After all, everybody loves a puppy!

Of course, this was a very large pup, but the woman believed it was a Tibetan mastiff, which are absolutely enormous dogs.

So, it made sense the puppy would be huge.

But as the “pooch” began to grow, the woman – Su Yun, a resident of the Yunnan province of southwestern China – began to notice something:

This dog had a gigantic appetite. He would eat entire boxes of fruit and noodles in a single day!

Okay, so the dog liked to eat … that didn’t mean it wasn’t a canine, right? Well, there was something else to consider, too:

This animal was growing at a tremendous rate.

In fact, he had developed the ability to actually stand on his hind legs for long periods of time! What dog can do that…?

Finally, Su had to admit something was going on. And she realized that her beloved “puppy” had morphed into a huge animal that looked a lot like…

A black bear!

Unbelievably enough, as the creature kept growing and devouring everything in sight, it became apparent that it was indeed a bear.

This was no Tibetan mastiff and of course, Su couldn’t possibly keep a bear as a pet.

But the Kunming Zoo wouldn’t take the bear because Su didn’t have a proper birth certificate for the animal.

That’s when she turned to the Yunnan Wildlife Rescue Centre.

Thankfully, the people there agreed to take in the bear, which had already reached three feet tall!

The staff later identified the formerly labeled “dog” as an Asiatic black bear, which are considered “vulnerable” (aka endangered).

Sadly, the Asiatic black bear has suffered a nasty 80 percent drop in population due to severe habitat loss.

Worse still, poachers value these animals because their gall bladders and claws fetch good prices on the black market.

What a terrible fate for any animal!

So in fact, this is a happy story.

If Su hadn’t adopted the “dog,” and hadn’t turned him over to the Centre when she realized what he was, that poor animal could’ve met a tragic fate!

Now called Little Black, the bear is doing very well at the Centre and will hopefully lead a healthy and happy life…

He just couldn’t be in someone’s home.

Source: Honest to Paws

The post Family Adopts Oversized Puppy – As It Grows, They Realize It’s Not A Dog At All appeared first on Addicting Stories.

Doctors start to say things like “at your age….” and “as you get older…” and the words start to chafe a little bit.

And you know, the other thing that happens is that you start to feel lonely and maybe you want a furry friend…

When an active, cheerful woman named Mary found herself alone when she was nearing 70 years of age, she decided she wanted a companion dog.

And she wanted to be sure she got one that was just as active as she was.

She traveled a lot and wanted a small dog that could fly in the cabin with her on an airplane, in a crate beneath her seat.

She wanted a dog she could pick up and carry with her when she walked and went on tours.

In short, Mary wanted a dog that could keep up with her! And when she visited the Fluffy Dog Rescue, she fell in love with a cute little 1-year-old Yorkie mix.

She placed her application to adopt and began making her plans. She was a good applicant; she had the financial means and she was perfectly suited to be a dog owner.

After all, she’d always had dogs around! So, she waited for the response telling her when she could pick up her new companion.

Except, instead of an acceptance letter, she received a very confusing note. It read:

“[We have] a philosophy of ‘adoption for life’… we feel there are other dogs that may be more suitable for you.

In your case, it would be a dog aged three or older.”

Mary couldn’t understand how two years could make any difference. Obviously, she would make arrangements for her pet to be cared for in the event of her being unable to do so.

Being 70 years old didn’t mean she couldn’t have the 12-15 years left in her life that the dog she wanted to adopt would possibly have!

“I planned to get a young dog so that it will fly with me and be able to go under my seat and go wherever I go,” said Mary.

“I think they made a very poor judgment, in the fact they don’t know me.”

It’s admirable that the shelter is careful in screening potential homes, but it’s ridiculous to believe that you can put people into tiny slots, when each person and each situation is quite different.

Mary’s daughter, Melissa, emailed the organization about their decision.

“To just write it off because of a number, it was really upsetting,” Melissa said.

Fluffy Dog Rescue sent back another email saying:

“We have established a formula for our older applicants to do our best to accomplish this.

With that said, your mother fits into a category of only being able to adopt a dog that is three years or older.”

Mary still doesn’t understand why she wasn’t allowed to adopt the Yorkie-mix.

“I just feel like I’m a good, loving person, and I could give a lot of love to a little dog, any dog,” she said.

What do you think? Do you think older people should only have older dogs? And can you see a lot of difference in adopting a 1-year-old dog as opposed to a 3-year-old dog?

