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.

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.

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

Today, Oct. 1, is World Vegetarian Day. Consider giving up meat for this one day.

There are two reasons to be vegetarian. First, a vegetarian diet shows compassion for animals, because most farm animals are mistreated before they grace your table. That's reason enough for many of us.

(My husband and I became vegan about two years ago, which means we don't eat any animal products. We also try to buy non-leather shoes and handbags -- although that gets problematic at times, so I'm kind of a compromised vegan.) [Editor's note: Joan and her husband look GREAT and are living advertisements for veganism--Emily]

There's a common sense reason to give up meat for a day, too. The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization has said that meat production accounts for nearly a fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions. Habitat destruction associated with raising cattle and other animals for meat is also an issue.

It would be good if more of us found we could live without meat for a day -- then one day a week -- then maybe more than that. So give it a try. As an animal lover, and as an environmentalist, you'll feel good about your decision.

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!

Last month we asked subscribers to our newsletter: What is important to you (besides credentials) in choosing a veterinarian for your pet? We reveal the results in our August newsletter.

78% "Pet"side manner
6%   Rates
6%   Recommendations from friends and relatives
3%   Location
7%   Other

Tell us what you think ... then sign up for our monthly newsletter! (You can also find a vet near you in our new Local Services & Supplies Directory).

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.

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.

Last month, we asked subscribers to our newsletter: What healthy human foods do you prepare for both you and your pet?

The replies ran the gamut from A (steamed artichoke leaves) to Z (zucchini). Besides meats, raw carrots were mentioned most often.

As for fruit, bananas were a favorite, although Cheryl C.'s potbellied pig, Harley, loves to eat papaya. "I cut it in chunks and he eats it with a smile on his face, smacking as he eats," she writes.

Here's another fun answer we received:

Kirby, our little Pomeranian mix, loves raw baby carrots. Our Chow Chow tried them, only because she saw Kirby eating them with such gusto. Afraid that she might be missing out on a good thing, she decided to beg for one; she really, really tried to like it, but the faces she made reminded me of a little kid trying to eat Brussels sprouts. Just too funny! But she at least tried a healthy snack; that's more than I can say about my husband.

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.