Celebrating a Year of Lifesaving

Josephine TempongkoAdopt, Cats, Dogs, News4 Comments

It’s the new year and we’re super excited to share some of our biggest highlights from 2021. It was another incredible lifesaving year, with nearly 6,000 animals finding forever homes. In today’s blog, we’ll be taking you through some of the happiest adoption stories from 2021.

Fino

Fino first came to us from a Central Valley shelter through our Regional Rescue program. The shelter told us he was a really nice dog, but had a lot of energy and was starting to go stir crazy with them. He was spinning in his kennel, trying to jump fences, and they wanted him to go somewhere that had more space and resources to help him get his energy out and show his best side to potential adopters.
When Fino arrived, we saw the behaviors we had heard about right away. He was very energetic, and without proper exercise, could become bored and vocal in his room. Our Behavior team immediately made a plan for Fino to help reduce his stress. He would get daily walks with volunteers and participated in playgroups with other dogs several times a week. He also received lots of one-on-one training to exercise his brain and work on some of his jumpy, excitable behaviors.
With a consistent routine and enough exercise, Fino was proving to be a lovely, friendly, social dog. We were confident he would be an amazing companion, but would need the right home that would be able to set him up for success everyday to prevent some of his excitable, destructive behaviors. Luckily for Fino, it didn’t take long for him to find that home.
Fino was adopted in May 2021. His new dad completely understood what Fino would need to be successful, and started on a plan with him right away. He took Fino on several walks a day, including one daily trip to the park on a long lead to allow him a chance to safely run and explore. His dad worked on all kinds of training with Fino – leash training, playing gently with people, how to calm himself after getting overexcited during play, and seeing dogs pass by on walks without barking. With his new routine and training, Fino has become a whole new dog.
Fino now travels with his new dad and has made tons of friends, both human and canine. He has impeccable manners, and mostly prefers to snooze on the couch next to his dad during work hours (until it’s walk or play time, of course!). We’re incredibly happy for this sweet boy and his dad. Fino is an amazing success story, and we truly feel these two were meant to find each other!

Piper

When Piper came to us last year, we noticed immediately that her appetite seemed to come and go and her weight was fluctuating. Our Medical team determined that she had diabetes mellitus, and her pancreas was not producing enough insulin. This can prevent sugar from the blood from getting into cells where her body can use it. Her disease required that she receive daily injectable insulin treatments and remain on a special diet.

Despite Piper’s health issues, she was a happy, friendly cat. She would purr and headbutt our Medical staff during each exam, and preferred to eat when someone stayed close to her and petted or scratched her the whole time. She even tolerated her daily injections well – she stayed still and happily received attention during and after. Piper stayed in our care for many months. First, our veterinarians wanted to keep an eye on her and make sure her insulin levels were stable. Once they were happy with her levels and overall health, it took a while to find someone willing to take in an older cat that needed daily injections, no matter how sweet she was.

Finally, though, Piper found her perfect match. A veterinary technician who also has diabetes met Piper and fell in love. Her and her boyfriend brought Piper home, where they gave her a few days to transition and understand her new environment. Piper was understandably hesitant at first, but after a few days she was showing off her happy Piper personality again.

She met her family’s dog, which went great. The two are getting along so well, share the pet beds, and love to hang out together in the office while their mom works! Piper’s new mom says she’s doing great for her daily insulin injections and glucose checks, makes muffins everywhere, and loves being brushed and pet. “We are so happy we adopted Piper,” she says. We’re so happy we were able to help Piper and her family find each other. It was clearly a perfect match!

Jake

If you’ve been around our Facebook page, you might remember Jake. When he was with us, he was known as Zach, and first came in from a Central Valley shelter after he had been found unable to walk on the side of the road. Once he arrived, our Medical team examined him and quickly determined the leg was broken in several places. The fractures were so severe that our team determined he would need orthopedic surgery, and reached out to an orthopedic specialist to schedule Jake for surgery.

The surgery was estimated to cost at least $4,000, so we reached out to our community on Facebook to help. Within days, our incredibel supporters steppe dup to donate to Jake’s surgery. Jake’s surgery went well, and he then spent weeks in a foster home receiving intensive therapy to help him start using the leg again and build his muscle back.

It took many weeks, but finally, Jake was ready to find his home. He was adopted in April by a sweet family with another 2-year-old dog Carly who was so excited to have a new brother.

Jake is doing amazing in his new home. His family says he’s so sweet, friendly, and playful. He’s using his leg and loves to run, play fetch, and chase his sister Carly around. Jake’s story was only possible thanks to everyone who donated to his surgery and shared his story. We are so grateful to our amazing community for rallying aroudn this sweet dog. And we’re so happy to see Jake thriving in his home!

 

Henry and Ogie

Henry and Ogie had been living together for years. They were surrendered to us when their former family was going through a tough time and was no longer able to keep them. When they first arrived, the two cats were extremely shy and had a difficult time trusting new people. Our staff and volunteers worked with them for weeks, slowly gaining their trust and showing them it was okay to open up.

Slowly, the two boys started to come around. We placed them up for adoption, and soon after, were contacted by a man who had been looking for a new companion. He was really interested in helping a cat or multiple cats who had been with us for a long time and were having a hard time getting adopted. He came in to meet Henry and Ogie, and felt it was a match.
Since they were adopted in May, Henry and Ogie have settled in beautifully. Their new dad says they “rule the roost” and are both so quirky and charismatic. Henry is goofier and snuggly, and loves to sleep at the foot of the bed. Ogie is athletic, independent, and sleeps anywhere he pleases. The two still love spending time together and playing. We’re so happy these two found the perfect home with someone who truly understands and loves them for who they are!
These are just a few of the many animals who found their forever homes in 2021. Thank you for your love and support. We truly could not do this without you! Want to help us save and find homes for more animals like Fino, Piper, Jake, Henry, and Ogie? Make a gift to the animals! And if you haven’t already, sign up for our eNewsletter to get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox!

4 Comments on “Celebrating a Year of Lifesaving”

  1. I wish your dogs find new, loving families!
    Our dog has a similar fate as Jake. The kid had to go through several operations, expensive treatment and pain control with the help of CBD for pets.

  2. I didn’t have any expectations concerning that title, but the more I was astonished. The author did a great job. I spent a few minutes reading and checking the facts. Everything is very clear and understandable. I like posts that fill in your knowledge gaps. This one is of the sort.

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