Petfinder Blog

Last month we told you about Montana, the puppy abandoned by the side of a road in Georgia, malnourished and suffering from mange and parvo, who was rescued by Kaci Deater of Statesboro, Ga.

You left such nice comments that we had to send them to Kaci. She sent us this letter in return, and included this heartbreaking "before" photo of Montana and an incredible "after," which you can see after the jump.

Thank you so much for putting Montana's story out there so that everyone can see. She is so special to me and I find it comforting to see all the positive feedback that it's been getting.

Editor's note: Greg Kincaid's first novel, A Dog Named Christmas, hit shelves on Tuesday. The book tells the story of a special young man who inspires his entire town to take in dogs from the local shelter.

Greg lives on a farm in East Kansas with his wife, Michale Ann. He and his family had always taken in stray dogs who "found them," but after writing the book, Greg was inspired to adopt from a shelter. He will be blogging here each week about his search (on Petfinder, of course!) for the perfect dog.

This fall, Christmas came early. On my wish list was launching my new book, A Dog Named Christmas, finding a good truck and, finally, settling on the perfect dog to go into it.  

In October, I finally found the right truck. It's a real  beauty -- a 1982 Ford  F-250 with only 80,000 miles. The search took me several months, but the book was worse: That was about nine years from start to finish. The effort that went into the truck and book were significant, but picking the right dog ... I had no idea! It was quite a journey, but I can't remember when I've had more fun.

To research A Dog Named Christmas, I had the privilege of visiting shelters and meeting some of the most amazing people -- many of whom have made it their life's task to care for creatures who want nothing more than a home, a place where they belong. Before I wrote this book, I had never been inside a shelter. In my mind, it would have been too painful. Like most of us, it was easier to pretend that the problem didn't exist and, even if it did, it wasn't really my problem. Frankly, like some of the characters in my book, I was carrying around a flawed perspective.

I learned something important in my visits.

There are more than a dozen Petfinder member organizations who specialize in rescuing and re-homing senior dogs.

Personally, I am grateful to any organization that handles senior pets of all kinds. Exactly four years ago, when I was looking for pictures to use in an Adopt-a-Senior-Pet Month promotion, I came across a little senior shepherd mix. I fell in love immediately, and Dexter has been one of my best friends ever since.

He was 10 years old when I adopted him -- he's now 14. He moves pretty slowly these days, but his adorable gray face always attracts attention from passersby on our walks. Below is just a sample of Petfinder members specializing in senior dogs.

St. Louis Senior Dog Project, St. Louis, MO

Senior Dog Rescue of Oregon, Philomath, OR

Libby's Haven for Senior Canines, Canterbury, NH

Senior Dog Adoptions, Cold Brook, NY

The Senior Dog House and Rescue, Columbia Fall, MT

The Sanctuary for Senior Dogs, Cleveland, OH

In anticipation of Adopt-a-Senior-Pet Month, the ASPCA asked members to send in their senior pet adoption stories, and here they are, in their gray-and-white glory, blurry-eyed and creaky, bowed but proud.

The joys of owning a senior pet are often overlooked as tiny kittens or jumping puppies usually grab everyone's attention at the shelter. As the human companion of two senior dogs, I can tell you that the companionship of a quiet, older pet can be very satisfying.

We often lie on the bed, spooned together, breathing together and being "in the now" in a way that would be impossible with a squirming youngster. These dogs know me -- and I, them -- in all my moods and states of low-energy or high. They delight simply by BEING with me. I don't need to amuse them. I just need to be me. (I have yet to meet a man who would be as happy as that, with "just me." LOL!)

Montana and her two siblings were ditched, literally, beside a road in Georgia.

The abandoned litter was taken to the Humane Society of Statesboro and Bulloch County where they were treated for mange and malnutrition. Montana was diagnosed with parvovirus as well and was placed in isolation. Fortunately, she survived.

The shelter posted her photo and description on Petfinder, but held out only moderate hope that she would be adopted. Her face was crusted over with a secondary infection from the untreated mange, and she didn't have any hair to speak of.

But some people live by the conviction that beauty is more than skin deep. Such a person is Kaci Deater of Statesboro, Ga. She was looking for a pet to adopt on Petfinder and had looked at hundreds of listings. But she kept coming back to Montana.

I have been lucky enough to have the pleasure of visiting Tabby's Place in Ringoes, NJ, in person a few times. Therefore, I can attest to the sheer beauty of it -- both in aesthetics as well as its mission. Tabby's Place opened its doors in October 2003 and is able to care for almost 100 cats.

These aren't just any felines -- they are all senior or special-needs cats. Ranging in age from 1-19 years old and having special needs from FIV to cancer, the cats get the best possible care while being housed at Tabby's Place.

