But the reason Nicki Fricker heard was a little strange … and when she saw the tiny pup that was being left behind, her heart just broke.

Nicki was in the parking lot of the Jefferson County SPCA in New York, waiting for the shelter to open.

That’s when she spotted an adorable little dachshund sitting close by.

There was a man with her and at first, Nicki thought the guy had found a stray and was bringing it to the shelter.

But as it turns out, the pup was actually his, and he was getting rid of the poor creature.

But why? Nicki just had to know, so she asked and his reply dropped her jaw:

“I’m giving her to the shelter because we are having a baby and we don’t need to practice with a dog anymore.”

What…?

We’ve heard of couples choosing to adopt pets instead of having children, but using a dog as “practice” for a baby is just weird.

Even if it you think it makes sense, you just decide to abandon the poor animal when you’re done “practicing?”

What the heck is that?!

At any rate, Nicki couldn’t believe what she was hearing, and she was overjoyed when the man asked if she wanted the tiny dachshund.

The pup’s name was Dotty and before she knew it, she was in Nicki’s car on her way to her new home.

The scared pooch never even had to set one paw inside the shelter!

But Dotty trembled in Nicki’s lap all the way home; it was obvious she was still somewhat frightened, and not quite sure what was going on.

The good news is it didn’t take long for Dotty – who would later be renamed Molly – to adapt to her new surroundings.

Not only did she have a loving new mamma, she also had two new canine friends: Moo and Maddie!

They’re big white dogs that dwarf little Molly, but they all get along quite well.

The post New Dad Abandons Tiny Pup At Shelter – His Excuse Will Make Your Blood Boil appeared first on Addicting Stories.

She was turned in to the Dallas Animal Services and Adoption Center by her former owners, who said they just didn’t want her anymore.

The pup was blindsided by the move, and the poor thing just couldn’t understand why she’d been abandoned.

She was 3 years old and weighed in at only 6 pounds, so the world is already a pretty scary place for such a small animal.

Then, her owners go and ditch her … is it any wonder Coco was petrified of just about everything?

Shelter workers couldn’t get Coco to stop shaking. She was in a constant state of fear and it just broke everyone’s heart.

Then one day, an elderly gentleman named Allen walked into the shelter with a Meals on Wheels volunteer.

The 90-year-old set eyes on Coco and it was love at first sight … and maybe there was a reason for that.

As it turns out, Allen’s dog had recently died and “he was becoming depressed being all alone,” the shelter wrote on their Facebook page.

But though he loved the pup, how would Coco react? She was terrified of everything, remember?

Well, not Allen!

“It was truly love at first sight.

As soon as we put Coco in his lap, she stopped shaking.”

Dallas Animal Services shelter manager Nicole Hernandez added that Coco “couldn’t take her eyes of him, and he wouldn’t stop smiling at her.”

The shaking was just magically gone! Coco’s fear of people had apparently evaporated in a matter of seconds!

And as for Allen, he knew he just had to bring Coco home.

The shelter said “he didn’t even want to let her go long enough to do the paperwork.”

Isn’t that just the most adorable thing you’ve ever heard? Doesn’t it make your day, as it made ours?

Share this uplifting tale with your animal-loving friends!

Source: NTD.TV

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They had found several puppies dumped on an empty country road. They’d been simply left to die and all were in desperate need of assistance.

Jennifer, being the animal lover she is, raced to the scene and found the puppies had been dumped in a small crate, and then left in a shallow ditch.

The puppies were lost and terrified but one in particular grabbed Jennifer’s attention.

This little guy appeared to be in the worst shape of all and perhaps because of his condition, Jennifer quickly named the tiny tyke Blue.

And for some reason, while the other pups were wandering around without difficulty, little Blue didn’t seem to want to move.

But why?

Well, when Jennifer moved closer, she realized what the problem was … and her heart just tore in two.

The post Poor Hairless Puppy Won’t Budge. Rescuer Peers Closely At Pup’s Body, And Jumps In Alarm appeared first on Addicting Stories.

