are lodged forward in his chest, and will eventually cause massive problems and an untimely death if not repaired.
Levi
Levi is a 16-year-old Tabby in Jacksonville, FL, who needs $338 for leg amputation.
JACKSONVILLE, FL
I have had Levi 16 years, since the day he was born. He has a best friend/dog sister who he helped raise named Sadie. She is 10 yrs old. Levi is a sweet boy. He loves cuddling and going under the covers in my bed. He's a huge fan of wet food. He is a very small kitty, but a fighter. He will recover well, I believe.
Princess
Princess is a 11-year-old Papillon in Zanesville, OH who needs $2,000 for pacemaker installment surgery.
Zanesville, OH
My Princess Mariposa is in need of a pacemaker asap,This came out of nowhere,her heart was strong in May,no signs of anything wrong,now constant cough,wretching and struggling to breathe,the fear in her eyes.it can happen to anyone,its a living nightmare,the worst feeling in the world,i feel like she is doomed.to see her go downhill so rapidly,she was so happy on her birthday,they don't know why or how this happens but to watch my baby deteriorate so rapidly is heart wrenching especially knowing i cant do anything to make her better,The Drs have made it clear there is nothing else no other medicines or procedures than the pacemaker and that her life will change for the better drastically,results are amazing and she will be able to take walks,and play again instead of just staring at her little ball.She is such a good good girl she has never left my side,when my daughter died there were no people or hands to hold but her little paws and her kissies were there always and she just moved closer and closer until she was my everything,she doesn't deserve this.I can't live a moment without this girl and I don't want to,she's my whole heart,my purpose,she is truly my lifeline as i am hers,she is my only family