According to their Web site, they provide communal living environments for cats, with plenty of horizontal and vertical space for exercise and play as well as outdoor enclosures for cats to enjoy fresh air and sunlight.

Lisa Hartman in Florida sent us this Happy Tail about the puppy she adopted from Crest-Care Inc., Chinese Crested Rescue, a rescue and foster-home network with members around the U.S. and Canada:

A few weeks ago I adopted my second dog found on Petfinder, a 7-month-old Chinese Crested I named Saffron Monsoon! I was originally interested in her brother and applied for him. But when Crest-Care heard I was a dog trainer they urged me to look at Saffy (then named Gladys). They said she was wild and could really use a trainer. I really didn't want a "project" this time around, but over time I agreed to look at her.

Five long weeks later, after a string of emails, applications, vet checks and a home visit, I had passed the adoption process. I drove 2-1/2 hours to the chosen spot to meet her and her foster mom. I decided to give her a try.

Saffy is wild, and neurotically spins, probably from over-crating. (Her original owners couldn't handle the active pups.) She was also not housetrained. But she is super cute, loyal, sweet and loves attention. Today is our three-week anniversary together, and she has only had two housetraining accidents and is a complete joy to have around! She fits in with our family perfectly.

Thank you, Petfinder for helping me find my newest best friend, and saving animals lives in the process!

Yours truly,
Lisa Hartman, Jay-J, and Saffy

Did you find your dog on Petfinder? Do you have an amazing adoption story? (Touching, tear-jerking, revealing superhuman acts of kindness, etc.)

Are you willing to tell that story on TV?

Send us your story and photo, and you and your pet may have the chance to promote pet adoption on a major national broadcast. (Sorry I can't give you more details ... yet!)

This opportunity will be a great way to tell the world why pet adoption is THE way to go, and help homeless pets everywhere as a result. Send me your info at "blog (at) Petfinder.com". Looking forward to hearing your stories!

Brenda from Gadsden, Ala., sends us this touching Happy Tail about how the dog she rescued gives comfort and companionship to her dad, who has Alzheimer's disease:

I found a picture of Zeke while looking through Petfinder for an available dog in the Gadsden area. He looked so pitiful, I wanted him immediately.

While I was at work, my parents went to the Humane Society of Etowah County to adopt him as a birthday gift for me. Poor Zeke was a basket case -- so afraid that he wouldn't even look at them and just sat in Mom's lap shaking. She wanted him on the spot!

After the paperwork was completed, he was off to the vet for his "surgery." Finally on Saturday we were able to pick him up and bring him home.

Though he was a birthday gift for me, Zeke had other ideas. He decided from day one that he was my dad's dog. He followed him everywhere!

Lisa Marie from Sarasota, FL, sends this Happy Tail:

On Thanksgiving Day 2007, my beloved 16-year-old Siamese cat Simon had to be euthanized for renal failure. This was devastating to me.

The following Monday my co-workers urged me to check Petfinder.com, not in the view of replacing Simon, but in giving another cat a much-needed home.

The very first picture I clicked onto was a wonderful fluffy white cat with a goofy crooked tail named Jack, who was residing at the Humane Society of Sarasota County.

My very understanding co-workers insisted I leave work and drive to the shelter to adopt him right after seeing him online. I fell in love with him the second they brought him out of his cage to meet me.

Here's a "spot-on" Happy Tail from Sandra in Spring Valley, CA:

We had decided that we wanted to give a loving home to an older dog as we had space and a lot of love to give. We had seen Spot on Petfinder and went to the El Cajon Animal Control to see him.

He was 11 years old, extremely overweight, arthritic, and deaf, but his personality shined through. Even though it was very hard for him to get up with the extra weight and the arthritis, he came over to greet us, wagging his tail.

We went home and discussed it, and decided we wanted to share our home with him. We went down to the shelter and adopted him the next day.

A new pet supply store called Living Ruff just opened across the street from my office in Silver Spring, MD.

Owners Jessica and Ron Simon's story reminded me  that adopting a homeless pet can very literally change your life, often in unexpected ways.

The dog, Bourbon, was a sick, emaciated Spitz mix found trapped under a couch in a house that had been marked "clear" by searchers weeks before.

Gravely ill, he was transported to Washington, D.C., where he was cared for by the Washington Animal Rescue League. Jessica and Ron learned about him and adopted him. Then they adopted another dog, Yogi. And then a cat. The "zoo" in their home helped them make some life-altering decisions.

I recently posted a Happy Tail from Christine in New Haven, CT, about Russell, the dog she'd adopted from F.O.B.A.S. in Trumbull, CT.

Russell had been rescued from an abandoned dog-fighting facility in Georgia, where he was used as a bait dog.

