Ampersand's Story

Pet's name: Ampersand
Adopted by: Dani
From: Western Pennsylvania Humane Society, Pittsburgh, Pa.

I never meant to adopt any sort of animal. My home has always been full of critters that have found their way to me; mostly exotic pets that have been surrendered by friends who got in over their head and knew I could handle it (parrots, turtles, Vietnamese walking sticks, etc.). I certainly didn't need another mouth to feed. But when I went to the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society to say hi to the dogs and cats, I discovered bunnies.

I met a volunteer in the bunny room who was lovingly feeding and chatting with each rabbit, and I immediately fell in love with the species as a whole. He introduced me to one lovely bun, who at the time was named Baby, and told me a bit about rabbit care and the basics of living with a house rabbit. Baby went home with me that day and was re-christened Ampersand Umlaut LaRue. We've been roommates now for three years, and I couldn't imagine my life without her.

Rabbits end up in shelters by the hundreds every year simply because people don't realize that they require attention; more so than even some dogs and cats. A neglected bunny is an unhappy bunny, and not much fun to have in your house, so people abandon them. The rewards of taking the time to socialize and train an urban house rabbit are limitless. Ampersand has made me a tidier person (no more leaving clothes or books lying around), a more responsible person (fresh food, water, and daily snuggle-time is a must), and an all-around calmer, happier person.

Not a day goes by that I don't talk to somebody about the benefits and joys of having a house rabbit. I can't even really call what we did litter-box "training," because she immediately knew what the litter-box was for. No training necessary. Bunnies are much cleaner and quieter than cats and dogs, and snuggling is an evolutionary survival tactic for small critters that live in holes in the ground! They simply MUST be snuggled! When people visit my apartment I tell them to watch where they step because Ampersand is known to dash towards you in an attempt to cuddle your feet. She immediately assumes that if it's alive, it's her friend. Even Meatball the quail is buds with Ampersand, which is generally not normal quail behavior.

Ampersand hanging out with her friend Meatball, a quail

I recently began volunteering as a bunny buddy at the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society and I've made so many wonderful little furry friends. I can't express enough what a joy it is to have a rescue rabbit in your life! They're truly dedicated companions. Ampersand is always happy to see me, and she lights up my living room every day.

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If you adopted a pet from a shelter or rescue group and you'd like to share his or her story, please email me. I'd love to hear from you!

Olive and Nori's Stories

Pets' names: Olive and Nori
Adopted by: Jennifer and Evan
From: Pennsylvania SPCA and Morris Animal Refuge, Philadelphia, Pa.

Jennifer (who blogs at Grey Garden and others) sent the stories of her two cats, who were adopted separately but are now friends.

After my first cat, Frances, died unexpectedly, my fiancé and I hemmed and hawed over whether or not to adopt another cat. Losing Frances was really difficult; for a long time after I was convinced that the joys of pet ownership were not worth the heartbreak of eventually losing your pet.

When we were finally ready, we started visiting local animal shelters. We found Olive at the Philadelphia SPCA when she was only two months old. The shelter employees had separated her, her brother (a tuxedo), and sister (a tortoiseshell) from their mother only moments before and had placed each in adjacent cages. Both the mother and kittens were in an obvious state of distress. Olive caught my eye because she was climbing the metal wire door of her cage; I appreciated her feistiness. A shelter employee told us that because of her calico coloring, she would likely behave crazily. They weren't too far off.

To be honest, the first few months of Olive's life were rough. Due to an infected spay wound (and continued botched attempts by the shelter to fix the wound), she spent the first two or three months with us in an opaque Elizabeth collar which inhibited her peripheral vision and scooped litter and food everywhere. Her unfortunate condition did not dampen her spirits though; she continued to play as hard as any healthy little kitten would. And, I'm not gonna lie, the lampshade look was pretty adorable.

