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  1.  Chance was left alone and bleeding in the dark. If a bartender had not taken out the trash when he did, he may not have found Chance in time to save his life. When Pittsburgh Animal Control arrived, they found Chance bleeding and in very bad shape. Chance had been brutally beaten by his owner- attacked with a belt, battered with a nail-studded board and finally, stabbed repeatedly. Then he was taken to the dumpster and tossed in like garbage. Chance was brought to the ARL where he was given the care he needed. He had lost a great deal of blood, but the ARL vet stopped the bleeding, cleaned and stitched up the wounds and administered antibiotics. Throughout it all, Chance remained calm and though in agonizing pain, his friendly nature shined through as he was wagging his tail. Three weeks went by, and Chance was ready for a new home. Lori Payne, who had lost her own pit bull to cancer two years earlier, had been won over by Chance. Lori and Chance have lived "happily ever after," proving all dogs deserve a second "chance." 

 

2.  We fostered Marley to get her healthy for her spaying.  We had no intention of adopting her, after all, we had 2 other dogs. When we dropped Marley off for her surgery, we felt confident that she would find a good, loving home.  Throughout the day, we began missing her, realizing we wouldn't have her greeting us when we got home.    Missing how she brought out the puppy in our other 2  dogs, two days after her surgery and constant nagging from me to check on her progress, we adopted her!  In the past week, Marley has brought so much joy to all of our lives.
-Kristie Kozuch, Nemo and Gizmo

 

 

3.  River, a 2 year old lab mix, came to the ARL as a stray with another dog, Woody, who we assumed was his brother. Woody was quickly adopted, but River was not as lucky. River had a good temperament, but did not showcase it while in the kennel. He was housetrained and loved other dogs, but was often overlooked because of a strong bark and poor kennel manners (can you blame him?). Several of the volunteers and staff members fell in love with River and went above and beyond to help him get a home. Two volunteers almost fell into a pond making a video of him swimming to put on PetFinder.com. Flyers and newspaper ads were put out to try to find him a home. River stayed at the shelter for over 100 days but the staff and volunteers did not give up on him. Finally a young couple saw River on the website and came in to see him. River's favorite volunteer was walking him when the couple came in so they saw his true nature, outside of the kennel. They took him home that night and he fit right into their family. He is now a happy, much loved dog who is sure to be their best friend for life. *This story/photos by Joe Tedesco, who recently accepted the position of Open Paw Coordinator at the ARL.

 

4.  Lily  has adjusted nicely to her new home and is fitting in rather well.  Her new best friends are Oskar the cat and my 7 year old daughter.  Lily and Oskar play for hours each day and I think the cat has the advantage since Lily cannot fit under the sofa.  Thanks so much, we're grateful for adding Lily to our family.
-Jeff Martin

 

5.  I have had four successes from the ARL. Nikki was our first adoption from ARL she was just a little thing when we got her.  In her short life with us, she was by far the most wonderful dog that we will ever own.  We lost her at five years old to a brain tumor. Shaggy came while Nikki was still with us. Her beautiful button eyes melted all of the day's troubles away.  Then, two days after we lost Nikki, my husband read his horoscope: "You will find you true love today." And that he did.  As he walked into the ARL he was told that a litter of shepherd mixes just arrived.  It was love at first sight!  She adores her dad. And our fourth adoption, Sami. is our special needs dog.  A 6 month old under socialized, untrained dominant female German Shepherd.  I am grateful to the person that suggested that I train her in agility.  We do this for fun and it has helped her immensely!   She has since earned her CGC TDI title and will be working with children's reading programs.
-Michele and Michael Walsh

6.  Gunnar was adopted on July 11^th, 2007 from the Animal Rescue League.  I came to the ARL looking for a companion, and a partner.   My motive was to find a dog that was able to be trained in Search, and Cadaver work.  After my fire department gave me the go ahead to find a dog I automatically started at the shelters.  I found a few prospects and went to look at them, and none of them had the motivation or temperament that was needed in a service dog.  We were speaking to the vet and he said that he just spayed a 16 month old GSD, so I had to go see. He was still sedated, but I knew he was the one. I came back the next day to see if he had what it took, and he did. After reviewing his papers I knew he would fit in, he came from a home with other dogs, and a small child, and a perfect match.  Gunnar and I have been in training since that July, and he is doing very well, most of the time he proves that he is smarter than his handler.  We should be certified by the end of next summer, but we still have a lot of things to learn together.  My husband has an adopted bloodhound that is a police dog, and we have another GSD that we found tied up to a pole, and wouldn't exchange them for anything. No one understands the love that a rescued dog has for its rescuers.  When someone asks about getting a dog, where they should go, I always tell them to start at the local shelters first.

