They all have a story to tell

When you walk down the isles of any rescue, the faces which look back at you are hopeful. You see, these dogs and cats who are looking at you from behind caged walls all have a story to tell.

You probably didn't see them on the news. They were probably not part of a huge cruelty case. They weren't born in a puppy mill and no one wrote their life story.

Whenever a news story breaks on an animal confiscation, for whatever reason, it seems people are lining up at the doors to adopt these animals. Poor, poor animals. The stories are broadcast all over the area and are sometimes picked up on the national news wires and then everyone in the country is calling to adopt these famous animals.

In the meantime, hundreds of animals sit in cages, day after day, waiting for someone to care about their story and they all have a story. Sometimes we don't know what their story is, but homeless should just about cover it. They come in as strays and then their story is in their condition. How skinny are they? Were they microchipped? Where were they picked up at? The only thing which changes are the animals. We can observe them for several days to see what their temperament is and if they like other dogs and cats. We can only observe them and then note what we have observed. We have no history until they came through our doors.

Then there are the owner surrenders. I won't go in to the reasons because to me, they are all excuses. When this happens we do have some history and their story. It is the reason I am so attracted to senior pets. In my mind, these seniors have given over half of their life to a human, who in most cases, turned around and dumped the animal in a rescue because they didn't want to deal with it any longer.

Satchel's Last Resort has the luxury of being a sanctuary. By being a sanctuary, a dog or cat who comes to us will not be euthanized. As a sanctuary, if we need extra time to find an animal a home, we can take it. Unfortunately, the stories on some of our animals never gets heard. People know they can continue to live with us and are in no danger of being euthanized.

This is so sad, especially for our seniors. So let me tell you some stories.

Molly came to us because of the economy. She is around 8 years old and is as sweet as sugar. All she wants is love. She doesn't know where her family went or why she is in a cage. She is crate trained and housebroken.

Meet Zorro. He is a perfect dog. His Dad had a stroke and cannot care for him any longer. He loves us but has a confused look on his face. He is a beautiful, brindle plot hound mix who is about 8 years old. He is crate trained and housebroken and all he knows is his life as he has always known it doesn't exist any longer.

So you need some little guys? What about these two little bonded chihuahuas? Ashton and Clark were dumped out at guess where? Ashton and Clark Road where a volunteer saw them and helped rescue them. Ashton is 9-10 years old and Clark is 11. They are tiny and scared. They are cat friendly and must be adopted together because they are so bonded. They would do well in a calm and quiet household but children and hectic would be too extreme for them in their senior years.

Need a medium-sized dog? Meet Rosco, a Beagle/Rottweiler mix. The only thing which looks rottweiler on this dog is his color. He is 11 and doesn't do well with children so would do best in an adult only home. He played with others when he was young but hasn't been socialized and takes a while to warm up with dogs and cats. He is protective of his humans and although he is 11, doesn't show any signs of slowing down. He loves to walk or snuggle, whichever you prefer and is used to being alone in the house all day by himself.

So you see, stories abound in shelters. You just have to ask. If any of these stories touched you or you know of anyone who might be interested in taking one of these fabulous dogs home, even though they never made headlines, please contact Satchel's Last Resort at comments@satchelslastresort.com or call 941-924-5070.