Olive and the cone of shame

We entertained the notion of adopting a second cat, but we never seriously considered it until we saw Nori's sweet and confused-looking face on Petfinder. The shelter listed her age as one year old—roughly the same age as Olive at the time. When we visited Nori (then named Kiwi), the shelter employees had placed a big "adoption pending" sign on her cage. Although we were discouraged, the shelter encouraged us to submit an adoption request form anyway because "maybe the pending adoption would fall through." We were pretty surprised when we got a call a few days later from the shelter asking if we were still interested in adopting. We later learned that there had never been a pending adoption; the shelter has placed the sign on Nori's cage because there had been too many questionable people interested in adopting her.

We’ll never know Olive or Nori's history and how they ended up at animal shelters, so we like to make up stories for them. Since Olive was adopted at such a young age and was fairly healthy when we got her, we assume that she likely did not spend very much time on the streets (or in a foster home). Nori, on the other hand, is likely a Persian or Himalayan mix of some sort, and was already one year old when we adopted her, so we joke that she ran away from the cat show circuit that her previous owners had unwillingly forced upon her.

Nori 

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If you adopted a pet from a shelter or rescue group and you'd like to share his or her story, please email me. I'd love to hear from you!

Stewie's Story

Pet's name: Stewie
Adopted by: Erica
From: Hillside SPCA, Pottsville, Pa.

Erica (who blogs at For the Sake of Cake) sent the story of Stewie, who is a great example of the purebred dogs who can be found at shelters!

I had always grown up around dogs. My family was what I would consider "big dog people," who had a soft-spot for boxers.

I moved out of my parents' house in July of 2009, and it wasn't long before I started yearning for the companionship of a pooch of my own. Having always grown up with dogs, not having one just didn't feel right. However, since I was living in a one-bedroom apartment, I knew a "big dog" wouldn’t be the smartest choice.

I started looking online at several local shelters, and even visited a few with my mom, but I couldn't find a dog that was the perfect fit for me.

Then, late one night as I was completing my "daily rounds" of various shelter websites, I stumbled upon Stewie’s "advertisement" on the Hillside SPCA website. Hillside was about an hour drive from me, but I couldn't believe my luck—a pug was one of my "top choice" breeds, and he was black, too, which I thought made him extra special.

First thing the following morning, I called the shelter to inquire about Stewie. The woman on the phone asked if I could pick him up the following day. The shelter was crowded, so they wanted to move dogs out as quickly as possible. I happily obliged and agreed to pick up my new pug, "sight unseen."

My then-boyfriend (now husband), parents, and I all made the hour drive to go pick Stewie up the following day. To our surprise, we were greeted by a timid, sad-looking dog (nothing like how he appeared in the pictures online). He had a significant amount of hair missing from his back, which the shelter attributed to a flea infection they had just treated him for. He was also complete skin and bones; you could see each and every one of his ribs. I remember looking at my parents and my mom asking me if I was sure I wanted to take him. To be honest, I wasn't sure, but I felt like I had no choice but to rescue this dog.

As we were leaving the shelter, one of the women who worked there told us we were getting a sweet dog, and I vividly remember him wanting to follow the worker back into the shelter; it was clear he wanted to be with someone who was "familiar."

Happily, he's never looked back! He's wiggled his way into each and every one of my family members' hearts. We were able to improve his health quickly, and now he frequently gets complimented on his "beautiful coat." He is such a good dog and is perfectly content to cuddle on the couch, or play with one of his many toys.

My family and I often talk about how hard it is to believe that Stewie ended up at a shelter. He's a purebred pug and has always been well-behaved (no training necessary with this guy). Whatever the reason though, we are happy to have given him a nice home and feel so lucky to have him, and all the joy he brings, in our lives!

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If you adopted a pet from a shelter or rescue group and you'd like to share his or her story, please email me. I'd love to hear from you!

Hailey's Adoption Story

Pet's name: Hailey
Adopted by: Lora Palmer and husband Steve
From: The Bucks County SPCA, New Hope, Penn.

Lora (who blogs at A Writer in Bloom) sent the story of Hailey—and just in time, too. It's been several days since I've had a cat story to post!

