This is Loki the second week after we adopted him. He is a lover but he has some issues. He is fearful of strangers and for a long time, anyone that came into the house would be at risk of getting bitten if we allowed him near them. Now, he mostly ignores people, unless he feels cornered. He no longer stared and growls at new people for hours. We are still working on his leash reactivity but it now comes down to how the other dog acts. We don't know his past but he had been adopted out by three other families after his first home dumped him.

The family I got my baby girl from decided to keep the boy of the litter. A year later they posted on fb that they wanted a ferret and were going to see if someone on craigslist would take him in trade for one.

I had just heard from a mutual friend that the family were ignoring their children abusing the puppy "it's just boys being boys" the kids (6, 8, 9) were playing catch by throwing the dog at each other, chasing and kicking him ("playing soccer"), one tried to drown him in the bathtub, the parents left him tied up in the yard where he almost strangled and displaced his jaw (not an actual break but he lost several teeth and is permanently off center from the line getting wrapped around his lower jaw while he struggled). They were leaving him in the crate 20+ hours a day and just leaving him in the mess to punish him for accidents. He was only allowed out of the crate when the kids wanted to play, and once a day taken outside and given food... their other dog was food aggressive and would attack if it caught him at the bowl.

So when I saw the fb post I told them that since I already had the sister, he was mine and they needed to bring him to me, then make their kids pay for a ferret if they thought it could survive. They brought him to me, and even agreed that the kids should have to pay for a new pet.

He weighed less than 2lb. If you moved a foot near him he would cower and wet himself. He would cry if you turned on the bath with him locked in the bathroom. He would cry and run away if you were loud or moved a hand too quickly near him. He would run away from the food dish if his sister or the cat came near while he was eating. His hip bones stuck out so far I could chew on them (I did, I don't know why, it made sense at the time)

He has bladder control issues and gets UTI easily, doesn't always make it outside to pee, still gets anxious around loud voices... but they're 9 years old now and hes a love bug with a foot fetish and and an ear fetish (only mens ears, lucky for me) who is ready to be friends with everyone who offers bellyrubs. Hes even willing to be friends with children, if you can get them to sit quietly for a few minutes with an available lap. If they grab or chase or are loud he will flee, but always comes back to investigate once they're quiet again.

My girl Marly was scheduled to be put down as a puppy when a friend rescued her, but kept her in an outdoor kennel as he had 4 dogs himself. I got her a few months after. She had never been inside, worn a collar, really been around people, any of it. She slept in the closet because she was so anxious for six months and didn't show me any affection for over a year. Now, eleven years later, she's the biggest Mama's girl around! And even though it was extremely trying throughout the years, I have no regrets.

This is tazz. We rescued him in Georiga in October 2014. The same day we went to the shelter was the same day he was brought in. Tazz was bred to be a bait dog for dog fighting. Being the runt of his litter, he was thrown into a cornfield at 1 month old and was left there for another month until he was finally found. When we brought him home he had fungus all over his body, roundworm & weighed only 2 lbs. He was so small he fit into the palm of my boyfriends hand with ease. Due to being in the rain for 4 weeks straight he is completely deaf, and due to him eating grass, among things I can't even fathom, he has indigestion issues and multiple allergies. One of which is fleas. So he has to constantly be protected. (His eyes swelled shut one year from them which is how we found out) He is now 5 years old, 56lbs full of love. He's a mamas boy at and daddy's sidekick when protection is needed. He's truly a miracle dog because with how young he was when thrown into the cornfield along with his weight & being taken from his mom so early he shouldn't be here today

This is Belle, found as a stray. The rescue workers found her original owner and were told, “I don’t want her, she’s yours now!” HOW could anyone not want that sweet face???

These are my 4 rescues! Rose, Rook, Ronin, and Rogue

This is our rescue Sherman. We have had him just 2 months. His owner was picked up by ambulance, taken to the hospital where he then died and no one knew he was left in the back yard (or so that's what they claim). He was left to fend for him for an anywhere between 2-3 weeks before someone called animal control about him. He was severely underweight, has skin mites and an injury above his tail that required surgery.
We adopted once he was healthy enough to be placed. He is so very sweet and just wants so give love all the time. No flaws just need affection. We still are working on his coat and adding weight but overall he is a champ!

