rescue

Most people, when going to adopt a pet, tend to go for the little ones- the baby kittens and puppies who they'll get to raise into their families. And of course, while every adoption and every rescue is to be celebrated, it's important to remember to adopt senior and sick pets too. And sometimes, it happens that this understanding comes to you as you're already in the shelter, about to pick up your tiny new baby, and then an older one-eyes cat looks at you, and finds its way right into your soul.

A tweet sharing a story like that went viral, and other twitter users with similar stories chimed in, sharing their own stories of last minute changes to adoption plans- ones that ended with them picking up the less fortunate animals and giving them a warm home too. 

So, bring in the tissues and let your heart warm with joy. 

From hardship on the street to a loving forever home, the story of a cat named Floyd Mayweather is one that you'll need tissues for. He's a fighter, a blind senior feral cat who was 10-12 years old when he was found on the street crying, but now, he doesn't need to fight anymore. Today, he's best friends with another cat in an amazing, loving forever home with an owner that he loves. And though his story brings tears to our eyes, we are so happy to hear that he's better now.

Read more about his story below, and don't forget the tissues. 

Story via: TODAY

"Our Deputies are out there to keep the public safe. That also includes our furry family as well," tells sheriff Bartlett to NEWS 10 after rescuing a dog that feel through thin ice into the water, and we are so, so thankful that they came to rescue the pooch as fast as they did.

This could have ended up as any pet owner's worst nightmare, but luckily, this story has a happy ending. In the recent weeks, officials in the area have been warning the residents about the dangers of thin ice, and sadly, we found out that it's not just us humans who are at risk of falling through it. Shortly before noon on Friday, in Ancram, N.Y., the police got a call about a dog who fell through the ice. 

As NEWS 10 reports, Sergeant Heath Benansky, who is also a dog handler, was the first officer on the scene and successfully managed to get to the scared pup using a paddle board. He along with Deputy Torchia rescued the dog.  

"I am very happy to have such a well trained ice rescue team that was able to deploy so quickly. Had they not gotten there so fast, there could have been a much sadder outcome," said sheriff Bartlett.

The pooch was later identified as "Andy" and was returned safely to shore, and after finding Andy's owner through social media, she was returned to her owner as well. 

This is a lesson for all of us to learn to be more careful with our precious little pets, and thankfully, this lesson was learned with no permanent harm caused. It's the kind of happy ending story that we love to read about, and for more of those, read about an owl with three gunshot wounds getting released back into the wild. 

Ducks are so cute! And as one commenter pointed out, they're lucky they're so cute because they poop everywhere. All the time. 

However, that's not really relevant to this story. Imgur user, sneakybeaver154, has recently shared a post with the community that his fiancée saved a duck! And even includes so images of the saved duck. Of course, it went viral because who wouldn't love to see a rescued duck? Or any animal for that matter. 

It's a fact that we humans love rescue stories and if it's a rescue story that involves an animal? Man, that's the jackpot. Happy to say that a majority of people love animals just as much as we do! If you recently rescued an animal, whether it be from the streets or shelter, share your story with us on 'I Can Has Cheezburger's,' newest Facebook page, 'ICanHas Storytime.' A community for people to share their animals and the stories behind them! 

Commentary for this rescue story is provided by Imgur user sneakybeaver154:

A great horned owl was found shot near Santa Paula during November of last year, and a few days ago, it was finally healed enough to be released back into the wild where it belongs. 

As reported by VC Star, getting the owl the help that it needed after such a tragic discovery was a team effort. Sergio Gutierrez, a Santa Paula Police Officer, corralled the owl. Following that, Nikki Ruhl, a veterinary technician with the Santa Paula Animal Rescue Center (SPARC), gathered up the injured bird. Ruhl then brought the owl to the Ojai Raptor Center for specialized care. Once there, a staff veterinarian, Dr. Stephany Lewis, discovered that the bird had three pellets inside it: one in her chest, the other in her leg, and the third having broken the ulna bone in her wing. On top of that, the pellets left the owl suffering from led poisoning.

