And we’re back with a new Rescue of the Week! Sorry this series has been a little lacking – we could always use some more stories though to help build it up! This week I’m super excited to show off our first non-mammal rescue: Pepper the Dumeril’s Boa! Her story comes from my best friend – thanks, Lee!

Rescue of the Week: Meet Pepper!

Rescue’s Name: Pepper
Species/Breed: Dumeril’s Boa
Age: Unknown

How did your rescue come to be in your life?

Pepper came to me while I was interning at the Denver Zoo. I’d only been there a couple of weeks, when my supervisor had asked me if I wanted an adult Dumeril’s boa. Now, up until that point, I had only ever kept small constrictors, and while I’ve always been happy to help out a snake in need, I was more than a little intimidated by the prospect of a snake that was over five feet long, weighed fifteen pounds, and ate rabbits every other week. But, by a spectacularly lucky combination of circumstances, I was able to find space for her in my tiny apartment, and after just a few minutes of handling her, I knew that I wanted her to be a part of my life. I don’t know much about her life before I adopted her, but I am immensely glad that I decided to take this lovely girl into my home. Pepper isn’t the first or last reptile that I’ve rescued (all too often, people view cold-blooded animals like snakes, spiders and fish as disposable, and I’d certainly recommend that anyone looking to get a pet reptile check out adoption before buying from a commercial breeder or dealer) but she is the only pet that I have who’s literally a zoo animal. And that makes her very special to me.

Tell us more about your rescue kid:

Pepper is definitely one of the biggest snake challenges that I’ve ever taken on. She’s very relaxed in her cage and eats and sheds well, but when she’s out, she is always determined to shove herself into the most inaccessible and incomprehensible place possible. She once broke my printer trying to crawl through the paper tray … She’s a little shy of people, sudden movements startle her, and she’s certainly not the girl I’ll introduce you to if you have a snake phobia. But she’s also incredibly gentle, and one of the most beautiful examples of her species that I’ve ever seen (Of course, I may be a little biased…)

(Oh, and if you’re thinking of dumping your pet reptile at the zoo, on the basis that it’ll be taken care of, just like Pepper was … well, unfortunately, she was a a very lucky break. Zoos across the country receive thousands of unwanted animals every year, and they don’t have the space to care for them. The very, very lucky ones are referred to local shelters, or otherwise rehomed. The vast majority are simply humanely euthanized, because zoos, especially those in the business of conservation, don’t have the resources, space or time to take care of unwanted pets.)

Your name: A. Jaszlics
Where you and your pet can be found on the internet: Worm Salad

Filed under: Personal Stories, Rescue of the Week on January 10th, 2011 | 2 Comments »

A day late, but better that than never right? This week we are showcasing a dog with extremely soulful eyes. Come read Knuke’s story, as told to us by his loving mother, Addie Walters. Thanks for the story, Addie!

Rescue of the Week: Knuke!

Rescue’s Name: Knuke
Species/Breed: Great Pyrenees/Husky mix
Age: 3 months

How did your rescue come to be in your life?

I was volunteering at a local shelter last year when we suddenly found ourselves in the middle of a “puppy emergency.” Someone had dumped a box of three-month-old pups over the shelter’s fence and ran off, and, with our no-kill shelter being overcrowded, our director started calling every available person she knew to see if anyone would be interested in fostering a puppy for awhile. We were worried – without enough foster homes, the dogs would have to go to other local shelters that would most likely euthanize the dogs within days or weeks because they too were overcrowded. So what’s a girl to do? I made an evening run to the shelter and found myself with a squirmy ball of fur in the front seat and a 50lb bag of food in the back. To make things more interesting, my husband and I already had two big dogs at home (a Heeler mix rescue and a Siberian husky puppy mill survivor) – what’s one more dog, right? The thing was…my husband didn’t know of my fantastic plans until he walked in the kitchen and saw me holding the dog. The look on his face was priceless…he started mumbling something about how he knew the dogs would outnumber us the minute I started volunteering at the shelter. In any case, our “foster” turned into an official adoption a couple weeks later – my husband turned to me out of the blue one day and said, “Just go ahead and adopt him.” I wasn’t going to say no to that! So now we have three gigantic dogs, and can’t imagine what life would be like without them.