7.  A little over 3 years ago, we adoped a German Shepherd mix named Duke.  The first thing we did was name him Sherman.  The first thing he did was wreck the living room.   Since then, we have been having a blast playing ball, hiking, wrestling, etc. Attached is a picture of Sherman and myself...I am the one with the smaller ears.
-Angelo Theofanous

8.  I adopted Murray on Friday the 13th of July! I had been looking all over Pittsburgh for a beagle - I checked all the animal shelter web pages daily. Thursday night I came across Murray's picture around 1:30am and fell in love with him! I knew he was going to be the dog for me. I decided I needed to be there right away in the morning when they opened to make sure no one else got to him first. When I got there, I gave a chance to two other dogs I looked at, but I knew in the back of my mind that Murray was going to be the perfect fit!
Now he's home with my boyfriend & I, we changed his name from "Benji" to Murray (because my boyfriend's name is Ben, too confusing!) He seems to love it here and is doing great on the house training! He isn't destructive at all and he only "bays" when he smells rabbits etc. on our walks (of course - he's a beagle). I've spoiled him rotten of course and he even sleeps in my room at night. He is the sweetest dog a girl could ask for! Thank you Animal Rescue League!!
-Karen

 9.  At the shelter he was Bruce(now know as Guinness), a five month old shepherd mix. Everyone will know him by the pup that was scared to death and would not walk. I believe he came in with a litter of 4 others, all of which needed fostered. We had him at the end of June. He lives in Shaler with his mom, dad, 15 year old sister, 2 year old sister (he just adores her) and Golden Retriever brother Woody. Woody lost his best friend, a chow mix, in April so Guiness was a welcome addition.
-Michele

10.  We adopted Charlie in May. We can't imagine life without him! And we thought we would get a small dog. Now almost at 150 lbs, there is just more of him to love! Thank you animal rescue league! Love. Him. :)
-Sonya, Tom and Sam Lindgren

11.  In August of 1996, I came to you and adopted a golden retriever mix, who I named Katie Ann.  She was 7 weeks old.  It has been such a joy to have Katie.  She is 10 1/2 years old now.  Katie is a wonderful dog--Katie is great with children and just so loving.  On Mother's Day, 2006, I was out with my mother and daughter when we decided to go to Petco to look around for dog supplies.  As we entered the door, there were two ladies--each with a dog on a leash.  Immediately, I ran to the big dog to pet her as my mom ran over to the smaller dog (my mom likes little dogs, I have always been a big dog lover).  I just thought that these ladies were shopping.  As it turned out, the dogs were up for adoption.  I fell in love with Sabrina Marie, a black and tan coonhound mix.  She was 1 year and 10 mos. old when I adopted her on Mother's Day.  She has been a great addition to our household as I have three step-sons and a daughter.  Sabrina was a bit leary of other people at first, but I broke her of that.  Now she is very trusting of others.  Katie and Sabrina get along well.  I see them laying side by side in our big back yard on warm days.  Katie and Sabrina lay on the floor every night nestled beside my side of the bed.  It is very comforting for me, and I know that my dogs feel very loved as well.  Katie has arthritis in her back legs, but she still gets around.  Sabrina loves to play with stuffed animal toys that my mom brings over and she takes medicine for allergies, but she is doing great.  I just wanted everyone at the Animal Rescue League to know how much these dogs are loved and have a good home.  Also, to the volunteer, who I think her name is Rose---please look me up and come over to see Sabrina.  I am sure she would love to see you.
-Arla Hohman

