Success Stories
The most wonderful moment for a rescue organization is when we find a forever home for a dog or cat. No matter how life started for a pet, our goal is to ensure that the rest of its life is filled with love and gentle touches.
Forest is a Siamese cat living his best life with a loving family. He was with a rescue that couldn’t figure out the cause of his diarrhea and had decided to euthanize him. His life changed when an Anthem Pets volunteer intervened. Read the David Murphy article about Forest here!
In January of 2023 a female puppy was found in the Outlets at Anthem parking lot. How did she get there? When her owner wasn’t found she was vetted and soon Laila was adopted by a loving family! She has grown a lot and is living her best life, going for drives and playing with her human siblings. Click here for a short video of their fun!
When an owner surrenders a pet there can be various reasons. There may be a change in the household, a death of the owner, financial difficulties or a lack of interest as the pet transitions to adulthood. Spicy and Mew are young adults who were surrendered but are now living the good life in their forever homes.
It was an awful discovery for a resident who found a puppy hanging from a fence. The pup had suffered a terrible beating and his injuries included a broken skull, broken ribs, lacerations, parasites, and starvation. How many days he suffered, left to die at the fence is unknown. It was touch and go for a while, and he lost an eye, but because of the puppy’s fighting spirit he was named Champ. The loving family who fostered him became what we affectionately call a “foster failure” and Champ now is living his best life.
When an apartment manager entered a vacant apartment, he found an emaciated dog in a bare wire crate with no food or water. Instead of taking their dog when they skipped out on their lease, the owners locked her in crate and left her to die. Bethany was barely alive, just skin and bones, and covered with sores. It was a long recovery, physically and mentally, but Bethany was lucky to be fostered by a loving family who adopted her and nursed her back to health.
Note: Sadly, this is not uncommon particularly during economic downturns, but there is NO excuse for abandoning a pet.
Jax’s rescue story begins in a blistering hot parking lot where he was lost – or abandoned – and on the verge of heat exhaustion. Thankfully he was rescued and went to a foster home with Katie C. Eventually his foster family officially adopted him and he became a valued member of the pack. Jax, now called Louie, loves to cuddle, play with his brothers and go for walks, along with being one of Anthem’s best neighborhood watch dogs.
Pets teach children many things, including unconditional love, responsibility and how to empathize. With this in mind, Amanda C. adopted Tequila for her daughter’s 10th birthday present. The gift was a terrific success! Tequila, now called Tila, is an important part of her young owner’s life and very much loved by everyone in the family
Some rescued pets are adopted quickly. Others, especially those that have a special need or are simply considered unattractive and common, wait for months or even years in foster care before they find someone that loves them. Homer belonged in this second category of rescues.
He stayed in a loving foster home for almost a year and not a single person expressed interest in adopting him. Circumstances then arose which required him to be moved through several foster homes until he landed in Mary Ann B.’s home. She was supposed to keep him only two weeks, but those weeks stretched into six years and they are still counting. Homer is only one example of many so called “unattractive or common” dogs and cats that are in reality amazing pets.
Suppose kittens dream of what they will be when they grow up? Perhaps they imagine themselves performing tricks, training to be a mouser or even becoming a special companion cat. If Piper Faye ever dreamed of herself as a companion cat, her wish came true!
Melissa A. is currently helping her dog battle cancer and knowing that he has always had a soft spot for cats, she adopted Piper Faye to be a companion for him. The two are a perfect match and spend their days playing, sleeping and getting into trouble together.
An abandoned or lost animal is vulnerable to all sorts of dangers and to survive they have to be tough. Stimpy, a small chihuahua mix, bravely survived on his own until we rescued him. He spent some time in a foster home and then was adopted by Christine C. Stimpy is now called Rocco. He leads a comfortable life full of love, treats, toys and soft spots, but he continues to be tough and protects his family with all his heart.
Roughly 30% of all pets become lost at some point in their lives. For Buddy it happened when he was a young adult. He was rescued and taken to a foster home to wait for his owners to appear. They never did. During the wait, Buddy conquered the hearts of his foster family. When the time came for Buddy to be put up for adoption, Dana S. and her family couldn’t imagine anyone else loving him like they did, so they filled out the paperwork and officially welcomed him into their family. Today Buddy is also affectionately called Budders and Peanut Budders. He enjoys the company of 4 furry siblings and keeps his human family on their toes with his silly quirks.
