How sweet it is to see two little souls rescued from the Baldwin Park shelter doing so well together. Enjoy the description from their new parent below.

“Petie (the one on the left in the photo) and Lucy are best of friends. They are about one year apart in age and were adopted in Los Angeles and traveled to Sacramento to their forever home to live with me and my husband Joe. When we first got them, they were very skinny, had dull coats and had lost a lot of hair not to mention the fact that Petie was suffering from a very painful broken tooth when we adopted him.

We can’t imagine anyone finding two more happy, smart, funny and truly appreciative dogs. They have learned so much in the last year. Petie is all business and Lucy is the center of attention and the life of the party. Both dogs are very affectionate and good listeners and really know how to strut their stuff when we all go on walks through the neighborhood. We just don’t know what life would be like without our angels.”

Phoebe had a tough life. She found her way to the South LA shelter having been previously bred and neglected. She was impounded with an embedded collar that had to be surgically removed. Fortunately for this sweet 2 year old pug terrier mix, the wonderful Tamika of the South LA shelter acted as her guardian angel and selected her for the Univision network weekly dog of the week program. She was discovered by AAA and rescued the following day. Phoebe’s foster parents fell in love with her just after one night and the rest is history. Enjoy this video of a wonderful dog that escaped the grip of death and is now living the life that all homeless pets deserve.

Thanks to the tireless work of many caring people who did not give up on networking Teddy, this sweet boy now has a wonderful home to call his very own. Networking through email, facebook, twitter and any means possible works and Teddy is living proof of that. He was scheduled to be killed today and instead he will be sleeping in his own comfortable bed surrounded by two loving people that will provide him with the life he always deserved. Hopefully one day all homeless pets will have a similar opportunity. Watch the video below to see Teddy in his new home and hear the words of his new guardians. Thank you Carey and John!

Our sweet happy girl Sandwich (cute enough to eat) has found the perfect home! Her foster mom and AAA volunteer Emily was sad to see her go but we all know that she will fill her new home with nothing but happiness. The following was emailed to us by Sandwich’s new mom.

“It was a rainy Sunday when we drove 1 hour to see Emily and to meet a 7 year old chihuahua named “Sandwich.” We had waited a week in anticipation of meeting this bundle of joy! She instantly warmed up to my husband and I and we immediately knew she was what we were looking for. Since then Sandwich has become one of the family, she plays with our other two dogs, cuddles with them and loves to sleep in our bed. She constantly wags her tail and follows us all over our house-she is the happiest dog we know. We will always be grateful to Emily for saving Sandwich and giving her a second chance. Sandwich now has a new life and we do too!”

Pets for Vets is helping our Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom veterans transition back to civilian life by bringing together a homeless pet and our returning soldiers while showing both that we have not forgotten them. Through our partnership with Pets for Vets, AAA has been identifying great shelter dogs for placement in this amazing program. Spyder, a Mexican hairless dog, is one such dog. CBS produced and nationally aired the story of how Spyder was recently placed with United States Army veteran Specialist Leif Meisinger. Leif suffers from post traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and many other physical and emotional injuries from his tour in Iraq. He is optimistic that Spyder will help keep his mind off of the horrors he had to endure, help him manage his anger and provide him something positive to focus on throughout the day.

Watch the CBS story below by clicking HERE!

We are beyond thrilled to announce that Dodger, a AAA favorite, has been adopted by an amazing angel. Louis volunteered to foster Dodger and within one day decided that his home would be Dodger’s for life. Please take a few minutes and treat yourself to one of the most amazing success stories by reading Louis’ heart felt BLOG POST about Dodger. We can’t thank you enough Louis for seeing Dodger with your heart and accepting him into your life with open arms.

In the words of the amazing person who rescued Simone almost a year ago:

“I doubt you remember us from last May (“Nuts for Mutts”), but I thought you might still appreciate an update on one of your protégés you named Simone, a 3 yr-old  black Chihuahua, that no one wanted to adopt.  She was afraid of everything and everyone, afraid to even bark, and didn’t even know what a toy was for.  She would hide if the doorbell rang.  She could only identify with my 14 lb. mixed terrier then.

Well, that was 8 months ago and she has become a real dog!  (Her name is Goodall after the primatologist Jane Goodall now.)  She is a wonderful watch dog, extremely affectionate and playful; housebroken; and I can’t even get her to bite even if I play roughhouse with her.  She is not afraid of any dog or cat in the neighborhood and is beginning to warm up to petting by visitors.  I can pull her tail, play with her feet, rub her tummy, and stick my fingers in her mouth to check her teeth.  She adores the terrier but gets a little bossy with him tho they have never had a real argument.  She is still leery of being picked up but otherwise is a total Velcro dog.  I cannot sit down without her wanting to be in my lap.