 12.  I adopted Buddy over 2 years ago after finding him on the animal rescue league website.  I was living in a small apartment and this little guy seemed to be the perfect sized companion.  When I first met him, I was informed that he was "mouthy" - meaning he bites!-  he had a difficult time with strangers and was not recommended around children or other animals.  He was overweight, a senior dog (9years old), and had developed kennel cough in the time he was at the shelter.  I knew I'd have my hands full, but I thought he was just the cutest thing so I decided to give it a go. To my surprise, he didn't bite me when i put him in the car- in fact he rode on my lap the rest of the way home.  Some of his issues did present themselves over the next few weeks but he caught on quickly that his mommy was not going to let him bite people!  He is a super smart boy and I am very proud to say that within 2 months he was pleasant with any person he encountered, after 6 months he could be around other dogs and a year later I adopted another dog.  Buddy now is friendly with cats, dogs, strangers and even is wonderful with my young nephew.  Even at the ripe-old-age of 11 he still is learning and is still a very healthy boy.  I write this to urge prospective adopters- consider an older dog!  Buddy has NEVER had an accident in my house, he knows to make his outside visits quick when its cold or raining, he doesn't require the exercise younger dogs do, he's never gone on a chewing frenzy and his absolute favorite hobby is to snuggle with his mommy.  Please save these very deserving senior animals from spending thier last days in a kennel!

13.  On December 30th 2007 I lost my little soulmate, Moses, to a neurological condition. My heart was broken, and even all these months later I still find myself missing him. This month I decided it was time to make a new addition to the household to help me recover from my grief. I spotted "Max" at the Waterfront Petco and he seemed quite gentle and friendly, rolling on his back for tummy rubs when I'd visit and talk to him in his little cage. I chickened out once, but when I saw him still there the next week I asked a neighbor to ride me down so I could adopt him. Max is now Barnaby -after Cary Grant's character Barnaby Fulton in the old movie Monkey Business. His papers said he was quiet and shy, but he's friendly, funny, talkative and full of monkey business! There's quite an age difference between him (3 years old) and my other kitty MacTabish who is 18 1/2, but they are getting along fine and the little old man is teaching him how to behave! He loves sitting in the window and watching the birds and chimpmunks in the yard, chattering at them if they come close. He loves playing with his mylar wand and climbing all over the cat trees as well as playing hide and seek. Tummy rubs are a must and he gives "kisses" too, rubbing his face against me and touching his nose to mine. There will always be a Moses sized hole in my heart, but Barnaby is helping me remember him with a smile rather than tears.
-Laura Hudson

 14.  Coral - When my 15-year-old cat died a nearly two years ago, I decided that I'd like to adopt two cats so that they could keep each other company.  This led me to look at the shelter cats out in foster care, since they were already used to living together.  I ended up choosing Chyna, because she reminded me of my first cat, and Cameo because she chose me.  A month later I found myself adopting a third cat, Coral, from the same foster home.  It seemed that she missed Chyna, and wasn't a cat that would be easily adopted, being both lame and virtually toothless, and very afraid of new people.  She had spent six months under the bed in her foster home, although now she sat in her foster mother's lap.  I decided I'd like to give her a home, and thought that the other cats would enjoy her too.  As expected, she hid under the bed and in the back of the closet for the first week, hardly eating and clearly terrified.  I kept spending time in the room with her though, and after a couple weeks she started to come out and let me touch her, provided that I didn't make any sudden movements or loud noises.  Within a few months Coral was comfortable roaming the whole house and using the litter box in the basement with the others.  She joins in on the romps through the house, is part of all the skirmishes, plays with her foam balls, and is regularly involved in chasing the other two.  Her lame leg doesn't slow her down at all, and she negotiates the stairs with ease.  Even though she hides when visitors come, when I'm alone her preferred spot is in my lap, which sometimes results in lap wars, since Cameo also likes to be there.  Coral is the most affectionate of my three, and she makes me happy every day.  I love them all, of course, but am so glad I took on a cat that I never would have noticed in the crowd, since she would have run from me and everyone else.
-Sarah

