Lola & Bo Diddley – rescued Greyhounds. We have been rescuing the Greys since the early 90s. For us, a house without a Grey is an empty house.

— Tom from Green Lake, PA

Emma, my American Foxhound, is 9 years old. She was getting overweight and lethargic (we thought it was because she was overweight) and then she started losing hair. Another Vet trip revealed a poor thyroid number. After a short week of meds, she is a new dog and just like her old self, (and 10 pounds lighter!). Point is, take your pets to the Vet and keep them around as long as you can.  We love our Emma and now she loves herself again.

— Jim from Oro Valley, AZ

Our house has always been a house with dogs and ones I brought into our lives. A couple of years ago my husband called. His work had taken him to a municipal building for a meeting and happened to have the local “dog pound” next door. He held the phone out to make sure I could hear the dog that was “not barking or howling but clearly sobbing”. Waldo the unruly rejected Golden Retriever came into our lives. Years later Waldo has become a special member of our family &  cherished neighborhood greeter. I can’t tell if he follows our grandchilden or they follow him, but they are inseparable.  Waldo is one of the best gifts we have been given.

— CJ from St. Charles, IL

I want to tell you about a wonderful older German Shepherd dog named Jake I adopted several years ago. His story is important because people are often reluctant to adopt older dogs, but without a doubt Jake was the best dog I ever became friends with.

Jake was really special because he had a positive attitude, was happy and kind no matter what happened to him. He’d had a checkered background, but quickly adapted to his new life in my home, including sleeping indoors and going on lots of hikes in the nearby mountains. Since he was 8 when I adopted him, the hikes only lasted a few years until the tragic Christmas 2011 when Jake ate a sock that got stuck in his intestines. He had to have emergency surgery and they gave him 50/50 odds of making it, but he lived through the surgery. Despite having severe arthritic problems that were made dramatically worse by the surgery, Jake bounced back as best he could and continued to enjoy life for nearly another year, dying on October 24, 2012. Jake was 13 when he died-old for a big dog-but he brought so much joy and comfort into my life and he didn’t let his age stop him from enjoying life – we substituted short walks in t he park for the hikes he went on before the surgery. He loved playing ball and was always happy and up for a game.

Sadly the surgery came back to haunt Jake as he developed complications from it that ended up taking his life. But even so he lived almost a year after surgery, and I had 5 wonderful years with this amazing friend. Although the time is short find it in your hear to adopt and older dog as they may be the best friend you’ll find anywhere.

— Dave from Albuquerque, NM

We adopted Smokey the cat over a year ago from the local pet shelter. The day we went in looking for a new cat I almost walked right on passed her, but she reached her paw out of her cage and grabbed my sweater and started meowing. I picked her up and she started licking me and purring, so I had to have her.

Smokey is now a very fat, happy cat who enjoys chasing our Great Dane, Luna. She is a Great Dane and still less than a year old. She is so big now that we had to buy a second couch for her to sleep on, and she takes up the entire thing when sleeping.

She is afraid of the rain and any large amount of water, but loves to run in puddles. Luna is also afraid of our cat, who often chases her out of a room. She is a complete sweetheart.

— Laura from Tulelake, CA

We noticed a cat limping at a nearby golf course. We took him to vet for x-ray, which revealed buckshot in his shoulder, and bb’s littered throughout his body. Someone was using him for target practice. The buckshot was surgically removed, and we had him neutered. He’s a nice cat, and will never be hurt again. His name is Hickory.

— Jeffrey from Columbus, OH