Tell us more about your rescue kid:
Knuke (slang for knuckleball – my husband is a baseball coach) is a 100lb lapdog. He’s terrified of shoes, empty 12-pack soda boxes and driving with the windows down. He gets noseprints all over the windows, eats our furniture and has regular WWE matches in the living room with our other dogs. He’s a snuggler, and likes to take up most of the bed with his head on my pillow. He thinks it’s a world tragedy if he can’t come in the bathroom with you. He is hyper and loves to play, but will sit as still as a statue with only his tail wagging when our friend’s niece (who has Down’s Syndrome) comes over and throws her arms around his neck. I love him for that.

Your name(s): Addie Walters
Where can you and your pet be found on the internet: Confessions from the Bench, Facebook, and Twitter.

Filed under: Personal Stories, Rescue of the Week on October 12th, 2010 | 3 Comments »

Our newest rescue story comes from our reader Amy Kinard. Thank you Amy for sharing your wonderful story and your adorable pup!

Rescue of the Week: Miss Olive!

Rescue’s Name: Miss Olive
Species/Breed: Shih Tzu
Age: estimated at 4 years

How did your rescue come to be in your life?:
I saw her photo as the featured pet of the week for the Santa Cruz SPCA. I just KNEW we were destined to be best friends. I printed out the adoption forms, filled them out and drove to the shelter and sat in the parking lot and waited for them to open.

Tell us more about your rescue kid:
She has the most amazing personality! She is always doing something hilarious, which is why I keep posting videos of her on YouTube! She wakes me up every morning by sticking her little nose right against mine. Best sight in the world! [ILRA Note: Amy, I hope you don't mind, but you mentioned YouTube and I thought this was an adorable video of Olive! So cute!]

Your Name: Amy Kinard
Where can you and your pet be found on the internet?: Her story has been posted on the Santa Cruz SPCA website under success stories. She is the fourth one down.

Check back next week for another great rescue story! Do you have a story you want to tell? We would love to hear it! Go fill out our form and tell us all about your favorite rescue kid.

Filed under: Personal Stories, Rescue of the Week on September 27th, 2010 | 3 Comments »

Welcome to our second week of “Rescue of the Week!” This week we are featuring Chelsea’s beautiful pup, Azu! Read on to learn more about this fantastic rescue.

Rescue of the Week: Azu!

Rescue’s Name: Azu (Azu Bean, Booboo, Beaners, Sweet Pea, Beanie Weanie, Azubaijan)
Species/Breed: She could be a Rhodesian Ridgeback mix, maybe Boxer/Labrador, possibly some Redbone Coonhound in there… Who knows! Whatever her particular cocktail of breeds is, it’s perfect.
Age: About 5 years old.

How did your rescue come to be in your life?
Nick and I had been planning to get dogs for years. Of course we couldn’t have any when we were at university, and doubly so when we lived in Japan. When we returned to the States in 2007, we promised ourselves that, as soon as we had steady income and a dog-friendly apartment, we would take a trip to the Humane Society. And that’s what we did on December 1, 2007! I think Azu was the second or third dog we met, and we fell completely in love with her. Thinking back, it was odd that she wasn’t scared of Nick, since one of her main fears for the first couple years was men. She was especially terrified of hats! And loud noises, traffic, skateboards… basically everything. It’s hard to believe that now, though; after a lot of hard work and training, she’s gotten over all of her fears! She’s still the slightest bit wary around certain strangers, but who can blame her, really? Anyway, back to her adoption! She had apparently been picked up as a stray in Kansas and transferred to the Boulder, CO Humane Society. She had obviously been cared for at some point, though, because she knew “sit”, “shake”, and “down”. She even settled into our routine quickly.