The treatment for this injury was not an easy one. "After treatment in the raptor center's intensive care unit, the adult owl moved to an outdoor enclosure where she had several weeks of flight time in a large aviary," write VC Star. A senior staff member at the center said she had never seen an owl with a gunshot wound. It is more likely to see shot hawks and vultures since they are active during the day, but great horned owls prefer hunting at twilight. 

The owl weighed less than 3 pounds and was fully grown - at least three years old, though it's impossible to tell her age beyond that. Jaclyn DeSantis, senior staff member at the center, about returning the owl back into the wild, said: "She should be breeding right now. She should be at a nest."

The owl traveled with DeSantis in a bright blue cat carrier to the release site, and patiently waited outside the Ojai Raptor Center's van. They made sure to release the owl at dusk, when she would be protected from attacks by crows or ravens. You can see pictures of the owl as she was taken out of her cage, looking around and taking in her environment before finally taking off and disappearing in the trees.

We want to thank all the hard work done by everyone involved in this owl's story, you're doing an incredible job. For more stories of owls being released into the wild, click right here. 

Happy Friday, beautiful readers! And welcome back to one of our original (and favorite) weekly segments -- the newly adopted faces of the week! There's truly nothing more heartwarming than seeing these lovely animals find their forever loving home! It simply makes our hearts burst all over the floor, and we have no intention of cleaning it up. 

We would like to take a moment to thank all those who have recently adopted, all those who have adopted in the past, and those who will adopt in the future. These animals have a loving home, thanks to you. And a huge, mega heartfelt thank you to all those who have adopted a senior animal or an animal that may require a bit more tender love and care. You are, as always, our forever heroes. 

If you recently adopted a pet share an image with us in the comments below or send us a DM on Facebook to be featured on next week's list! You can also share your adoption of I Can Has Cheezburger's new Facebook community group, 'ICanHas Storytime,' a place where everyone can share their newly adopted pet with the entire community! 

Join us in spreading the love! 

It may be the best thing to come out of 2020! The animal shelters in the Washington area are experiencing a rare and unique occurrence... the amount of dogs available for adoption is increasingly limited! Thanks to the mess of 2020 and everyone pretty much forced to stay at home for a majority of the year, people turned to adoption as a source of comfort and meaning. 

Cindy Sharpley, founder, and director of Last Chance Animal Rescue, a nonprofit animal shelter in Waldorf, had this to say about the rare phenomenon, "We thought people would stop adopting because they would need to conserve their money, but that hasn't happened. It's been just the opposite. They're going like hotcakes. We can hardly keep them in stock."

Another animal shelter, Lucky Dog Animal Rescue in Arlington said it's expecting to end 2020 by helping around 3,385 pets find their forever home! The year prior, they were about to help about 1,800 find homes. Shelter Animals Count, which runs a database and is able to track all the shelter and rescue activities reported that 26,000 more pet adoptions in 2020 than the year before. This number comes from about 500 rescue organizations across the country.

There has been such a demand for animals, that shelters across the country simply do not have enough animals to keep up with this increasing demand.

Mirah Horowitz, executive director of Lucky Dog, had to make some changes to keep up with the demand, and that meant moving the operation online! Horowitz told Washington Post, "Anyone who felt like, 'I can't adopt an animal because I'm at work all day' is now finding they're at home. People want a pet for companionship and to give kids a sense of responsibility and a playmate."

Here are a few people who adopted during these uncertain times and their new forever soulmates:

Story via Washington Post

Cats, cats, cats. We can look at photos of cats all day long! Some photos are simply hilarious, so funny that you can see the picture quickly becoming a viral meme template. Some cat images are breathtaking. Some cat images will make your heart burst due to cuteness alone. And some cat images tell a story, a story of love, a story of survival, a story of kindness, or a story of mourning and loss. 

Each cat photo is utterly precious to us and we're here to honor them all and share their story! Speaking of sharing stories, if you have a pet and wish to share their story, be sure to check out our newest Facebook group, 'ICanHas Storytime,' a community of animal lovers sharing their stories. 

We would also like to take a moment and think of those who have recently crossed the rainbow bridge. To those who have recently lost a pet, our hearts are with you. They may be gone but never forgotten. 