Not every potential pet is perfect, of course, but some sitting in shelters pose bigger challenges than others. And sadly, few want to take a chance on such poor creatures.

That was the case with an adorable pooch named Ivor.

Ivor had been surrendered 5 times in his short life, and it wasn’t because he was disagreeable or had a bad temper. It didn’t have anything to do with how he looked, either.

No, this young Staffy was indeed beautiful but for some reason, nobody could understand why he wasn’t learning like a normal puppy.

And that’s why poor Ivor just couldn’t find a loving home. He was proving to be too much trouble … but why?

Well, as Natalie Heaton of the RSPCA discovered:

“We suspect people couldn’t cope with him or understand why he wasn’t learning like a normal puppy without realizing that he was in fact deaf.”

Yes, Ivor was almost completely deaf, which of course meant he wouldn’t be able to learn like other dogs.

This would continue to be a hurdle for the rest of his life, so the charity team decided to give Ivor a skill that would make him absolutely irresistible to the right person.

They started to teach Ivor hand signals and amazingly, Ivor turned out to be a very intelligent and attentive pup!

Better yet, it didn’t take long for someone – Ellie Bromilow – to fall in love with Ivor and his very rare ability to recognize a wide variety of hand signals.

https://www.facebook.com/IvorDeafDog/videos/592126501160119/

She adopted Ivor on the spot and brought him home, then continued to work with the eager-to-learn pooch:

“He’d already learned the sign command for ‘sit’ and ‘come’ from staff at the RSPCA centre but now he knows lots more like ‘lie down’, ‘stay’, ‘all gone’ and he’s learning ‘roll over’…

When he gets the sign for ‘walkies’ he gets so excited. We keep him on a long lead and, if he’s looking, he’ll come to you when you raise one hand in the air.”

There are still challenges, of course. For example, Ellie says deaf dogs often become frustrated so they bark a lot. But Ivor’s new owner is patient and loving, and she works past this obstacle.

https://www.facebook.com/IvorDeafDog/videos/587717614934341/

Besides, she revels in Ivor’s other abilities:

“Ivor also has an amazing sense of smell so we use that for games to keep him occupied.

We hide lots of treats around the house for him to find.”

Now Ivor is 10 months old and he has a popular Facebook fan page, too. And you can see why; he’s such an amazing dog!

Source: I Heart Dogs

The post Adorable Pup Can’t Get Adopted, So He Learns A Rare Skill That Makes Him Irresistible appeared first on Addicting Stories.

But what do the four-legged creatures that don’t have a home do when they feel that way?

Thankfully, there are awesome groups like Hope for Paws that do all they can to answer that question.

The group recently got a call about a big old dog that was lingering on the streets of Los Angeles and not doing well, so the team went to check it out.

The volunteers would discover a gentle giant that was sprawled out on the sidewalk.

He was huge but clearly not threatening or hostile at all. In fact, he was just one giant teddy bear!

He didn’t take all that much coaxing to make friends with the rescuers, and they were able to quickly scoop him up and get him to a better spot.

They named their new friend Everest (given his size) and he was given a much-needed bath, a wellness exam, and of course a meal.  

Everest was pretty tuckered out after all of the excitement, and the volunteers were happy to see that he was content enough to rest really well.

They’d really done their jobs to a “T” but even so, the poor dog still seemed down and didn’t really eat as much as he should.

Well, all dogs need a good forever home. And in the end, Everest would have to travel a loooong way to find his.

Everest’s laid-back personality quickly caught the attention of a couple from Oregon.

They had a pair of therapy dogs already, and they believed that Everest would make for an awesome addition to the team.

Could this be the longed-for happiness Everest had always dreamed of…?

He was certainly going to find out because this couple was determined to turn Everest into a healthy, happy pup with a great appetite!

The couple headed down to LA so they could fly back home with their new friend.

And upon arriving back in Oregon, Everest made himself right at home and now fits in quite well with his new family.

Yes, he’s happy, and yes, he eats well. His life is perfect!

