Spinoff: Rescuing Dogs/Cats

The courageous rottie post got me thinking... does anyone have any amazing animal rescue stories? I have one very interesting story that involved me, a feral cat that was hit by a car, lots of bites and the ER.

Anyone wanna share their stories?

It seems like I find a lost dog, cat, etc every other day - but that's just me - people think I'm crazy for stopping to help but I just have to.

Message edited 1/26/2008 1:43:50 PM.

Re: Spinoff: Rescuing Dogs/Cats

Three -

I found a dog on Sunrise Highway in Islip once - a big, hairy white dog. I got him in my car and drove home with him.
His tags had a California number and address - I called the number and left a message, then called the shelters and told them I had the dog.
I kept him secretly in my apartment (basement studio in Babylon) for three days and the owner called me. He was in Sayville visiting friends...when the dog got away, they thought he didn't have his collar on so the guy was trying shelters out east before he called his own phone to check his messages. He was so happy I had his dog, came right away and gave me $100 for keeping him.


I found a dog that had been hit by a car ( on Sunrise Highway Service Road) and called the police and animal control. The dog had no collar....The police came and took him to the shelter, the owner claimed him the next day and he survived the accident.

When I was jet-skiing out on the ocean by Fire Island Inlet, I saw this huge white bird just sitting on the water. I rode up to it and it didn't swim away. I was wearing a loose jet-ski jacket which I took off and wrapped around the bird. I put the bird in the tray of my jet-ski (stand up style) and rode back with him very slowly. I then called every animal hospital I could think of and described the bird and what happened. I finally found a place in Amagansett that knew what he was and would take him. That night I drove out to Amagansett and gave them the bird. He was a Northeastern Gannett and he actually got better - they released him a month later. The vet called me every other day to update me. He was the most beautiful creature I ever saw. He had the bluest eyes and a six foot wingspan.

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One of my cats growing up was a stray outside. I was about 10 years old and would see her outside, she already had a broken tail. I kept bringing her home begging my mother to keep her. One day I saw teenage neighbors of ours throw her UP in the air. I grabbed her and ran home and snuck her into our basement. She wound up being pg....and having her babies at our home. We had her and her son until they passed away.

Another story...my dad was cleaning our yard and found a day or two old litter of kittens. The mother never came back for them. We took them in and fed them mother's milk from baby bottles round the clock until they became big and strong. My cat from story above became their mother, so sweet. It was so gorgeous, brings tears to my eyes when i picture the sight of them cuddling up to her body. I have pics of them together, and still forget they weren't even kittens she gave birth to.

She cuddled them, cleaned and fed them, taught them. It was beautiful. They tried to nurse from her, but she was fixed so of course could not. But she did clean them and stimulate them to go to the bathroom (mother cats have to lick their babies so they can poop).

We wound up keeping 3 of the 5 kittens for life, in addition to mother and son...we grew so attached. Yes, I have had a lot of cats in my lifetime...they all were rescued off the streets.

I have so many more cat stories where those came from.

:)

Message edited 1/26/2008 4:07:57 PM.

Re: Spinoff: Rescuing Dogs/Cats

Posted by Gertyrae

Three -

I found a dog on Sunrise Highway in Islip once - a big, hairy white dog. I got him in my car and drove home with him.
His tags had a California number and address - I called the number and left a message, then called the shelters and told them I had the dog.
I kept him secretly in my apartment (basement studio in Babylon) for three days and the owner called me. He was in Sayville visiting friends...when the dog got away, they thought he didn't have his collar on so the guy was trying shelters out east before he called his own phone to check his messages. He was so happy I had his dog, came right away and gave me $100 for keeping him.


I found a dog that had been hit by a car ( on Sunrise Highway Service Road) and called the police and animal control. The dog had no collar....The police came and took him to the shelter, the owner claimed him the next day and he survived the accident.

