When Buster came to us, we had no idea whether he would ever find his forever home. Despite a sweet personality and handsome looks, Buster is mostly black and he limped on a congenitally crippled front leg. Black dogs are always the last to be chosen, and a medical condition does not help. We didn’t mind that he was with us for years – he is a true force of nature and ambassador for the bully breed – but like all of our dogs and cats, we wanted him to have a home of his own. Throughout repeated injuries to his deformed leg that eventually led to amputation, he maintained his happy outlook, loving everyone he met including cats and other dogs. He became a celebrity in the community. Then, right before Christmas, we received the dreamed-about perfect adoption application. Buster went home to a family that doesn’t mind loving a tripod dog and he gained a cute pittie little sister in the bargain. Just like that, Buster became our first adoption of the New Year. You helped support Buster during his long sojourn at Silver Rescue and paid many of his medical bills. Thank you!
Boomerang came by her name honestly. Not only did she excel at bounding back after fetching a ball, but she also bounced around from pillar to post as the companion of a homeless man who had rescued her as a tiny pup. I first encountered him when he was staggering in an alcohol haze on a very hot day, begging car to car for money to feed Boomerang. When I saw him again from time to time I replenished his supply. Slowly we formed a sort of friendship and learned where he lived. For a “home” under a bridge, it was cozy: he had running water for her flea shampoo baths, a little stash of food and a nook for sleeping. A sweet, happy girl, Boomerang would soon be old enough to get in trouble and have pups. My new friend allowed me to take Boomie for spay surgery despite his fear that she might die or that I might not return his companion to him. I was tempted, but he was good to her and I knew I had no right to deprive him of his beloved friend. Just in case I had her microchipped so she could make her way back to me if she got lost. That day came sooner than I expected. Drunk, the man stayed away from their camp too long. Lonely and hungry, Boomerang went looking for him, dragging the plastic crate the man had filled with river rock to tether her in place. A Good Samaritan spotted her trying to cross a busy street and tracked me down. Thank goodness, that kind person agreed to foster Boomerang and eventually adopted her – but true to her name, she bounced back to me once more when her new family changed its mind. To increase her chances of a solid adoption, she went for obedience training and became a model citizen. Soon afterward, she found her forever family who took her home to live in doggie seventh heaven with another adopted street dog. Boomerang had stopped bouncing around. By helping pay for her medical care and microchip, you helped her find security and love for the rest of her life. Thank you!
Like so many pitties, Freckles had the deck stacked against him. After surviving abandonment and starvation, he thought his troubles were over. Then he realized that the welcome his adopter extended was not shared by the family’s other dog. Freckles is a good dog who tried hard to please his guardian, but fights with the other dog landed him at Animal Control where a pittie’s life is not worth much (the other dog, not a pittie, was allowed to serve his quarantine at a private vet clinic). Try as we might, because of his history, we could not find a foster or permanent home for him. While Freckles’s life hung in the balance we searched for a sanctuary to accept him, and we found it in the care of the trainer who works with all of Silver Rescue’s dogs. There, he has been a model citizen, socializing peacefully with his doggie friends. All it took was proper training and intelligent management of dogs living together. Freckles is doing fine but he longs for a home and family of his own and hopes you will keep him in mind and spread the word about a dog who is making the most of his second chance. Your support makes it possible for Freckles to have a happy, safe place to wait.
Thank you!
Thank you!
Turtle was a pitiful sight. Her poor eyes glowed a devilish cherry red in an otherwise lovely face. She was the sad, lonely dog of a neighbor who left her tied her out day and night. When we met her, she had freed herself from her tether and was excited but a little scared to explore the big world. We got her out of the street and asked the neighbor why she had not been spayed or gotten medical care for her eyes. The answer: “No money”. When we offered to get Turtle the help she needed, he surrendered her to us. Her diagnosis was severe “cherry eye”, a treatable condition that, if neglected, can cause permanent vision damage or blindness. She was a little trooper during two eye surgeries, spaying and doggie boot camp. Her good attitude and progress was rewarded by an offer from a young couple to foster her while they waited to finalize a work assignment in China. They promptly fell in love with Turtle. Knowing they would not be able to take her with them, their hearts were heavy as their departure time drew near. They were not at all disappointed when the call came telling them the China assignment was off and their jobs would remain in the US. Today, Turtle lives happily, hiking in the Montana mountains with her forever family and playing with her doggie siblings. You helped pay for Turtle’s surgeries and training, ensuring her story had a happy ending. Thank you!
A darling white puppy should have been an easy rescue assignment. Sure, Dusty was rambunctious, but aren’t all puppies? We’d just take care of his vetting, send him for obedience training and list him for adoption. Piece of cake. Before long, though, we realized that part of his heedless unruliness was because, like many white dogs, Dusty is deaf. He has been living with the trainer for a while now, learning obedience and sign language. Because of your help with his medical care and training expenses, he will soon be back at the rescue with much improved manners, ready to look for that special person who doesn’t mind that he can’t hear. Thank you!
Loving and caring for animals means that we eventually have to say good-bye – either to adoption, our hoped-for happy ending, or to death. We said good-bye to Boots more than once as we watched his struggle with two kinds of cancer. Although this fearless feline had no chance for recovery, he rallied time after time. Despite his frailty, he loved sitting in the window, watching with interest the outside goings-on. When he tired of watching squirrels romp in the trees, he would stroll over to lie in my lap or for some serious petting. Recently when he refused to eat for several days, we thought it was time for the final good bye, but on Thanksgiving Day, he decided he wanted his own feast and ate like a horse. And, just a few days ago, he crawled into my lap, ignoring the laptop already there, making himself comfy and stroking a couple of keys. This is not the best photography but it’s a precious memory.
Boots died this morning. He was a tough little guy who did not want to give up the fight. It has been hard watching his decline and this is a sad day. We take some comfort in knowing that, despite illness and waning strength, for a street cat, these past months during which he found safety and love have probably been the happiest in his too-short life. The chance to know this calm, loving cat has more than made up for the high cost of his medical care and the pain of his passing. He will rest in our little cat cemetery with other Silver Rescue cats who have gone before him.
