Success Stories
The best decision I made was sticking it out with this dog and giving him time to adjust and feel loved...
I don’t even know for sure why Wolf’s story appeared on my social media feed, since I’m in South Carolina and he was in Philadelphia...
Izzy the Shelter Dog
Torn CCLs are one of the most commonly seen orthopedic problems in dogs, including those who enter the shelter at Women’s Animal Center. Dogs affected with a CCL tear will often limp, experience significant levels of pain, and in some cases lose all function in their knee. Because of the exorbitant cost to repair this type of injury, many owners make the difficult decision to surrender otherwise loving and healthy animals because they don’t have the resources to care for them. Izzy, an 8-year-old Alaskan Husky mix was surrendered to our shelter with a torn CCL, and would become our first surgery patient - and success story!
Lacy & Leanne
"Lacy entered our home and our hearts at a time we needed her most. We had just suffered an inexplicable loss, as my Mother lost her battle with ovarian cancer. Our wedding was a great distraction from the pain, but once the party was over, we knew we needed some joy and brightness in our lives. One fall morning, we checked some local shelters for what we hoped would be the perfect fit. We decided to make Women's Animal Center our last stop. In the third kennel from the door, Lacy sat quietly while the other dogs barked away. I walked up to her and she stared at me. From that moment on, I was in love. We took her home that very day, and our lives have never been the same. She truly brought happiness to a home that needed it most. The question 'Who saved who?' is one we ask ourselves often, but deep down, we know the answer." - submitted by Leanne, Lacy's adoptive Mom
Buster Brown & Roberta
"We first met Buster Brown at the home of his foster Mother, Kristine. She had heard from my youngest daughter that we just lost our baby of fourteen years. We were horribly heartbroken. Kristine invited us over to meet Buster at her home. When we walked in the door, he came running over to us and started to purr. We felt he was trying to tell us that everything was going to be okay, and knew right then that we would give him a forever home. Buster is one of the family. He loves running around with his new brother, Gibbs. He is a gray tabby and Buster is an orange tabby. They're like salt and pepper, and complement each other very well. They're both up at 5:30am seeing my husband off to work. I can't imagine not having that little guy in our home. He has really helped to heal our broken hearts." - submitted by Roberta, Buster Brown's adoptive Mom
Sky & Kelsey
"This is Sky! We adopted her in May 2017 when our six-year old male began dealing with separation anxiety and we wanted to make sure he would always have a companion. Little did we know, we found ourselves the sweetest girl that we could have ever asked for. Sky has made such an impact on our family and we can't picture life without her. She's a loving sister to her doggy brother, the best of friends with her human sister, and a total momma's girl! She is a true diva through and through. Her favorite spot is up on the ottoman where she can watch what everyone is doing. Our daughter lovingly refers to her as Queenie. We are so glad that we made the decision to go to the shelter that day because we left there with more than just a dog. We left with a family member. Thank you, Women’s Animal Center, for making the process so simple and stress-free and for providing her with love and care while she waited for us to find her." - submitted by Kelsey, Sky's adoptive Mom
Rosie & Ann
"Rosie was alone and she needed us. We wanted a young piggie for our guinea pig, Sylvie, to befriend. The adoption process was streamlined and a good experience. We got to hold Rosie and interact with her, so it was an easy decision. We love her. I had adopted my previous dog from the Women’s Humane Society in 2002. She was perfect. Now I have adopted a lovely little piggie and she is part of the family. Rosie and Sylvie get along beautifully now. There was a short period of adjustment, but we followed the advice from a guinea pig rescue and there was very little trouble. Rosie is a sweetheart. She loves her roommate, Sylvie, and almost loves our dog. (She is not so fond of having her ears licked!) She likes to sleep in her little grass and likes to run laps around her large cage. But I have to say, I think supper time is her favorite time of day. Rosie loves her fresh veggies!" - submitted by Ann, Rosie's adoptive Mom
Onyx & Lauren
“Onyx was the last little pup in the back of the kennels when she looked up at me and smiled. It was the first time I smiled since my beloved dog had passed. She wagged her tail and sat so politely. I knew she was mine right then... I want to thank you for all the amazing work you do. Walking into the shelter was so incredibly hard after losing our dog but I was amazed at how well all the dogs behaved. It was one of the best shelter experiences I have ever had.” - submitted by Lauren, Onyx's adoptive Mom
Abby & Amy
“Despite her homelessness and lack of food, Abby had four healthy kittens with her when she was found. She was a great mother cat, and had a survivor spirit about her. She spent a month in Women's Animal Center's Hospital with pneumonia, and I thank the wonderful people there that saved her and did not give up on her. The shelter spent a lot of resources saving my Abby. They care about the well-being of the cats and dogs. When I adopted her, she was four pounds. Now, she is twelve healthy pounds and enjoying her new life. She is very happy.” - submitted by Amy, Abby's adoptive Mom
Chi-Chi & His Rescuer
Chi-Chi was brought to Women's Animal Center at the ripe old age of fourteen after his owner went into a nursing home. Except for an age-related form of cataracts, Chi-Chi was in good health. In fact, he had been a patient at Women's Animal Center's Veterinary Hospital when his owner was still able to care for him. In spite of his good health, even the most caring of shelters cannot compare to a loving home for an old dog, and the already timid Chihuahua grew ever more quiet and withdrawn. Weeks went by. Chi-Chi waited. Then one day, an older gentleman visited the shelter with his two adult daughters in search of a companion. With so many young and spirited dogs from which to choose, the man’s daughters were surprised that their father kept returning to Chi-Chi’s kennel...surprised when he decided that he just could not leave without him. This kind man chose Chi-Chi. Or, perhaps, Chi-Chi chose him.
Dash & Her Good Samaritan
In late September, the local paper for the community that Women’s Animal Center calls home ran a story about Dash the kitten. A resident was on his way to work when he noticed Dash near a busy road, alone and uninjured, but obviously in grave danger of being run over by passing vehicles. This compassionate gentleman couldn’t bear the thought of harm coming to the helpless creature. He pulled over, scooped up the gray and white bundle of fur and brought her into his vehicle – where she promptly crawled deep underneath his dashboard, thus earning her name. It took technicians at a local dealership two hours to remove the dashboard and carefully extract the kitten. Dash received lots of attention at Women's Animal Center, and eventually gained the weight and strength to be put up for adoption. It didn’t take long before Dash was heading to her new home with a local couple who declare that they “are very grateful to have her as the newest member of our family.”