When I was jet-skiing out on the ocean by Fire Island Inlet, I saw this huge white bird just sitting on the water. I rode up to it and it didn't swim away. I was wearing a loose jet-ski jacket which I took off and wrapped around the bird. I put the bird in the tray of my jet-ski (stand up style) and rode back with him very slowly. I then called every animal hospital I could think of and described the bird and what happened. I finally found a place in Amagansett that knew what he was and would take him. That night I drove out to Amagansett and gave them the bird. He was a Northeastern Gannett and he actually got better - they released him a month later. The vet called me every other day to update me. He was the most beautiful creature I ever saw. He had the bluest eyes and a six foot wingspan.

Message edited 1/26/2008 4:30:25 PM.

Re: Spinoff: Rescuing Dogs/Cats

Posted by DaniRella

ETA: now i just read goobster's cat story and i'm like a baby!!!

Message edited 1/26/2008 5:12:36 PM.

Re: Spinoff: Rescuing Dogs/Cats

All the stories are touching, especially the bird..I have rescued more than 1,500 dogs/cats from the streets of NYC.

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--found a dog dragging his hind legs up a hill in Centerport once, years ago. A friend and I got out to see what we can do. A passerby was able to tell us whose dog it was and we got him home. He was very, very old. He had not been hot biy a car or anything. Supposedly, he would drag his legs when he got tired.

--there are tons of stories on my dachshund site. A woman on the site who lives in Kentucky found her dog in between piles of hay in her barn on a very cold night. Her ex husband thought it was a rat at first but he got so confused when he tried to pull it out and the dog's body never ended, b/c it was a dachshund. The dog was in terrible shape. She took her to a vet, by the condition of the dog they learned that she was probably a mill mother that was no longer needed and someone dumped her. The dog was probably 10 at the time and may be 13 or 14 now and her new human mom is so sweet, taught the dog about living in an actual house and calls the dog "her royal highness." Officially, the dog's name is Duchie or Duchess. I can post tons more stories like that from my wiener dog friends.

Re: Spinoff: Rescuing Dogs/Cats

I think sometimes that I am insane...I never hesitate to stop driving when I see an animal loose. I can't tell you how many times I've picked a dog up off the street and taken it to a shelter or called the owners.

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Re: Spinoff: Rescuing Dogs/Cats

My sister found our family dog Tucker (named after the Marshall Tucker Band ) in a dumpster. His little paws were taped, as was his mouth, with duct tape.

She rescued him and my mother refused to let us keep him. Hah. That didn't last.

He became my dog and my friend and I took care of him as best I could until he ran away when I was 13. He was living with a family not 2 miles away and constantly trying to dig his way under their fence to get out. He finally did a year later, and came straight home to me.



A few years ago, I walked out to my car to get something one night and heard "Hello!" coming from the darkness. Scared the hell out of me. It turned out to be an African Grey parrot greeting me from a branch of a shrub next to the house.

He was more than happy to take my wrist and climb up my arm to my shoulder. I came into the house and set him up in the bathroom, then went online to find out what to do! My husband worked from home the next day and got him to the town's shelter. When we found out his owner hadn't called the first couple of days, we put up flyers with his picture all over the place.

We were actually considering adopting him, learning about what it would take to keep a parrot happy. He was so great, and pretty. When he wanted to climb on you, he would raise a foot and say, "Come on!" like he was impatient. He also said "Tobey?" which I assume was his name or his owner's name.

His owner finally did find him, almost a week later. Which is good, because we had come to the conclusion that we did not have the means or the lifestyle to care for such an intelligent, long-living bird.

But we loved him while we had him.

Message edited 1/28/2008 8:35:04 AM.

Re: Spinoff: Rescuing Dogs/Cats

these are all such wonderful stories!! great thread!

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My kitty Lucky---


I was hanging in the backyard at my parents house, with their dog. It was really cold out that day--and I started to hear the distinct sounds of a kitten meowing like crazy. At first I didn't want to look for it, since I didn't know if the mother was coming back. Then I realized that my dog was constantly chasing a cat out of the yard over the past few days--and I worried that he might have chased the mom away and now the kitten must be starving. So I listened and followed the noise and realized it was coming from our neighbor's old shed which is practically on our property...its shoved up against the fence--but that fence is kind of broken.