Okay, so he had to travel a long ways and wait for a while but in the end, it all turned out wonderfully.

It’s yet another awesome success story from Hope for Paws, too, and we’ll hope there are many more to come.

Source: The Animal Rescue Site

The post Everest Is So Depressed He Can’t Eat, So He Travels 1,000 Miles To Find The Only Cure appeared first on Addicting Stories.

While that can be tough to take, sometimes you eventually realize it was all for the best.

That’s exactly what happened to this adorable pooch named Helena, who was brought to an animal shelter in Atlanta, Georgia for an unfathomable reason.

On the surface, that reason seems downright insane but when you dig a little deeper…

Helena’s former owner had decided that the dog was simply too nice.

Yes, seriously!

But wait, there’s a somewhat logical reason behind it, as LifeLine Animal Project spokesperson Karen Hirsch told Today.

“Yes, she really was returned for being too nice.

It was obvious the gentleman was looking for a guard/protection dog.

He also suggested she be adopted by a woman ‘because they are more into that petting stuff.’“

Bizarre reason for arriving there aside, Helena had zero trouble fitting right into her new surroundings.

She’s incredibly agreeable and easygoing, and she absolutely loves getting attention from folks she quickly forms a bond with.

“She sticks to your side like Velcro,” Hirsch added.

Just look at that incredible smile!

Helena was originally picked up by the shelter as a stray, but the person who adopted her the first time was the one who brought her back.

We’ll hold out hope that she finds a forever home – and a much better fit – before too long.

Based on her awesome personality, we’ll lean towards that happening sooner rather than later!

Wouldn’t you want this lovable pooch to cuddle with on cold nights?

Source: Today

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A Pomeranian-Poodle mix she lovingly called Chloe.

The adorable pup was a gift from Nicole’s grandmother and the second Nicole saw Chloe, she was smitten. Love at first sight!

But four years later, the Grimes family had to make a very big decision.

Nicole’s father’s landed a great job that allowed him to work from home, but this actually posed a few problems.

Firstly, he needed a home office space and secondly, active Chloe did tend to bark quite a bit during the day.

As as result, it became very difficult for Chloe’s dad to get much work done, so the family decided they had to put poor Chloe up for adoption.

Nicole was devastated. It took her a very long time to get over the loss of her beloved friend.

Eight years later, even though time does heal wounds, Nicole often found herself thinking about Chloe.

So, one day, she started perusing Facebook to see if she might stumble upon a cute dog she could adopt. She needed to fill that void in her life.

After a little searching, she found a senior dog that looked strangely familiar…

The dog looked a lot like Nicole’s long-lost friend and in fact, the pooch’s name was Chloe. Could it be…?

Well, even if it wasn’t actually Chloe, Nicole decided she just had to have this elderly dog; perhaps the name was kismet.

Nicole successfully adopted the lovable dog and as time passed, she realized she had to find out if this really was her old friend.

She brought the dog to a vet to check the microchip number so she could be absolutely certain. She waited anxiously for the results…

And lo and behold, the vet emerged and told her that “new” Chloe and “old” Chloe had the exact same microchip number!

It was indeed the very same dog! It was Chloe!

So now, after 8 long years of being separated, the two best friends are back together again, right where they should always be:

By each other’s side.

Talk about an amazing twist of kindly Fate!

Source: Honest to Paws

The post Nicole Adopted A Lonely Senior Dog Before Stumbling On His Incredible, Years Old Secret appeared first on Addicting Stories.

Haley and her boyfriend, Colton, already are pet parents to a 12-week-old puppy named Yams.

They are both crazy about their little fluff ball, but Haley saw an 8-year-old shelter dog named Gary who was available at their local Humane Society.

They explained that Gary was having a tough time finding a home because he was older.

Haley was in love with him, though, but she knew it was going to be a tough sell to Colton.

Haley decided to use an inside joke to try to convince her reluctant beau.

Each time she found a dog that she wanted to look at before they got Yams, she would pretend to give a powerpoint presentation.

