Few people know that the animals that get lost or are thrown away by their owners don’t just turn into stray animals and join a pack. Even strong dogs that grew up in a house have almost no chance of survival out on the streets, let alone small dogs and cats.
Nature doesn’t create animals to be ugly and aggressive. The reason why they are angry or scared is the result of abuse or betrayal. Fortunately, love can actually do miracles and save even the most hopeless ones.
We know that it’s not easy to read these stories, but you should remember that it’s a huge responsibility to have a pet. And at the end of the article, there’s a bonus showing what can happen if someone sincerely wants to help someone else.
11. Xena
Xena was found in someone’s yard when she collapsed there almost lifeless. She was taken to a clinic where all the veterinarians were shocked by Xena’s health. They said that they had never seen an animal in this state. She was completely dehydrated and her nose was scabbed over. It seems that she tried to escape a bad situation and most likely succeeded. Xena was adopted by the Hickey family. Jonny Hickey, the youngest child in the family, is autistic and before they got the dog, he was very isolated. But Xena changed everything: according to Jonny’s mother Linda, he talks all the time now. He really connected with Xena.
10. Luna
Luna was found around 8 months ago and it was very hard to recognize that she was a husky. She was very thin, and she had almost no fur left because of a disease that made her very itchy. But thanks to the love and care of her new owner, this dog became happy and beautiful again.
9. Jingle
Jingle had a very difficult past: he took part in dog fights where he was seriously injured and he was also very thin and scared. An eldery couple noticed the dog and took him. Walking calmed the dog down, so they took him for a walk 6 times a day which also had a very positive influence on Jingle’s owner: before she had the dog, Anne was in the hospital several times a year because she had heart problems. And now her EKG results are perfect.
8. Sophie
Sophie was found in February: she was lying in a pile of trash motionless and her body was covered with scars, wounds, and mites. After numerous medicated baths and antibiotics, her wounds healed. Sophie loves people and she’s happy to hug anyone, but she’s still scared of other dogs.
7. Bruce
2 years ago, on a sidewalk under pouring rain, Katherine Van Beek noticed a tiny wet thing which she didn’t even think was a kitten at first. During the next few weeks, the kitten’s health worsened, but Katherine’s love and care managed to bring him back to life in 6 weeks. Now, Bruce is more than two years old, he’s very active, he loves freedom and he is also very grateful and nice.
6. Kelley
When a passer-by saw Kelley, he didn’t even realize that it was a dog. Kelley had been running across the desert and got terribly sunburnt, so every step she made hurt really badly. Nobody knows how long she was alone, but when the man called her she rushed to his car immediately. He took her to a vet clinic where they gave her antibiotics and treated her wounds. The treatment was painful, but Kelley let the doctors do it. A month later, she was unrecognizable.
5. Penny
On a cold January night, a man who was living in Erlton (New York), opened his entrance door and saw an unexpected guest — there was a thin, bald, wounded, shivering dog. It turned out that she was thrown away. Penny had a serious skin disease called demodicosis: that’s caused by mites, and if it’s not treated, it can kill an animal. In just one week, the state and the appearance of the dog had changed: she stopped itching and the wounds started to heal. Penny found a new loving family and her previous owner was arrested.
4. Samuel
By the time Samuel was found, people thought that it was too late: the cat was very thin and his eyes were swollen because of mange. He had many other diseases, too. Samuel had spent two years in a small cat bag, so he didn’t know how to react to people. When he was finally home, he started gaining weight, his vision returned, and he started to recognize the things around him. At first, he couldn’t play, walking was something special for him, and he was scared of his own shadow and reflection. Now Samuel is a happy cat who found his owner and is not afraid of anything anymore.
3. Hercules
Hercules lived in a dump and dreamed about finding his forever home. Every time the dog saw a car with volunteers, he’d put his front paws on the car windows, and look at every person hoping that someone would take him. But there were around 800 more dogs with Hercules at the dump and their lives were unbelievably difficult, especially in winter. Puppies and old dogs were helped first because it was very difficult for them to survive. And because Hercules wasn’t a puppy or an old dog and looked fairly healthy, the chances that someone would take him were really low. But he wanted a home so much that he melted a girl’s heart and she took Hercules to be her best friend.
2. Valentino
One year ago, nobody wanted to come close to this cat: he couldn’t open his eyes because of the itch and he was crying in a cage. But the founder of Leave No Paws Behind helped him. She took him and he put his head on her shoulder immediately. Now Valentino lives with a family. He’s a very brave cat who is not afraid of dogs, he loves sitting on the windowsill, and has gained a few extra pounds.
1. Fox
Fox was found in an old gas station, sleeping in an old chair. Another homeless dog Tess helped save him. She attracted people’s attention and led them to Fox. At first, the people that found him thought that Fox was just thin, but in fact, it was much worse. There were a lot of mites and wounds on the dog’s body, and his teeth were broken. When Fox was taken to the vet, he was given a toy elephant, and it was the first toy that he loved. It took Fox a long time to realize that now he would always have toys, a blanket, and people who love him.
Bonus
Ken’s father noticed that his son was missing for a few hours every day. So, he decided to follow the boy and find out what he was up to. The father’s heart melted when he saw his son feeding homeless dogs.
Some people who found out about the good deeds the boy was doing decided to donate money so that Ken could feed the dogs with good food and provide medical care for them. After some time, the dogs gained weight, their wounds healed and the fur grew, and then the boy told his father that he wanted to open up an animal shelter. The father explained that for such a serious thing, he should grow up first, collect enough money, and only then think about the shelter. But good people chipped in again to help.
Thanks to donations, Ken was able to rent a building for his shelter which he named “Happy Animals Club.” This is the first animal shelter in the Southern part of Mindanao (the Philippines) and the only working shelter in the region.