So I decided to hell with it--I gotta get this kitty. I had to climb into the shed on the side--cause it was all tattered and full of junk--and there laying atop some old wood and lots of crap--was a little baby kitten---he couldn't have been more than 3 wks old if that. His eyes looked like they had only just started opening--and he even still had his umbiblical cord attached. He was freezing and shaking--so I grabbed him and took him inside and warmed him up.

Called the vet -- and had them check the lil guy out and they informed me that because he was so young, I would need to be his "mom" for the next 5-6 weeks--which meant special syringes to feed him--as well as using warm & wet cotton balls on his genitals to "stimulate" his urine and bowel movements that the mom would do naturally with her tongue. I had to feed him every 3 hours -- meaning waking up in the middle of the night! I was very VERY tired those 6 weeks---BUT it didn't matter to me--I wanted to make sure he was happy and healthy!

This is a pic of Lucky when he was only about 5 wks old with my parents dog Juju:



Aaaaaaaaaand here he is today--fat & happy:

Re: Spinoff: Rescuing Dogs/Cats

Posted by Goobster

Posted by Gertyrae

When I was jet-skiing out on the ocean by Fire Island Inlet, I saw this huge white bird just sitting on the water. I rode up to it and it didn't swim away. I was wearing a loose jet-ski jacket which I took off and wrapped around the bird. I put the bird in the tray of my jet-ski (stand up style) and rode back with him very slowly. I then called every animal hospital I could think of and described the bird and what happened. I finally found a place in Amagansett that knew what he was and would take him. That night I drove out to Amagansett and gave them the bird. He was a Northeastern Gannett and he actually got better - they released him a month later. The vet called me every other day to update me. He was the most beautiful creature I ever saw. He had the bluest eyes and a six foot wingspan.

Great story! Hurray!! Glad the bird recovered, how awesome!

Re: Spinoff: Rescuing Dogs/Cats

Posted by MrsPJB2007

My kitty Lucky---


I would need to be his "mom" for the next 5-6 weeks--which meant special syringes to feed him--as well as using warm & wet cotton balls on his genitals to "stimulate" his urine and bowel movements that the mom would do naturally with her tongue. I had to feed him every 3 hours -- meaning waking up in the middle of the night! I was very VERY tired those 6 weeks---BUT it didn't matter to me--I wanted to make sure he was happy and healthy!

This is a pic of Lucky when he was only about 5 wks old with my parents dog Juju:

IMAGE

Aaaaaaaaaand here he is today--fat & happy:
IMAGE

Message edited 1/28/2008 3:24:40 PM.

Re: Spinoff: Rescuing Dogs/Cats

Posted by greenfreak

My sister found our family dog Tucker (named after the Marshall Tucker Band ) in a dumpster. His little paws were taped, as was his mouth, with duct tape.

Re: Spinoff: Rescuing Dogs/Cats

Posted by Goobster

Posted by greenfreak

My sister found our family dog Tucker (named after the Marshall Tucker Band ) in a dumpster. His little paws were taped, as was his mouth, with duct tape.

That makes me FURIOUS!

What animal would do this??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Re: Spinoff: Rescuing Dogs/Cats

Does it have to be a dog or cat story? I have a horse one.

Re: Spinoff: Rescuing Dogs/Cats

i have a cat story..
i got my boys by saving them...
that day at work i was telling some coworkers that i wanted to get a kitten or puppy soon..
my dh picked me up at the station and we went home after work...
we pull up to the house i see two kittens by the front of the house.. it was june so they weren't too cold but it had rained that day. so they were a little wet.. and we were crawling in mud under bushes to get them..but we got them in the house.. (by offering bread)
i ran to target got litter , food and toys
and then we called the vet the next day and got them all fixed up and tested.. they were estimated 2 months old.. now they are almost 2 years old...and neither of us could imagine life without our 'boys'
heres' before and now pics

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Sorry it took me so long to find my way back to this post...

