adoption
Our guide to animal adoption; learn why, where, and how to prepare to adopt a cat, kitten, dog or puppy from an animal shelter or rescue group.
Mad Max the Wonder Dog
When our dog, Cole died in 2014, my husband and I were devastated. He was such a great dog. He was a black mutt, part border collie, part lab, maybe some chow chow or some cocker spaniel, who knows? My husband and his youngest daughter found him in a box of other puppies in a Safeway parking lot with a sign that said, “Free Puppies”.
By Morgan Alber6 years ago in Petlife
They're always with you
In May, I started a new job at Pawsafe Animal Rescue as the kennel manager. Very quickly, it became a dream come true. I got to spend my days with puppies, and I got to help them find their forever home. It was such a fulfilling feeling, and it honestly helped shape my life and help narrow down the path I want to take for the rest of my life.
By Hannah York 6 years ago in Petlife
Grady
Grady was, when I first saw him, less than a year old. He was tall and slender, waving his half-length stump of a tail behind him, and he stared at me through the pane of glass that separated us, keeping me from laying my hands on his black-and-tan bespeckled coat and him from engorging his nose with the pungent scents I had no doubt tracked into the shelter. His concrete kennel was barren except for a tarnished blanket crumpled in the corner. It was the fifth blanket they’d tossed to him since he arrived less than a week prior. Had we not left with him — my mother and I — there would have been a sixth, and a seventh, and an eighth, until someone else snatched him up. But no one else was going to snatch him up. Despite his unremitting wag and his half-erect ears, Grady had an intensity to him that would have made White Fang think twice before squaring off. It was his eyes.
By Ryan Shulman6 years ago in Petlife
Dog Matchmaking 101
No matter what stage of acquiring a dog you're in, you should educate yourself about your options. Becoming a dog parent is a major commitment, so it's important to do your research and make well-informed choices before deciding on a new dog. Take smarter steps to bring your new fur-baby home with these tips.
By David Wyld6 years ago in Petlife
Adopting Glitch
The first time I heard my mom was finally going to agree to get a dog was from my sister over text eight months after I moved from Arizona to California for school and two weeks before I was supposed to come home for the summer. After confronting my mother about it, she sent me the sweetest picture. It’s of her holding the most adorable three week old Great Pyrenees puppy. That dog looked like it belonged with my mom. My two sisters and I all agreed that it would be a crime against the universe if she didn’t take her home. They belonged together.
By Harlie Bouwman6 years ago in Petlife
The Rottweiler with Strength
It's so cold. So lonely. The hunger is eating me away. I am just wasting away. I miss my old pack they were there for me they cared for me I meant something there. My mummy was the leader she was beautiful a picture of pure intelligence and love she was warm and cosy caring too. I miss her. My brothers were boisterous and almost seemed as though they were brainless, but even though they showed thick skulls and thick skin to passers-by they were always soft and warm caring and ready to listen. My sisters were strong and powerful but beautiful to they loved to be the centre of attention, they would always sit in regal positions with heads held high to show their proudness of who they were. They were fun we played all the time together we all wanted to grow up and be strong and proud like our mum. I always thought I would see her again or them but one by one we all went to new homes and had new packs to take care of. I hope they are where they are loved. That was once me, I was once loved.
By Melina King-Visser6 years ago in Petlife