15.  Butterscotch- Butterscotch spent her first few days with us huddled behind the toilet in the bathroom.  She came out only to eat or use the litterbox.  After about a week, she became more comfortable with us and we started giving her more freedom to roam the house.  We slowly introduced her to "Monday", our resident cat.  After a few weeks, they were getting along great!  When we go on vacation, we would board Monday at the Petsmart Petshotel.  We were slightly concerned with boarding Butterscotch, considering her previous experience (with cages) at the ARL.  We decided to do a "test run," and checked them both in for one night.  To our surprise, Butterscotch did just fine!  We've taken several vacations over the past year and each time that Butterscotch comes home, she seems to be even more confident.  During her last visit, she was reaching out of her cage trying to grab anyone walking by!  By the way, who says you can't train cats?  My husband trained her to sit for treats!
Butterscotch has become such a happy, loving and confident cat...headbuttts, nose-nudge's are plentiful!  We have found the experience of adopting a special needs cat to be so rewarding. Besides, all she needed was love.....As you can tell, she's had plenty. :)
-Melissa and Pete

16.  Maverick - No one will love you like your cat will J.  With that said, I knew that when I moved into my own apartment that a cat would be a must.  My mother had recently adopted cats and suggested that I also look into adopting. For months, I browsed the Animal Rescue League website for potential cats to bring home.  After making arrangements, my mother and I decided to take a road trip to one of the foster homes to look at cats.  The whole way down, my mother kept telling me that when I see the right one - I'll just know. I walked in, and each cat was adorable in their own way.  I was kneeling down, petting another cat when Ringer (now known as Maverick) crawled up into my lap and looked at me with buttery eyes  J.   I looked at my mom and said, "Mom, this is it.  I have to have this cat."  She suggested that before I make any permanent decision, we go look at the main shelter on Hamilton Avenue.  We went and looked at all the other cats and kittens . . . but I could not stop thinking about Maverick.  He stole my heart and I had to have him!  I went home and I slept on it. I woke up the next morning, called my mom, called the foster mom, and that night - Maverick was mine.  He sat so nicely in his carrier in the back seat of my car on the way home.  I brought him home and let him out of his carrier.  He slowly came out and checked out his new surroundings.  We crawled into bed, he nestled up beside me, and that's where our story begins. Maverick is a senior cat (10 years old) and extra-large.  He's got lots of love to give.  As a senior cat, most people just walk by because they're looking for a kitten.  However, a senior cat can make a great addition.  Maverick went straight to his litter box.  He uses a scratching post.  And he does his own thing, but makes for a great cuddler. I highly suggest looking into animals with "special needs."  A senior cat can make a great addition to any family.
-Fontaine

17.Theo - When I first saw Theo, it was online. His picture revealed an odd looking white cat with curly whiskers, playfully running towards the camera. I have a penchant for oddities and unique creatures, and surely this was one.  I was looking for someone to take the place of Mangy Kitty who had passed 10 months ago.  Pumpkin, my aptly named calico, had fallen madly in love with Mangy Kitty and had grieved for him for 6 months.  She literally would walk around the apartment calling, looking in rooms, behind doors and under beds. Both she and I needed another man in our lives.  Theo's picture and his curly whiskers proved to be a powerful draw.  I called the foster mum, Shona, and she invited me over to get to know Theo to see if it was a good match.  She also told me that Theo had seizures.  I used to work at a vet clinic, and although I had never seen a cat have seizures, I have had my fair share of animal freak-outs, bites, scratches, misbehaving and rewards to not be too worried about it. We met (Theo and I), fell in love, well, perhaps I fell in love with him more than he fell in love with me.  Actually he was pretty ambivalent.  Shona covered the basics, explained his seizures, told me his habits and set me up for an interview with the pet police.  From what I have gleaned from Shona, his background was a little traumatic.  The most kindness he experienced was probably from her, his foster mom.  His transition from her house to mine had to be intimidating for him. Our first few months were a little rough, while Theo, Pumpkin, Weebles, Mitch and I learned to adapt (Mitch is the husband and Weebles is a "cerebellar" cat).  Theo's epilepsy is pretty bad. Whenever he has a seizure, I feel like the priest in the Exorcist battling demons, except my holy water takes the form of Phenobarbital. The battles between the forces causing chaos in Theo's brain can sometimes last a couple of hours and leaves us spent, stressed and traumatized.  If he has a particularly bad seizure event he will be very sleepy, and I'll wrap him in a towel, place him on the bed in my arms and fall asleep. These events don't happen too often any more; I have found a food that has cut his seizures down significantly - Natural Balance canned food - and have a mode and method of dealing with the seizures when they do come.  Theo's personality has come a long way too.  He is the gentlest cat I have; he is all kindness and goodwill, though, perhaps a little slow.  He lives in the top half of the house; we have upstairs and downstairs cats, now that a couple of strays have come to stay.  Theo often greets me on the top step, follows me around and chirps at my feet. Occasionally, he sleeps in my arms, licking me clean and nibbling on me in his cute but painful way.  His relationship with Pumpkin has settled and they are friendly, and clean each others ears.  His relationship with Weebles is strained and bizarre.  Weebles hates him, but he is attracted to black cats, and is quite content to sit by her for hours while she growls.  And my greatest reward is knowing I have given this cat the security he needs to be himself and live a quite happy life.
-Hilary and Mitch

