Success Stories

A woman in a gray hat and black sweatshirt smiles as she kneels on the ground next to a small white and brown dog.

Toni's Story

Long-time Women's Animal Center volunteer, Karen, has always loved dogs, but could never have one at home because of her mom’s allergies. Not long after Karen’s mom passed away, leaving a huge hole in Karen’s heart, Karen met Toni: a loveable nine-year-old senior pit bull terrier mix who was surrendered to our shelter. Karen adopted Toni for two reasons: companionship, and because she couldn’t bear to see a senior dog in the shelter.

Toni loves curling up with Karen on the sofa, sleeping (and snoring!) at the end of Karen's bed, and making little "yum yum" sounds as Karen prepares her dinner. Karen describes Toni as her little shadow, following her everywhere and simply happy to have eyes on mom. Toni enjoys walks around her neighborhood or in the local park and likes greeting the other dogs she meets daily. She still enjoys the red squeaky toy given to her by our staff on her adoption day. Toni makes Karen happy. They have a routine every night after their last walk of the day, including teeth cleaning and eye drops as needed. Karen shares that it is a joy to take care of Toni. She believes that Toni rescued her just as much as she rescued this beautiful pup.

A woman in a purple shirt smiles as she kneels behind a small brown dog.

Dozer's Story

Ashley worked one of our Clear the Shelters event as a member of the Inspire Federal Credit Union team. She went for a walk through the shelter at the beginning of the day, saw Dozer, and knew immediately that she couldn’t leave without him. He ended up being the first adoption of the day!

Ashley shares: “Dozer has changed my life by filling it with love, loyalty, and laughter. He’s my daily reminder to find joy in the little things and to always make time for cuddles. I have a king-size bed, but every night he gently pushes me to the edge so he can stretch out like royalty. I’m just lucky to be his pillow. He’s changed my life in so many positive ways! Whether it’s his excited tail wags when I walk through the door or the way he curls up next to me after a long day, he brings me so much happiness. Adopting him was the best thing for me, and I’d say for Dozer too!”

A small, one-eyes gray and brown dog sits in front of a house.

Peanut's Story

Our team arrived one morning to find Peanut, a one-month-old Yorkie puppy dumped in a small, plastic container and left overnight at our front door. Peanut was in poor condition and barely able to open his swollen eyes. His ears had puncture wounds, he had a bloated belly, and this little pup was extremely thin. Our shelter and hospital staff immediately jumped into action treating Peanut’s wounds, and giving him food, warmth and love. Our veterinarians realized that his left eye could not be saved and made the difficult decision to remove it entirely. Not even six weeks old, precious Peanut had already endured a lifetime’s worth of pain. Because of his weight, young age and medical recovery required following surgery, Peanut needed to rehab in a foster home. A kindhearted staff member provided Peanut a safe and comforting place to heal. After a few weeks, this little guy was ready to find his forever home. It was challenging at first for Peanut to find his people, perhaps because of his missing eye and medical history. But his sweet demeanor and fighting spirit quickly captured the hearts of his adopters, one month after he was abandoned. Peanut now enjoys fun adventures and a beautiful life with his new forever family.

A white and brown cat with no eyes lounges on a gray cat tree with his legs dangling off the side.

Petey's Story

When first meeting Petey we didn’t know what this sweet feline’s future would hold. Blind and just four months old, Petey came into the Center as a stray needing immediate and lifesaving medical care. Upon intake, our veterinary team saw that Petey’s eyes were in extremely bad shape. Both eyes were infected, with the infection causing them to rupture which subsequently put Petey’s life in danger. Our veterinary team had to remove both of Petey’s eyes. Unfortunately, his medical battles persisted. His eye sockets swelled, resulting in nosebleeds and his sutures had to be reopened, drained and re-stapled. Despite all of this, Petey fought hard, and quickly adjusted to life without eyes, even playing with cat toys not long after his lifesaving surgery. After over a month and a half battling infections, Petey had his sutures removed. This brave beautiful sightless cat was adopted in September. Now 9 months old, Petey spends his days sitting in the sun, playing with his dog and cat siblings, and confidently running from room to room in his forever home.

A small, black and white dog with his mouth open excitedly tries to grab a snowball from someone's hand wearing a black glove. There is snow on the ground under the dog.

Axel's Story

Found as a stray and brought into our shelter, this sweet little pup immediately wiggled his way into the hearts of our staff and volunteers. Kennel life was a bit overwhelming for Axel, and he longed for a second chance at a new home. Little did Axel know that his life was about to change thanks to Sara and Indi, who immediately fell in love as Axel rolled over and greeted them with his belly. Sara shares: “Axel has been the perfect addition to our home! He may be shy, but he has slowly made lots of new friends, both two and four legged. Axel likes all his toys but has a special relationship with his squeaky ball. His favorite outdoor activities are playing fetch with his ball and a good sniffari hike in the woods. He’s been a quick learner, picking up on the daily routine and of course learning our cat’s rules of the house. On rainy days he enjoys people watching from the window, finding snacks in his snuffle mat and snuggles on the sofa. Axel is such a sweet boy with endless zooms and kisses. We are so grateful to have found him and made him a part of our little family. We can’t wait to create so many memories with the best boy ever!”