OUR SUCCESS STORIES
It's amazing how some things just happen. Some call it perfect timing. Others call it coincidence. Some believe that a higher power works out the right place at the right time. We call it furever. Please join us in reading stories that have turned hope into reality and suffering into love.
Bandit and Jake
Fall of 2013, Bandit was found wandering the streets. After searching for his people with no luck, OpEd took this boy in. Jake was going through the unimaginable... he had lost his entire family in a matter of months, and when he came to OpEd he was depressed, heartworm positive, and had nightmares. At the same time these boys were taken into rescue, Donna was losing her loving companion, Cookie, to cancer after 14 wonderful years. Although Donna was heartbroken, she decided to foster so she could help save lives in honor of Cookie. Needless to say, these two boys firmly planted themselves in her home, and this is the best kind of "foster fail" ever. In spite of heartbreak bringing them all together, they have all helped each other heal and bring light back into their lives. Bandit spends his days lounging with his toys and bones. Now that Jake is heartworm negative, he is always up for playing ball and soaking up early morning sunshine. Both boys also enjoy their late night couch cuddling, too! Happy Furever Boys!
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Napoleon
Napoleon was rescued along with his 5 siblings, when his Momma was hit by a car. He was 8 weeks old when he entered rescue. Napoleon was the smallest of the litter, and he was also the sweetest. He watched every one of his siblings join their forever families. Nine months Napoleon waited for his forever, and FINALLY his perfect forever family found him! His family was all the way in Pennsylvania and the adoption process took a little longer than local adoptions, and we told Napoleon's new dad that he was worth the wait. After Napoleon had been home a couple of days, we received the picture to the left and this statement: "This guy is just unbelievable......
When you said, "he's worth the wait" it turns out that is the under statement of the year."
When you said, "he's worth the wait" it turns out that is the under statement of the year."
Lucy
The last thing I expected when I decided to stop at PetSmart to look at a fish was to find Lucy.
Right outside, in the cold with sweaters on, were dogs in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Some were
nervous but I could tell all were anxious for attention and love. Looking around and checking the
dogs out with my fiance, Mark, and his 9 year old daughter, Aly, we never even made it inside! We
were very excited to get to see all of the dogs and learn where they came from. It instantly tugged
at our heart strings. Aly fell in love with a little scruffy looking guy. He was hyper and bouncing all
over the place. A perfect companion to any kid!
At the same time, I remember glancing over and seeing a white, scared little dog being held by
one of the volunteers. Instantly, I knew she was ours. She was a little older and not a bouncing puppy.
She looked sad, having had a life of stress we couldn't even imagine. Her rescue story choked us up.
She was found in a cage covered in her own poop, used only for breeding and they had no idea how
many litters. She didn't bark and she was terrified of people. It was so heartbreaking.
A few weeks later we had our home visit that later turned into her adoption. This cute little dog sat scared in her new pink bed and little pink sweater
we had gotten her. We were in love and wanted to spoil her to no end. A few months later she finally started "talking" to us. It was such a relief. We
worried she never would. She began to bond with Mark and followed him everywhere. She even slept right in between us every night. Now, a little over
a year later, I don't have to chase her to pick her up. She let's me know when she needs to go outside. She prefers our bed over her own and she's
even learned tricks for food! She has really came a long way. We are still bonding and even after all this time she is still not the typical dog.
She doesn't chew things up or play with toys. She doesn't fetch and she doesn't always come when you call her. She is still cautious. Years of abuse
by humans have left her this way. It's been hard and even frustrating at times, but when I look across the room when she is sleeping or hear her snoring
in my lap it's worth it. I went to PetSmart that day not planning on bringing home anything... but I found furever with Lucy.
