“He was abandoned by his adoptive parents at 11, with no explanation. His trauma will not disappear just because he has love, a father, stability, and a family. Memories like that can’t be erased. I realized the missing piece to our family, and for Anthony, was a companion. A ‘furry’ one.”
“With more than half of my household members falling into one of the higher-risk categories, it would feel irresponsible of me to not take it seriously.”
“I was cutting my son’s hair on a Friday afternoon when I noticed his head looked a bit different. His forehead popped out quite a bit and the top of his head was higher than the back. Months later, we noticed our puppy was becoming more and more sleepy. He was having a hard time standing on his legs and would get winded very fast. ‘The odds of them both having this are astronomical.’ The news hit me like a brick. Thanos and Branson were meant for each other.”
“You should know I was adopted. After I moved in with my new family, I realized how lucky I was to be there. All the love and food I could ever want! They were all looking at me while they were attempting to sing. Wait a minute… is it MY birthday? On the counter was a huge birthday cake with writing on it.”
“My son Robbie was adopted from the foster care system after years of severe abuse and neglect. I picked him up from school today and broke the news our dog was showing signs of kidney failure. His response was, ‘Can I hold her when she goes to heaven? I know how it feels not to be loved or cared for. I don’t want any animal of mine to ever feel that way.'”
“You can see the koalas swaddled in blankets, many with mittens on due to their paw burns, clearly loving the attention the soldiers are able to give. This is a great morale boost for our hard working team.”
“My friend fled her abusive boyfriend and drove to my house. My house wasn’t safe, though. He followed her. He told us what he was going to do to us. I couldn’t even feel the physical hurt. Mentally, I just…left. That’s when Camie, my pit/lab mix, came barreling into the room. She was on top of him in the blink of an eye.”
“’We are looking for a foster home for this quirky 5-week-old kitten.’ He had us wrapped around his little paw. We found out he was special needs and said, ‘We have to take care of him!’ It’s like watching a live interactive stuffed animal. Sheldon had bonded with us and we had bonded with him.”
“‘Which road are you on?’ My voice broke. ‘I don’t know.’ Crying, I couldn’t remember. Then, I heard a voice from the outside. ‘Are you okay?’ I expected him to leave. I didn’t think he’d stick around. He leaned in. ‘Can you get out of the car?’ he asked. I shook my head, still crying. He hugged me tightly and I hugged him back, sobbing against his chest. I hadn’t asked for a hug. It never occured to me how much I needed one.”
“John is autistic and has a great love for animals. We thought it’d be a fun family outing to go to the Aquarium. It was a mad house. There were long lines, people everywhere. Overwhelmed, John made a beeline for the door. My heart broke. The stares stung. A man asked if I needed help. I explained we wouldn’t be staying due to the circumstances. He reached out to shake my hand. ‘My name is Chris and I’m here to help!’ He told me he had a ‘back way.’ My eyes filled with tears. In all our years, this was a first.”