Hailey came from the Bucks County SPCA. She was about three years old at the time. My husband and I were looking for a young cat that had already been declawed, and our playful, mischievous kitty fit the bill. She had been placed for adoption several times, and so I believe this adoption was the last chance for Hailey. She's a fun and sweet girl, and it has been a pleasure to see her becoming more secure and affectionate as she has bonded with us over the past year and a half since we adopted her.

BeeGee's Adoption Story

BeeGee is as colorful as her toys.

Pet's name: BeeGee
Adopted by: Wendy Morse
From: The Bailey Foundation

The adoption story of BeeGee the macaw originally appeared on Wendy's website, Bags of a Feather. 

BeeGee came to live with us in August of 2007 after a long trip to Philadelphia to bring her home to start her new life with us. We adopted her from a wonderful rescue outside the city called the Bailey Foundation. Jeff Levine and his wife Pat [who have since retired] have run the rescue as a labor of love since 2004 and have given over their home and their lives to taking in parrots of all kinds and finding them new homes.

We had never taken care of a big parrot before and were both a bit intimidated by that big, black beak! We knew very little of her past life, other than she was thought to be around 30 years old, and had been confiscated in a police raid on a crack house in Philadelphia, and was taken in by a police officer involved in the raid. After a year or so went by, he realized that he could not devote the necessary time to BeeGee, and relinquished her to the Bailey Foundation. She was thought to be a male because of her impressive size. She was a wild-caught bird and had an import band on one foot. She also had a reddish-purple bruised spot on that same foot, which might have been from her capture in the jungle all those years ago.

When she arrived at our home, she went to the vet for a complete work-up and was found to be very healthy—and a female. So BeeGee was nicknamed the "Beautiful Girl." She spent a good part of the first few weeks staring out the window at the woods and trees and stream in front of our house. Her expression was one of astonishment. I wondered if she was thinking of the jungle. After a few days with us, I bent over to pick up something off the floor in front of her cage, and I swear I heard her say “pretty bird” when I bent over and pointed my behind in her direction! I have never heard it again in the three and a half years since.

She has become a very friendly parrot and will come down from the top of her cage every day for "cuddlies." She will step on my arm with one claw and hang onto the cage with the other, and gets lots of scritches and loving. Once every few days, she will be brave enough to let go and step on me with both feet. I do not force her to do anything unless she is in imminent danger or we have to go for a vet visit. She is very happy to hang out all day, chew anything wooden into little toothpicks, and interacts with both Pete and me.

BeeGee started plucking her breast feathers last summer, and she was given a complete check-up and clean bill of health that it was not related to any physical cause. We tried a vest "protector" a few days ago, and it was reduced to a very expensive "rag" within minutes. She did NOT want that thing on her, and chewed off the fringe immediately:

BeeGee is very vocal, but not much of a screamer, unless there is something like a black bear outside. At that point, the windows are in danger of shattering as the decibel level is cranked up to maximum volumes. She mostly says "Hello" in hundreds of different tones of voice, and also "What?" If the "flock" is not within her sight, she will call out "Hello, hello, hello?" until somebody responds.

She loves to eat, and especially loves walnuts and pistachios. She digs into her bean-and-veggie mix with great appetite every evening. She also gets treats left from our dinner, and pasta is her favorite thing of all. She also has developed a taste for steak and filet mignon—spoiled girl!

We have no idea how old BeeGee really is, but I think of every day as a precious  gift. We are extremely lucky to have found her, and she has found her forever home here.

Maggie and James' Adoption Story

James and Maggie cuddling

Pets' names: Maggie and James

Adopted by: Caitlin and Kristien

From: Animal Friends in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Caitlin (of Healthy Tipping Point) has two canine roommates, Maggie and James. They were adopted separately but are now very close. Here is their story:

"Maggie and James came to us six months apart, five years ago. Maggie was from an independent rescue group, and James was from the shelter. The first time they met, I knew it was love. I get mad when people say they are brother and sister, because they are truly husband and wife—complete lovers to the core. I am really glad we adopted both of them, because it is clear that they are so grateful. James has scars on his neck from where his collar grew into his skin, and Maggie has separation anxiety because her previous owners mistreated her. I know that we're truly the perfect match for them. I'm so glad they are our dogs!"

James

Maggie