~Jessica Stinson & Family
Right outside, in the cold with sweaters on, were dogs in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Some were
nervous but I could tell all were anxious for attention and love. Looking around and checking the
dogs out with my fiance, Mark, and his 9 year old daughter, Aly, we never even made it inside! We
were very excited to get to see all of the dogs and learn where they came from. It instantly tugged
at our heart strings. Aly fell in love with a little scruffy looking guy. He was hyper and bouncing all
over the place. A perfect companion to any kid!
At the same time, I remember glancing over and seeing a white, scared little dog being held by
one of the volunteers. Instantly, I knew she was ours. She was a little older and not a bouncing puppy.
She looked sad, having had a life of stress we couldn't even imagine. Her rescue story choked us up.
She was found in a cage covered in her own poop, used only for breeding and they had no idea how
many litters. She didn't bark and she was terrified of people. It was so heartbreaking.
A few weeks later we had our home visit that later turned into her adoption. This cute little dog sat scared in her new pink bed and little pink sweater
we had gotten her. We were in love and wanted to spoil her to no end. A few months later she finally started "talking" to us. It was such a relief. We
worried she never would. She began to bond with Mark and followed him everywhere. She even slept right in between us every night. Now, a little over
a year later, I don't have to chase her to pick her up. She let's me know when she needs to go outside. She prefers our bed over her own and she's
even learned tricks for food! She has really came a long way. We are still bonding and even after all this time she is still not the typical dog.
She doesn't chew things up or play with toys. She doesn't fetch and she doesn't always come when you call her. She is still cautious. Years of abuse
by humans have left her this way. It's been hard and even frustrating at times, but when I look across the room when she is sleeping or hear her snoring
in my lap it's worth it. I went to PetSmart that day not planning on bringing home anything... but I found furever with Lucy.
~Jessica Stinson & Family
Baby Bolt
A friend of mine had told me about Operation Education on Facebook. Every now and then
I would check their page to see their animals and see what they were doing. One particular day
I saw a picture of the cutest puppy with these ginormous fuzzy ears and piercing blue eyes.
He caught my attention right away. What I didn't know was that his leg had been broken.
I started following him. I learned quickly that he was in an accident that crushed his leg and
that Operation Education raised the money to have his surgery. Within a few days I watched
a video of him taking his first few steps in his cast. I was speechless. His little tail was wagging
like crazy and he seemed so happy. It was so inspirational to see such a joyful little spirit.
All of my complaints that day seemed so small compared to something so big.
To be quite honest... I wanted to have the same attitude on life this puppy had. I truly did.
Over the course of the next couple of days, I noticed a post where he had broken his leg again. Apparently the leg was crushed so badly that it just couldn't
be saved so they would have to amputate it. Operation Education raised the money to do this. I sat anxiously waiting to see how the little guy was doing.
The next post that came was one stating that he had died on the operating table not once, but twice, and that the entire team was crying and hoping he
could just hold on....and he did. I think that was the moment he stole my heart. I knew Bolt had a purpose. I emailed OpEd right away to ask them if I could be Bolt's foster parent. We had two dogs and two cats and I wasn't sure how things would go but I wanted to try. I wanted to be a part of this little guy making an impact on his world.
The night Tiffany brought him to our house we were in awe of him. He clearly had no problems missing his back leg. He had plenty of energy and was truly 100% puppy! I found myself trying to "baby" him a lot that night and he showed me that he could do it. That he could manage and it was almost like he wanted
to know what I was fussing about. He was fine! He wasted no time finding our toy basket and he made himself right at home.
The following weekend we went to our first meet and greet as a foster parents. I was telling everyone his story and each time I told the story I felt myself holding him tighter. At the second meet and greet I realized he’s ours. I emailed Tiffany and said, “We want Baby Bolt to be a part of our family.”
We love him so very much. Each day he makes us laugh and each day he reminds us that if he can overcome such huge obstacles… so can we. When he first became ours I would watch his every move to make sure he didn’t get hurt. Now I sit back and watch his strength and determination to overcome his challenges. Words just can’t explain how awesome that is.
We are so blessed to be a part of his life and we are so thankful for the opportunity.