Then I received an email from Virginia, who had fostered Russell for F.O.B.A.S. She sent along the above photo of how Russell looked when he was seized from the dog-fighting facility. F.O.B.A.S. paid to transport Russell from Georgia to Connecticut and then posted him on Petfinder so he could find a wonderful home. After the jump, see what Russell looks like now.

Here's a fine, feathered tale from Margaret and Jeff in New York:

We found Petfinder after seeing a commercial on Animal Planet. We put in our information and selected two lovebirds that were at Companion Critters, Inc., in Clark, N.J.

We later found out that they had been rescued from a hoarder's house, and it made us even more inclined to give these birds the happy home they deserve.

Let me tell you, they are spoiled rotten now. They have a bird pool connected to their cage and all the fresh fruit and veggies they could want. We keep one of those musical birthday cards next to their cage because they just go crazy when they hear the song "The Chicken Dance" when it's opened.

Here's a heartwarming Happy Tail from Christine in New Haven, CT:

Russell is a Boxer mix. We came across him on Petfinder and instantly fell in love with him from the video that was posted. He is 3 years old and comes from a troubled past. He was rescued from an abandoned dog-fighting facility in Georgia where he was used as a bait dog.

A bait dog is tied up and used to train fighting dogs. Russell came to us in the typical condition of an abandoned bait dog: starved, badly scarred and injured. The details of his story are too disturbing to repeat. If it weren't for Virginia Marconi of F.O.B.A.S. in Trumbull, CT, he would not be with us today.

Today Russell is a healthy 64 lbs. He goes out for three walks a day and spends free time in the yard or lounging around the house. He is a perfect gentleman, and we are convinced that he belonged to a family at one point in his life because of his manners and his love of children.

We are grateful to have him in our lives and can't imagine what life was like before he joined us. He is in a loving and safe home. Russell is a true "happy tail." We love him.

Since the passing of my beloved dog Kobie late last year, I've been keeping an eye out for a suitable friend for my dog Sophie.

Sophie requires a companion of just the right temperament and understanding. Goofy, playful, funny-looking and loving were the things she adored about Kobie, and when I saw Alan, I knew she and I would like him.

A 2-year-old flat-coated retriever mix, he had been taken in by the kind folks at My Loveable Rescues in Queens, NY, more than a year ago and needed a good home. On Saturday we drove out and met him.

Alan and Sophie quickly assumed an attitude of peaceful coexistence. I knew this was a good sign, and that with a little time and opportunity, they would become tight companions. And so I returned yesterday, completed the adoption and took Alan to his new home on my horse farm in New Jersey. 

Adopter Wendy Roy writes:

I have a new love in my life. Her name is Stella.

Being a Glam-Granola girl, I have always believed in rescuing a dog as opposed to the breeder and pet store options -- the whole "Don't breed or buy while homeless animals die" philosophy. 

So when I was ready, I went straight to Petfinder and looked for dogs in my zip code that matched my criteria. Up came my "options," one being a Schnauzer mix named Stella who was 5 years old and blind.

After double checking on some logistics via a few questions to the rescue group, American Lab Rescue in Willington, CT, it was a no-brainer. She was mine to rescue, and I hers.

Here's a Happy Tail from Caroline in Deerfield Beach, Fla.:

I bought a pet-friendly condo and started looking on Petfinder for the perfect dog to adopt -- even though my move-in date was a year away!

I wanted an adult medium-to-large mixed breed and saw a picture of a beautiful Shepherd mix named Ellie. She was found abandoned at just five weeks old.

Her ear was mutilated and her foot was barely attached and needed to be amputated. When I discovered her on Petfinder, she was already about a year old and still waiting for a forever home. She was being fostered by Gulfstream Guardian Angels Rottweiler Rescue in Miami.

I mentioned in an earlier post about how wonderful adopters are. Here's a Happy Tail we received recently (it's in the Happy Tail database) that proves what I said and just makes me teary-eyed. It's from Anne at MSPCA Cape Cod.

I used to work In a small animal shelter in Massachusetts. At the height of "kitten season," a woman brought in a severely deformed kitten she had found wandering loose downtown. The kitten, whom I named Molly, had one side of her face very pushed in and was missing one eye.

Despite her ugly face, she was very sweet and outgoing, snuggling into the arms of her rescuer, happy to be inside, warm and fed. No one was sure what had caused her deformity, but the shelter vet believed it happened in utero, perhaps because the mother cat was kicked or physically abused.

We receive hundreds of adoption stories each month, and now you can read them to your heart's content by clicking on "Read More Happy Tails" on our home page. You can play around with searching -- check to see if there are any pets with the same name as your pet, for example. Or if you have submitted a story, you can find it by your name, your pet's name, your city or another keyword. Reading the stories will make you feel really good about the wonderful folks who adopt pets. And the photos are great!