Tell us more about your rescue kid:
Azu is the epitome of “dog”. She’s energetic but loves to lie around and snuggle. She’s sturdy and tough, but is very sensitive to the emotions of those around her. She’s clever and good at problem-solving, but still defers to us when she knows she’s out of her depth. She’s expressive and affectionate, but doesn’t jump all over you for attention. She’s far more subtle than that. She just has to look at you, and you suddenly find yourself lavishing her with affection! Some of Azu’s favorite things to do are, in no particular order: – Chasing tennis balls – Eating… just about anything – Fishing, though she’s only ever caught one bluegill – Resting her soft, warm neck on you when you’ve already been hitting your snooze for 20 minutes, and Azu that really is not helping me wake up, you know. – Hiking – Doing tricks – Giving hugs and kisses – Visiting The Place Where Biscuits Live (the bank) – Carrying toys around in her mouth. She even holds them in her sleep. We are honestly so lucky to have Azu. I’ve never met a dog more loving, and snuggly, and just… perfect than her. She makes us laugh and smile countless times every day. Your Name: Chelsea Conlin and Nick Tausek.

Where can you and your pet be found on the internet?
I think most ILRA regulars know where to find me! Paper Nautilus, my sketchblog, twitter, and deviantArt. Nick can be found on his website and twitter. Azu has been featured on Project DOG!

Let’s Hear Your Story!

Interested in telling your rescue’s story? Head over to our Rescue of the Week page and fill out the form. We look forward to hearing from you!

Filed under: Personal Stories, Rescue of the Week on September 20th, 2010 | 4 Comments »

Hey all! As promised, the very first in a new series here at ILRA: Rescue of the Week! Want to know something funny? This was pretty much supposed to be the whole point of ILRA. It all began as a simple idea to celebrate rescued animals to show that they are just as good as any other animals. In fact, we believe they know how lucky they are and return the love you give them tenfold! We wanted rescue parents to be able to come together and celebrate the wonderful animals that have changed their lives. We hope that you will all join in and share your rescue kids with the rest of the world! Now on to the first ever Rescue of the Week; who better but our very own mascot, Spunky?

Rescue of the Week: SPUNKY!

Rescue’s Name: Spunky (Spunkadoo, Spunkaruffugus)
Species/Breed: Husky/Shepherd/Chow mixed breed dog
Age: 6.5 years

How did your rescue come to be in your life?:
Spunky came into my life my sophomore year of college. I was working an adoption fair trying to get local pound dogs adopted. Spunky was my charge and I fell in love with him right away. An application was filled out before the event was even over! Since then, Spunky and I have been practically inseparable.

Tell us more about your rescue kid:
Spunky has amazing resilience. He has been through three different households, moved all around the country and been an amazing big brother to over thirty siblings. Nikki calls him the rock of our family and I’m inclined to believe her. No matter what, Spunky is always there. Whether it’s tolerating a little kitten thinking he’s mommy, playing gently with the ferrets or being a model for the younger dogs to follow, he is always a patient, loving presence. This wonderful personality makes him pretty irresistible to everyone he meets. Seriously, ask anyone! Because of this, he has his Canine Good Citizen (CGC) certificication and he is in the works of becoming a therapy dog! Hopefully someday soon, he will be able to bring joy and happiness to even more people who are in need of his soft soul. Spunky’s favorite thing to do in the whole world, besides getting love of course, is to run. He is one of the fastest, most agile dogs I’ve ever come across and he loves that he’s always the leader in a game of chase. On the other hand, he can also lounge around like nobody’s business and makes a great partner for sleeping in late. He is also an incredibly photogenic boy (as you can see). Spunky makes an amazing mascot for ILRA because he was the one that really inspired the creation of our site.

Your Name(s): Ashley & Nikki
Where can you and your pet be found on the internet?: Right here! Spunky, as many of you already know, is the mascot of ILRA. He’s so glad he found his forever home that he wants to pay it forward and help other animals in need. You can learn tidbits about him on our twitter account, @RescueAnimals, too. He also has a Dogster profile. But if you really want to get to know him, you’ve got to check out The Family Menagerie, a webcomic based on our crazy, animal filled lives. You’re sure to love it!

Check back next week for another Rescue of the Week!

Filed under: Personal Stories, Rescue of the Week on September 13th, 2010 | 8 Comments »