A little background is needed first -- Horse rescue and small animal rescue are very different in a lot of ways. There *are* organized non-profits that do tremendous work rescuing abused and neglected horses, but there are just as many (if not more) private individuals who get horses out of really bad situations. In MANY of these cases, these good samaritans have to pay something nominal for the horse to purchase it from the abuser / one neglecting the horse -- as it would be the only way to get the horse away from them. Trust me, the ASPCA and related animal welfare organizations know little to nothing about horses and an appropriate standard of care. In fact, they use almost identical standards of care for all livestock, and it's basically a cow standard of care. Cows and horses have vastly different needs. For example, the standard for body condition is that the spine must be protruding -- while this is likely true for cattle who don't carry the same muscling over their backs as horses, by the time a horse's spine is protruding, he's likely at a very low body score. Needless to say, VERY few horses are seized in proportion to the amount that are investigated and ought to be seized. I won't bore you with more details.

I lived down south at this time. My friend (now my friend - didn't meet her until I got this horse) was in the market for a horse to do endurance riding with. She found a woman with several Arabians (known for endurance) two states away. One in particular sounded good to her and the price was right. She drove over 8 hours with her trailer to look at him. She was shocked when she saw him. He was very unweight and practically wild. He wouldn't let humans near him. (Remember horses are prey animals and more nervous than most domestic animals)

He was 6 years old, but VERY recently gelded (fixed). In horses, gelding late can lead to several behavior issues / studly behavior later in life. It's hit or miss. He had been bred and has at least two children, one of which is standing stud in TN somewhere. (I love the little guy, but he's not breeding material...) He had an old cut on his lip that was healed, but badly scarred. When asked what happened to his mouth, the people told her "Oh he caught his lip on the fence when he was two. He was AWFUL for the vet. It was the first time he'd ever seen a vet." UM... that means he'd never gotten vaccines as a baby or anything else.

Apparently, he'd also never seen a horseshoer. (At a minimum, horses require their feet to be trimmed regularly -- approximately every 6-8 weeks on average. Some require shoes, and some even more than that. Regardless, their feet need REGULAR attention, as domestic horses cannot wear their feet down as wild horses traveling hundreds of miles a week can...) He'd never had anyone even pick up his feet.

My friend decided that the only way to get him out of there was to buy him. She asked to see him trot, pretending to show interest so the woman would sell him. The woman and her husband chased him around with a crop and he ran around terrified. (Crops aren't all bad, but these people were screaming at him and smacking it with him while chasing him around a small enclosure.)

Horse was NOT trained at all...

She knew he wasn't what she needed or wanted, but she couldn't leave him there. She paid $800 for him and (after several hours coaxing him into her trailer), she took him home.

She was an experienced horseperson and a good rider, but he was far too much for her. She succeeded in teaching him good ground manners and making him safe for the vet and farrier (horseshoer). She also sent him to a good trainer to have him broke to ride and worked on desensitizing him. He got better, but he still, as I liked to say, had issues, on top of issues, boxed up in issues, tied together with a lovely bow of more issues.

She decided she had to rehome him. I went to look at him. At the time, I mainly bought horses off the track, retrained them, and resold them to better homes to save them from slaughter. Hot horses were no stranger to me, then! I was looking for a project, but also something I might keep. I looked at him about 2 or 3 times and - miraculously - every time I went to see him or ride him, he was DEAD CALM. SHe kept telling me that he wasn't normally like this - he's very hot, very nervous, and very difficult. I never saw that when I looked at him.

Unfortunately, I had an unexpected expense and couldn't buy him then. A couple of months later, I got an email from now friend asking if I would take him on a free lease for a year to try him out. That means, I'd take him and treat him as my own, but she'd retain ownership. (I'd pay all expenses) She said everyone else who came to look at him was creepy and he was terrified of all of them.

I agreed to the lease. (BTW, I immediately fell in love and he became mine, papers and all, a few months later.) At any rate, once he arrived at my farm, his true issues started to show. He was PETRIFIED of men. He didn't stand tied. He was barely green broke to ride. He spooked at EVERYTHING, especially while you were riding him. He didn't like you touching his feet. He was afraid of clippers and the hose - he was afraid of EVERYTHING!