Here's a touching Happy Tail we received from Kat Wamba of Federal Way, WA:

When our Chihuahua Sigurd passed away in the fall of 2007, everyone, including our remaining dog, Tika, was sad. I didn't want to rush into getting another pet, but after six months our yard seemed too big for one dog, and Tika still seemed lonely.

However, Tika was always shy with other dogs, and I knew that we would have to think carefully before adopting a new one. Enter Petfinder. We scrolled through dog after worthy dog, knowing that Tika would be terrified of most of them.

And then -- we saw Abena from The Big Dog Project in Silverdale, WA. Three years old and shy, she had been living in a park in Taiwan when she was tricked into eating a firecracker. She was found by a wonderful woman who brought her to the vet's office, where they reconstructed her muzzle and eye socket, before transporting her to the States through The Big Dog Project.

We knew, we just KNEW, that we had to meet her. She's been with us for almost two months now. Still shy with strangers, she follows me everywhere and lets my son spoil her with treats. She runs and plays shyly with Tika, and they both curl up at my feet as I work. Our yard seems less empty when Abena (which means "beautiful" in Gaelic) is in it. Tika is happy to have a friend. And we are grateful to have the opportunity to be with such a loving and forgiving soul.

 

A Happy Tail from Patti Hill of Secane, PA:

My adopted Border Collie of 14 years died in April. To say I was forlorn is an understatement. I am 49 years old, live alone with no partner or children. The empty space was devastating. After researching many avenues, I found Jess, another border collie, on your Web site.

She had been transported by seven cars, getting here from West Virginia. After being approved for the adoption, I drove three and a half hours to meet this shy but stunning girl. After committing to adopting her we are now having the time of our lives. She is happy, happy girl, which makes two of us.

Now, once again my life feels full, and I look forward to the years ahead with a new sense of purpose and joy. Petfinder is easy to use and a highly effective tool in finding the right pet that's perfect for anyone looking. All my gratitude to Petfinder, the rescues, volunteers and all the people who touch the lives of these pets getting them to safe, happy homes.

Jess was adopted from NJ Puppy Rescue.

As the marketing manager for Petfinder, I work out of the New York office of Animal Planet, where staffers volunteer every week to read with local elementary schoolers.

To celebrate the end of the school year, some of those students came to the offices on Friday, where they were treated to a presentation about pet care by Petfinder's public relations coordinator, Cary Moran.

Next, they got to met a real live Petfinder alum, Gwin. A 2-year-old corgi/sheltie mix, Gwin was adopted by Monica Hirsch and her daughter, Nora, from the Mercer County Humane Society in Princeton, WV -- and she's more than just a perfect pet, she's a certified therapy dog!

Maureen Jackson of Erie, PA, sent us this Happy Tail of her late, beloved dog, Brittle, adopted from the Humane Society of Northwestern Pennsylvania. Brittle won a photo contest and had his image digitally made over (NOTE: Dogs do not really scuba dive!).

We adopted Brittle as a puppy. He was the funniest-looking little pup -- he looked like an old man, and so very sad. He grew into one handsome boy and had a great life with us.

His eyes were so blue and he was such a good-natured dog -- very good with our Yorkie puppy who came into our home when Brittle was about 6 years old.

Brittle went over the rainbow bridge last August and we still miss him every day. I have MS and he just knew when I needed some help walking, so he would stand right next to me so I could steady myself on him as we went up or down stairs.

Otherwise he would just run and be his normal self. At the end he became the care-receiver and I was the caregiver to him.

He won a photo contest last year with this photo and this is what they did with it -- it is amazing ...

I've worked as a designer for Petfinder for about a year now. I've enjoyed reading many Happy Tails, and now I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to share my own adoption story.

After my dog Bandit died, I knew I would need to find a new dog, but I didn't rush it. I was looking for a new job at the time, and planning to move. I wanted to make sure I was organized before getting a new pet. Nevertheless, I missed having a four-legged companion. I would check out dogs on Petfinder and think, "He's cute" or, "She's the right size," but that's as far as I would go. Once I started working for Petfinder, my search escalated -- it couldn't help but do so. There were stories about homeless pets that passed my desk all the time. But I still didn't take the next step, contacting the shelter.

Then last week, as I was browsing the site, I saw Archie's picture. I knew immediately he was for me. Something in his face told me I would love him, and that he would want to live with me. I took the next step. I contacted the Taunton Animal Shelter and made an appointment to meet him.

The shelter staff told me Archie had been a stray, that he was very nervous around most people He would need a lot of TLC. The shelter workers had spent a lot of time with him -- you could see that they loved him and wanted to see him find a nice home. They said that others had come to see him but he hadn't reacted very well.