Do you think each situation should be judged on its own merit?

We hope the little Yorkie mix did find a good home, and we’re sure Mary will find a shelter that will be happy to work with someone offering such an active and fun home to one of their dogs!

Good luck, Mary. We know you’ll be a great dog mom!

Source: Little Things

The post This Woman Isn’t Allowed To Adopt A Puppy For One Outrageous Reason appeared first on Addicting Stories.

It’s sad that we live in a world that puts so much emphasis on appearance, isn’t it?

Make someone a few pounds overweight, give them frizzy hair, a limp, or a speech impediment and soon they’ll be saying, “Don’t hate me because I’m NOT beautiful!”

It’s the same for animals, unfortunately. Everyone in the rescue field knows that a black dog or cat in a kill shelter likely won’t make it out alive, for example.

One ginger cat at the Clermont County Animal Shelter knows all about being passed over because of her appearance.

Scarlet was living on the streets after being declawed and abandoned. Being declawed left her with no way to defend herself.

So when she showed up on someone’s porch and pawed relentlessly at their door until they noticed her, she was covered in wounds and scars.

She was not only looking for a safe haven, she was desperately looking for someone to love her.

…and sadly, she still is.

She’s been at the shelter ever since she arrived over a year ago. Luckily, it’s not a high kill shelter or she would have been euthanized months ago.

She’s seen a lot of changes come and go at the shelter. She watched the shelter be taken over by the Clermont Animal CARE Humane Society, which held a big adoption event to celebrate the new management.

Over half of the animals in the shelter were adopted out — but not Scarlet.

Is there anything wrong with her? Is she sick? Disabled? Horrible temperament?

Not at all. Her only fault is that she’s 9 years old, has walked some hard roads in her life and isn’t the perky young spotted kitten that potential adopters always fall in love with.

But nobody at the shelter can figure out exactly why no one has fallen in love with Scarlet. They all adore her.

Source: The Dodo

The post When You Hear Why Nobody Wants This Poor Abandoned Cat You’ll Scream appeared first on Addicting Stories.

They may know they eat differently or move differently or look different, but they are quick to see the differences in others, so they don’t think their differences matter.

It’s the same with animals.

A dog or cat doesn’t give much thought to the fact that maybe they are an unusual color, or have strange hair texture or other possible differences.

Hypothetically speaking, a kitten with a smushed face most likely would have no idea that they don’t look exactly like everyone else.

Actually, this isn’t a hypothetical statement.

We know it’s the truth because of a tiny orphaned kitten that started life with all sorts of strikes against her. Yet, those strikes never stopped her!

The kitten they began to call “Smush” was born with a cleft palate and had congenital conditions.

But aside from cosmetic problems, she was also suffering from health issues: She had an upper respiratory infection, severe ringworm, and wouldn’t even eat.

Smush needed round-the-clock care, so a vet student named Lindsey Hidenrite, who is the cat coordinator for Helping Hands Pet Rescue, volunteered to take her home.

For the next month, she syringe-fed her, gave her baths for her ringworm, and made sure she got the best care. If Lindsey hadn’t taken her home, she would have been euthanized.

In just a few weeks, Smush was past all of her illnesses and was well on her way to being a happy, well-adjusted little kitten.

Smush the cat
Credit: Courtesy Shannon Jax Productions

She was certainly lucky that she had been found and brought to such wonderful people! But, her luck was about to get even better…

Hidenrite’s friend, Shannon Jackson, a photographer who takes photos of shelter pets to attract potential adopters, saw her post a picture of Smush on Facebook and it was love at first sight.

After meeting Smush in person, Jackson knew that Smush needed to be added to her family. And Smush was just tickled pink at the prospect.

Jackson says Smush is as playful and feisty as any other cat; she seems to have no idea that she is even slightly different than other cats.

Smush the cat
Credit: Courtesy Shannon Jax Productions

Now, Smush is loving her new life with Jackson and three new doggy siblings, three kitty siblings, and even a hedgehog!

She got a second chance thanks to Hidenrite, Jackson, and every kind-hearted soul along the way who helped her live.

Thanks for not judging a book by its cover.

Thanks for looking beyond one little kitten’s smushed face to see the heart and soul that lay beneath.

Thanks to you Smush will lead a (hopefully) long and healthy life. As happy as any other cat could be!

Who cares what you look like, when you’ve got someone to love who loves you back?

Source: The Animal Rescue Site

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