I spent every free minute I had with him. I was there 7 days a week, just doing the same things over and over and over and over again for months until he realized that picking up his feet won't kill him and that the hose and clippers don't hurt. It took over a year, but he finally became more manageable. During that time, I took a nasty fall off of him, fracturing my back in two places. (This fall was NOT his fault, actually... He was tough to ride, but this particular fall was a total freak accident) We've been through so much together.

At the time I was training with two Olympic hopefuls competing at very high levels. One took my little Phaxxton (pronounced "Paxton" btw) under his wing and trained us. We discovered that this little firecracker (seriously - I love him, but he's NUTS) was actually an exceptionally talented dressage horse. Now, just for the record, Arabian horses are NOT typically good dressage horses. He took to it immediately and it helped him relax.

I eventually moved to NY and continued his training. He was moving up the levels very nicely. Every trainer we worked with said he could compete at the highest levels -- no, not on a national scale or at the olympics, but he'd be able to do all the moves and compete at regional shows without being ashamed of himself.

I couldn't believe my little miracle baby. He went from being totally wild to possibly being my dream horse. We found out he was so badly neglected he was never really introduced to humans at all for his first 6 years. All his interactions with people were scary. He was also severely malnourished during his formative years, leading to a ewe neck (a dip in his neck -- can be a conformation flaw, but in his case it was caused by malnutrition b/c his neck was otherwise properly formed, per the vets who've seen him).

This is getting long, so I'll try to get to the end... He suffered a career-ending injury a few years ago. After 2 years of treatment and rehab, which required that he move to a different barn where he can have certain facilities available to him (24/7 turnout, which is tough to find on LI), he can now be ridden again. His movement is so impaired that he'll never be able to compete in dressage at any level, though.

I don't care, though. I will keep him forever. I used to say, if I had to, it'd be me and Phaxxton in the cardboard box together.

I've had him almost 6 years now. He's no longer afraid of men, the clippers, being tied, the hose, and having his feet picked up. My horseshoer told me he's THE best behaved horse he trims. He is still spitfire and I don't let anyone but me on his back. He still has major trust issues and doesn't trust others the way he trusts me. Moving to the new barn over 2 years ago was the best thing we ever did. The BOs treat him like a prince -- and the MALE BO (suprisingly!) has become his new bestest friend. Even I get a tear in my eye to see them together. I know Pax used to be terrified of men, and now he's got a great male buddy. (He loves my DH, too.)

So now he's a lawn ornament as we say, but he's MY special lawn ornament, who canters funny due to his injury (he's not in pain), is afraid of his own shadow, and is hot as all get out... but he's 700% better than he used to be, and only I can appreciate that.

He'll be 14 this year. His lifespan is well into his 20s, likely his 30s. I only hope I'm lucky enough to have him for 10 or 15 or 20 more years.

So sorry to ramble... but I've come a long, long way with this horse and we've been through a LOT together. We've just bonded in a way I've never bonded with any other animal -- I think because we took a long, difficult journey together. He's my miracle baby -- b/c he beat the odds.

____________

My other horse is also a rescue. He has a less fascinating and less sad story. I adopted him through a rescue agency that takes horses off the racetrack when they are no longer competitive. He was a harness racer (pacer) and won over $150,000 in less than 4 years on the track. He lost the heart, slowed down, and THANKFULLY his owners retired him and donated him instead of pushing him to keep going until he got hurt. I adopted him as a 6 year old. He'll be 10 this year. He's adapted to life as a riding horse very well. He's the biggest character you'll ever meet. (Watch out - he'll steal the hat off your head!)

We've also had an interesting journey as he's been transitioned from a harness race horse to a riding horse...


Here's a picture of my Arabian Phaxxton when he was younger. We tried for a few months to get him into jumping so he could compete in 3-day eventing. He hated it, though, so we stuck with dressage only. Sorry for the poor quality picture.




This is Phaxxton in a barn I previously kept him at (The pic is weird b/c it looks like all that stuff in the aisle is right next to him. He's actually well in front of it!)



Two more of him:




And here's my ex-racer, Joey (also featured in my avatar)!







All this posting has made me (and Joey!) sleepy:

Re: Spinoff: Rescuing Dogs/Cats