I know you and your group work diligently to save and place these lost animals.  This is my way of applauding you for a job well done and to offer you a follow-up success story.

We wish you many more success stories with happy endings in this coming year!”

Another one of the many forgotten souls at the Baldwin Park shelter and on his way to being euthanized, Bruno (now Tosh) was rescued by a AAA volunteer and matched with a wonderful family who loves him so very much. Just read their own words below:

“Tosh has been nothing but a complete joy for my daughter and myself, since he has come into our lives….. He is a well-behaved rottie, with the temperament of a sweet baby bear, except when he’s in “protection mode”, which only happens when someone he’s never met before comes into the household without knocking…..just the way we want him!
I live in a rural part of San Diego, and my daughter lives in Manhattan Beach.  Tosh travels back and forth, and is mostly with her in L.A., but comes for “short vacations to his countryside home”, when her schedule gets a little hectic, and is staying with us now for about 2 weeks.  When he’s here, we hike with him off leash about 3 miles a day, with our other two dogs, which keeps him happy and content.  When he’s in L.A., he knows he has the job of being my daughter’s protector, and friend, and I feel so much better knowing he is living with her.  She takes him on walks 3 times a day, along with lots of car rides, which he loves! There really isn’t anywhere he can go in that area off leash, but he seems happy and proud just to be casually walking by her side. He’s a very low-maintenance dog, who loves just laying around, wherever we are……. getting Tosh is one of the best choices my daughter has ever made……he’s the perfect dog for us!”

Have a great life and make us proud Tosh!

Selena was a completely forgotten soul at the shelter and it took two angels to save her life. A volunteer who took it upon herself to bring this sweet and yet forgotten creature out of her cold and lonely kennel during our volunteer day at the shelter so that she could be photographed and networked and the angel who saw her plea for help and rescued her directly from the shelter. The following is a description from the second angel.

“Thank you all for your work and saving these animals. I originally e-mailed you all regarding “Phyllis” the lab two weeks back. When I went to the shelter, I also noticed “Selena.”  She was timid, young, but I could tell–deserving if given a chance. I watched her on dogsindanger.com and noted her “review date” had come up. When we called the morning of 1/06–there was no interest, and following my intuition I BEGGED my mother, to drive out from Irvine and save her for us. These are her photos—one while at the shelter and a few recent pictures.  She was 25 lbs a week ago–and had PNEUMONIA. We got her on doxycycline and she has gained 5 lbs in ONE WEEK.  She was not being treated for anything when my mom arrived to save her. We love her and she fits in very well with our other 6 month old puppy. Both he, and her, are healthy. They both go back to the vet on Saturday. Just wanted to send you some positive feedback, that you make a difference with your work.  When I first turned Tilly out Wednesday PM in the backyard grass, she LEAPT like a bunny rabbit–so much so, that I almost called her “Bunny”.  I have NEVER seen a dog leap and bound with such glee….and that she did with pneumonia.  Made my heart glad!”

Simply amazing

Marbles (now Lucky) was rescued from the East Valley Shelter with not even minutes to spare. An Animal Advocates Alliance volunteer made it to the shelter to rescue this wonderful boy when the shelter was about to kill him. What followed can best be summarized by the adoptive families words that follow:

“My mom is super grateful for Lucky.  I was at my parent’s house all last week  (Lucky is still there) and my mom was saying that she really wished she could somehow let the family who probably gave him up know that he has landed himself in an ideal situation where he is loved by everyone he comes in contact with.  He has a new sister Lola, a little 12 pound Havanese, he has a long distance brother, my little Keyser, and another friend Lucy, all of whom he sees frequently (living with either Keyser or Lola).  He has tons of furniture to lounge on, including a warm bed with my mom and dad every night.  He has probably more snacks than he would ever need.  Oh, and he has put on 12 pounds since I got him and is now a very healthy and fit 66 pounds.  The vet said he’s in great condition and really fit.  He has a huge back yard where he can run around like a maniac, although I think he prefers sunbathing to running unless he’s patrolling the grounds with Keyser.  Most importantly, he has two proud parents who love him, I love him as though he is my own, and my niece loves him like he is hers.  She loves to lay on him and play with him and he is so gentle and loving with her in return.  Although I know we can’t tell his owner that he is in a great situation, I am hoping that you can pass this on to the lady who rushed to get him out of the shelter that Monday when you and I couldn’t.  I am eternally grateful for her.  I just want her to know how appreciated she is and what her kind act has led to.”

Have a great life Lucky and hope it’s filled with as much sunbathing as you want!