Tied to tree in the middle of a state park half his body weight ..

Your patience, understanding and love will bring out his best and its working! Thank God for you saving him!
I rescued a female years ago who has since passed. She was found hiding under a car at a large local dog park. She too was painted on her side 'needs home' with white paint. She was only 9 months old. She was rescued and when I read her story I had to have her. They named her after the park where she was found 'Isabel'. She proved to be sweet, lovable and quite the alpha female who ruled our home and dog siblings. She lived almost 14 years.

My baby girl(she is the youngest of my fur children) found me 6 years ago.
It had been raining for weeks on end and one morning when I left for work, I saw a ball of fluff floating in my ditch(which due to all the rain was practically a pond at this point). I rush over and grabbed the fluffy to realize it was a puppy. She was only 6 weeks old. I called my boss and told her what had happened and I rushed her to the vet.
She was cold and wet and ended up getting some water in her lungs. A few days later she was released back to me. And I just stared at her in wonder. I brought her home intending just to foster her until I could find someone who had the time to take her on. My husband watched us bond over that next week and he told me to give her a name. I told him I couldn’t because then she would be ours and he repeated himself and told me to give her a name.
I said Chevelle. And he walked over and picked her up and said welcome to the family baby Chevelle.
All these years later. She’s still the baby and we love her so very much. And I panic every time I think about what would of happened to her had I not found her that morning. She’s our blessing

This is ziggy! We believe he was born on the streets and animal welfare picked him and two liter mates up when they were about 4 months old. I work as a receptionist at a veterinarian clinic and was taking paperwork down to the humane society. I’d lost my own childhood dog about a year before and still checked the shelter at least once a month for him. When I dropped the paperwork off I told myself I would just take a quick look for my dog as I had done plenty of times before. This time was a little different because as I was going down an aisle I saw two puppies but one was being taken out to meet his new family. Ziggy was excited thinking he was going with his brother but they shut the door to his kennel and he started whining for his brother. It broke my heart. Me and my boyfriend had talked about getting a dog a few times but never made any decision. I sent him a picture of Ziggy and called him to ask what he thought about me bringing this dog home. As soon as I told him that Ziggy’s brother was leaving and he was going to be alone now my boyfriend said bring him home. I asked how much his adoption fee was and it was $35. Because I wasn’t expecting to adopt that day I only had $32 on me. When I expressed to them that I would like to come back Monday when they were open again the staff went around to each other and found $3. After I finished the adoption paperwork, they brought him out and he was a ball of energy. He was filthy but you could tell he didn’t mind. He was just happy to be out. Now almost a year later, I don’t know what I’d do without him

Found on the side of a dirt road after spending the night in the pouring rain

I found this girl in the woods out where I keep my horses. It is common for people to dump dogs there sadly. She had one of the worse cases of worms I have ever experienced, was completely covered in ticks and was anemic due to that. 4 deworming treatments later and she finally started to put on weight. I have had her since may and she went from 21lbs to 40lbs. She is still terrified of everyone but me and my mom but is slowly getting better. She is so loving and such a goof ball that I have no idea how someone could just dump her and leave her to die!

We got Duke and Duchess at our Animal Rescue League. They were terrified of being in the house alone. They pottied in the house instead of telling us they needed to go outside. Now, they have chosen thier humans (Duke chose my husband, Duchess chose my daughter). Most times we can leave them in the living room when we go to bed at night.

Gus got roped to the Animal Rescue and left, he still has abandonment issues but he’s a great dog ...he’s about 8 , rescued him at 3-4

My guy has a very similar story, sadly; the only thing missing is the spray paint. Now he’s living his best life with me, but there will always be some mental/emotional scars there that will never fully heal

My Daisy Mae was dumped on the side of the road. This is her before and after

I rescued this chonk 7 years ago. His family moved and couldn’t take him. They left him in a kennel 23 hours a day, just checking on him once. No access to food or water. He had never been to the vet, never been on more than one walk (he pulled his owner, he’s a husky, duh) so she never took him again. When I got him he was 68 pounds, covered in mange, aggressive towards children, and pretty much just a scared mess. After professional training and lots of love, he’s now the biggest snuggle monster who is great with kids and fits right into our little pack! He’s 105 lbs now. Maybe a little too chonk but I walk him every day and limit his diet but I think after 3 plus years of being starved he deserves it. Jack Jack!! Brother Remy in background for tax