About a month ago, Atlantic Veterinary College staff found an emaciated and dehydrated snowy owl near Souris, P.E.I. and rescued it. Finally, after a month in capable hands, the beautiful bird was released back into the wild. 

As reported by CBC news, an intern with the Atlantic Veterinary College Wildlife Service, Dr. Hugo Gonzalez, said that it was "amazing" for the students and staff to see the owl fly off back into the wild. And we have to agree, seeing a wild bird released back to where it's supposed to be is always a beautiful thing. 

"To be able to see a patient who came with severe emaciation, not even able to properly move or eat, up to the point where you can see that the full recovery process has been successful and just have that moment to see her properly [fly], it's definitely an amazing moment for you," Dr. Gonzalez added. 

He also reminds people that if they ever see a snowy owl in the wild, it's important to only admire it from a distance. If you come across a bird in distress, contact local officials.

Read another beautiful story about an owl getting released back into the wild right here.

This is not your common 'cat in a tree' rescue story, let's start with that. 

What was going to be a tense and chilling heroic story of firefighters coming to the rescue of a helpless kitten, hoping for a happy ending, turned into a documentation of the bravest kitten in the world. This little kitten had eeeeeverything under control. Just as our heroic firefighter reached out and almost managed to pick the kitten up, the fierce kitten decided "to heck with it" and jumped down on its own... then immediately climbed up another tree. 

Check out the picture by picture documentation of this fascinating tale below.

Story via: york daily record

Oh, thank goodness! This ceiling cat must have been blessed by the ceiling cat itself to have made it through this traumatic situation! For those who have cats, you can imagine that flying with them would be one of the most stressful situations imaginable. Not just for the cats, but for us as well. And as their owners, we can't help but share their stress and pain. 

When Taylor Le was preparing to move across the country, from New York to Orange County, California, she of course was going to fly with her 6-year-old cat, Muji. The flight was scheduled to fly on Christmas Eve. As Taylor Le went through the security checkpoint at La Guardia Airport, the TSA agents had her remove Muji from her carrier. Taylor Le tried to persuade the agents otherwise, knowing that if Muji was outside her carrier, she would be liking to flee. Regardless of Taylor Le's protests, Muji was removed from her carrier, panicked, and fleed. 

Le told The Post about the pending cat-astrophe, "I said, 'She's gonna run. Do I have to take her out?' We walked through the metal detector and she got spooked, bit me, freaked out, and ran off." They told her yes.

The flee led her owner, and airport staff, on a wild goose chase that ended when Muji climbed up a series of platforms to a ceiling enclosure and then vanished within them. In the following days, the airport staff tried to lure out Muji with cans of tuna, and Taylor Le changed her flight for the following day, in hopes of finding Muji in time, but she didn't and boarded the flight to Orange County, completely distraught. 

The story of Dobby the doggo is one that'll really make you feel like the year started off the right way. It showcases how every animal, no matter where and in what condition, deserves care and love and how important working as a team is. It took a lot of people to help Dobby, but it was more than worth it in the end. 

From being malnourished and sick into a forever home with an amazing NASA pilot dad who we know will do anything for her, Dobby is now a a happy pupper, and we are happy for her as well as incredibly thankful to everyone who helped her along the way.

Read her story and go through the rollercoaster that it is, and for more heartwarming dog stories, read about a dog who was mistreated for barking learning to bork again.

It's the first Friday of the New Year and we're thrilled to see so many beautiful newly adopted faces! Welcome back, readers, to our original weekly segment where we bring you all the newly adopted faces we come across throughout the week! 

We would like to take a moment to thank all those who have adopted recently, all those who have adopted in the past, and everyone who will adopt in the future. Thank you for providing loving and warm homes for these beautiful animals. And a special heartfelt thank you to those who adopt a senior pet or a pet who may be in need of some extra tender love and care. You are our forever heroes, thank you.

If you recently adopted a pet share an image with us in the comments below or send us a DM on Facebook to be featured on next week's list! You can also share your adoption of I Can Has Cheezburger's new Facebook community group, 'ICanHas Storytime,' a place where everyone can share their newly adopted pet with the entire community! Join us in spreading the love!