Only this time she was doing it for real! “So, I just made this PowerPoint really quick on my phone and sent it to him at work,” she said.

She was really trying to get to him and apparently, she got to him!

Who knew a PowerPoint presentation could work?

So, after the successful pitch, Haley, Colton, and Yams headed to the shelter to meet Gary.

Yams and Gary hit it off immediately!

With Haley and Yams both now in love with Gary, what else could Colton do but say yes?

They filled out the application and currently, they’re just waiting to go pick up Gary and bring him home.

He likely won’t ever find more dedicated parents, either!

Great job, Haley!

Source: I Heart Dogs

The post Haley Finds An Ingenious Way To Persuade Her Boyfriend To Adopt This Special Pup appeared first on Addicting Stories.

But sometimes, there’s heartbreak when the dog has to be given up, even if there’s a good reason.

When Nicole Grimes was 10 years old, she was given a pup named Chloe.

“She was wearing a pink bow when Nana gave her to me. We were best friends,” she said.

When Nicole was 14, her dad got a new job working from home as a customer service agent.

With zero tolerance for background noise, Chloe had to go; she barked a lot and they couldn’t risk her causing him to lose his job.

They tried hard to find Chloe a new home but ended up having to take her to the local animal shelter.

Nicole wasn’t mad at her parents and said she understood but, “I was really sad because I loved the dog,” she said.

Fast forward and Nicole is now 21-years-old, married, with a four-month-old daughter. She’s been thinking of getting a family dog.

Then one day, she saw a Facebook post where a woman was trying to rehome an elderly dog that looked a lot like her childhood pup, Chloe.

“It just reminded me of my old dog. So I decided to take her in,” she said.

This dog’s name was also Chloe…another coincidence?

Nicole took the dog to the vet for a checkup, and they found that she had a microchip, and the information it gave them made Nicole nearly faint.

Could it really be possible?

It WAS her Chloe!

Nicole sums up her feelings, saying:

“I felt like I won the lottery. I never thought I’d see her again.“

Now that’s a reunion story every animal lover can relate to!

Source: Today

The post While Dog Hunting Online, Nicole Finds An Elderly Pooch That Looks Strangely Familiar appeared first on Addicting Stories.

And wouldn’t you also agree that it shouldn’t matter how they look, or what their disabilities might be?

Well, regardless of an animal lovers’ best intentions, it remains true that special needs animals often get the short end of the stick.

For example, consider the case of Keller, an Australian shepherd, who just so happens to be a double merle.

If you’re unaware, double merles have interesting fur; they boast beautiful combinations of black, white, brown and gray.

Poor Keller was on the chopping block once and it had nothing to do with his hair or personality. No, it had to do with the downside of being a double merle:

Such dogs are unfortunately prone to disabilities such as blindness and deafness, and sometimes, they’re born with both debilitating problems.

Keller was one such unlucky pup, as she was born blind and deaf, and the breeder had just planned to shoot her. It was going to be too tough to deal with her.

But one dog lover learned what was about to happen and immediately stepped in.  She just couldn’t let Keller die!

Furthermore, when the new owner started learning more about double merles, she decided to take another very big step:

She started Keller’s Cause, an organization dedicated to changing the world for double merles, “by educating, advocating, and promoting the adoption of special needs dogs.”

Now, Keller is a very happy and active pooch, and she lives with two double merle friends, Calamity and Braille.

And so what if Keller has a few handicaps? She’s still a VERY smart dog!

Keller already knows over 25 different commands, all given by touch and tactile cues. She proves every single day just how amazing she really is.

Just think, not that long ago, Keller was about to die…and all because of one very concerned dog lover, Keller is now alive and healthy.

On top of which, Keller’s plight has likely saved many more double merles thanks to the new foundation she’s named after.

It’s one thing to hear a sad story and just say, “aw, that’s too bad.” It’s quite another to take action and DO something about it.

We applaud Keller’s Cause and hope animal lovers throughout the world will consider adopting special needs dogs like these incredible double merles!

Sources: Animals Being Cute, Keller’s Cause

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