 18. The Sissys- In 2000, I adopted Elsa from the Animal Rescue League of Western PA. She was a 3year old FIV+ tuxedo cat who had been abandoned by her family and I was trying to survive a divorce. Though my friends say I saved her life, I know the opposite is true.  When Elsa died in the fall of 2007, I couldn't even imagine walking back into the ARL, let alone adopting again.  But friends and family convinced me that Elsa wouldn't want me to be alone, so I decided to go back in search of 2 cats who needed a good home.  I thought that two would be better for them, so that they'd have each other, and better for me, so that I could avoid the intensity of falling deeply into feline-love again. One of the shelter volunteers mentioned that she was fostering a pair of sisters at home and that I could check "The Sissys" on Petfinder.com.  They were 5-year old calicos whose previous human had to go to a nursing home, and indeed, their names were Sissy 1 and Sissy 2.  I thought they'd be happy in my home with each other, and since they loved each other more than anything, they wouldn't need me.  I went to meet them the next weekend and adopted them the day after.  My plan was to care for them, provide them with food, attention and a house to roam around in.  But the Sissys soon worked their way into my heart and even better, invited me into their adorable family of Sissy-love. Though individually I call them Stevie and Edie, they are always referred to by everyone who knows them as The Sissys.  I am so grateful for these girls in my life everyday! 
-Tracy

19.  Gonzo and Zora- Both Gonzo and Zora are shelter cats; Gonzo being the first to come into our home when he was one year old.  He immediately sat on top of me, purring, for he is such a loving soul.  He and Zora act more like puppy dogs, following us around, greeting us at the door and always sleeping with us at night. Gonzo adopted Zora as a kitten - grooming and protecting her.  She was the mischievous one in the beginning, but learned from Gonzo to behave, while she brought out the playfulness in Gonzo.  Zora loves to have her picture taken, plays fetch with milk jug rings and has become our lap cat. They both have brought so much love into our home.
-Terry & Stacy

20.  Toby- I got so lucky one day when I was desperately searching Petfinder.com for the perfect cat.  I had recently moved out of an apartment with a roommate who had two kittens, and I was lost without those furry little companions.  I didn't want just any cat though; he/she needed to be what I call "dog- like and cool."  I was looking for a sweet, loving, cuddly, fun, loyal, cute cat. I was looking at all the pictures and reading about each cat and then all of a sudden there was Vector (later to be named Toby)!  His looks and personality sounded perfect for me!  As I drove over to meet him I was thinking...."man if this cat is everything they say he is - we will be happy pals forever!"  Well he was everything and more!  I adopted him instantly and now we are inseparable. Toby lives with two other cats that he plays with from time to time.  He is usually just by my side helping me do whatever it is I am doing.  Or just cuddling up or laying around looking handsome.  He loves to play and run through my apartment.  When it is warmer outside he spends most of his time laying by the patio screen door enjoying the fresh air.  Every night shortly before bed he gets two treats and is so excited.  He comes running from any part of the apt as soon as he hears the treat drawer open.  It's adorable.  I couldn't picture like without my furry little son Toby.
-Katie

 

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