This is Lola, we rescued her in March from a local shelter. We don’t know anything about her past but do know she wasn’t treated well. It was a rough start but she has gained confidence and loves being with us now. When we first got her she hid under the bed and wouldn’t go on walks....now she lays on the couch and hiking is her favorite. She’s brought so much joy to us just in a few months (we were mourning our 14 year old Golden we had to let go shortly before we got her). She’s such an amazing dog and I’m so excited for our years together

Legend was left chained up in the garage when we bought our house. He'd been on a ten foot chain, with one end wrapped around his neck, in the corner of the garage for years. This is him the first time we brought him inside. We got to have him for seven years, until he got cancer. He was the happiest, sweetest dog, even when he was still on the chain in that filthy, reeking garage. We had trouble getting him loose because he was so happy and jumping all over us. He was housebroken within two days of being inside, despite being an unneutered male who'd not been inside a house since he was a puppy, and it still took some time for him to get used to being inside. He'd get nervous and pace, but he had three kids who all wanted him to sleep in their bed, and he was so happy to be in a family that loved him. I still miss him terribly.

I found my dachshund, Baxter, about 7 years ago as an abandoned puppy in a cornfield. He was skinny, flea infested, and nervous. It took him almost no time at all to adjust to being the most spoiled rotten pup there ever was

Louie (Border collie mix) I adopted about 6 months ago when a friend let me know he was in the shelter after being rescued from a hoarding situation where he was kept in a tiny cement slab enclosure with at least 6 or 7 other dogs. Often fighting for food and very malnourished. He has been a struggle for me because he was terrified and very aggressive towards people and other larger dogs when I rescued him. He still has quite a way to go but he’s gotten SO much better with a lil love and patience

Rescues are the best

That first picture of Walter breaks my heart

My favorite rescue story (because all of the dogs in my life were rescued) is my childhood dog, Topaz, who my parents got before I was born.

A 9 year old German shepherd who’d been abused and just left tied outside to a tree for most of her life. She was owned by a “family friend” (Ive never met them, and I’m assuming the friendship didn’t last long).

She was fearful of coming indoors and was extremely scared of being near furniture, signaling that she was physically harmed for being near or on couches. She also flinched and got scared anytime my father raised his voice.

They didn’t have her for long before I came along and they were nervous to see if she liked me or not. The day they brought me home from the hospital she wouldn’t leave my side. Someone my parents didn’t particularly like came to visit me and she stayed between me and this man the entire time.

I could do absolutely anything to her. I even remember trying to ride her like a horse (I was maybe 4 and no, my parents didn’t let me ).

Topaz spent the rest of her life utterly welcome on the furniture, never violent with ANY of us (despite being abused most of her life), and was my absolute best friend.

My baby "Blu" 2 yrs old Chihuahua, it's still a big adjustment b/c she thinks EVERY sound is scary. But she and I Have become BFF's ....She let's me know if anyone even "thinks" about getting close to me.

I adopted Yoshi through a rescue I found on petfinder. I wanted a playmate for my other dog Dojo (not pictured here). My mom didn't want another dog but I convinced her to at least look. She said... "JUST looking. We're NOT getting another dog."
We got to her foster mama's and she was a mess. One leg was deformed, her fur red from obsessive nervous licking, she was a little dirty and matted. Terrified of men. Wouldn't let the foster's husband near her. No aggression, just fear.
Her foster said she was a puppy mill puppy in Missouri who was starved and abused. Rescued and sent to a kill shelter in Kentucky. They feel in love with her so they sent her to a no-kill shelter in Wisconsin and ended up with a foster mom through a rescue.
She was adopted 4 times and brought back. The people who left when we arrived applied to adopt her, but she was worried because they were obsessed with whether or not she was potty trained. One pee, she feared she'd be abandoned again.
My mom and I got half way down the driveway when she said without me even saying a word... "fine. Just don't call till we're a block away so we don't look desperate."
We've had her for 11 years, and she and Dojo are inseparable