Do You Rescue Animals?

[LBejaran]

Rescuing Animals: Any and All

Hello, all! I'm an animal-lover, hence why I took to poultry like my ducks took to water.

However, most of my experience with animals (before I got into backyard poultry) was through working at the animal shelter and picking up animals on the side of the road. My Grandma used to rescue birds, Mom used to rescue birds, and my siblings and I would rescue...well, anything, haha!

I respect most people who rescue animals (this does not include animal hoarders who "rescue" animals; there is nothing noble about taking an animal from a bad situation and putting it into a worse one). It takes a lot of patience, passion, know-how and a bit of luck to take an animal from their first day of life (or their worst state of life) to a healthy, well-adapted creature. I'm well are that I'm pretty good with certain animals and not-so-great with others. Here are a few of the pets that I've rescued over the past year.


This here is Petey. I hand-fed-and-raised her from when she was just about a week old. A friend of the family brought Petey and her brother over to me. Unfortunately, her brother hopped out of their warm, makeshift nest and nestled into a very cold crawlspace where he got sick. He didn't make it. Petey, however, seems to have really taken to living indoors. It isn't what I would have wanted, but dove rehabilitation in the area is practically nonexistent. Nowadays, Petey flies around the living room, perching up by the arch window and watches the lizards. When I coo, she'll fly over to my shoulder and take a nap.


This here is Gunther and Kiki! They were kittens found at Lowe's when they were 1 day old. We bottle fed them and ensured that they were healthy, but unfortunately, Kiki (the gray kitten) got an infection. We couldn't quite figure out what it was, but she was weak for couple days before she passed. I found it kind of odd, though, considering Gunther (the black and white kitten) was actually much weaker than Kiki was, that today, he is quite a healthy kitty. Now he plays with his new best friend, Feral Kitty!


Gunther (to the left) was enjoying his first solid meal the day that we were given Feral Kitty (right), also known as Bandit/Feral/Fifi (if you couldn't tell, we're not very good at coming up with names). Feral was found outside Lowe's where she had been surviving off bugs and a few stray mice. She's not very sociable, but she has grown very fond of Gunther. Recently, she has trusted me enough to hop on the bed with Gunther and I to sleep. They sometimes start little wars on my back when they don't feel like taking a nap, but it's all in good fun. It took her weeks to grow accustomed to me and it was well worth the wait.

We've rescued other animals (one of our little rat dog mutts came to live with us after she was picked up off the street. She was malnourished and had been beaten at one point, I'm sure. She's terrified of brooms.) but these are some we've rescued this year. I think we've been blessed with the time and money to spend caring for these animals and giving them a second chance. Shelters are always overrun with animals and rehabilitation centers don't have enough funds to save every animal, so I find it really admirable when others take the time to help animals.

What animals have you rescued? Are you interested in rescuing animals? Whether you rescue battery hens, dogs, cats, rare fowl, exotic animals, etc., please post your experiences! Pictures are welcome, as well!

 

[Nutcase]

I admire all who rescue and care for animals. A lot of the respect for them has been lost over the years. If I had the time and room I would most certainly be doing what you do but since I don't most of my work is with small wildlife. Our neighbourhood has a high population of doves and it is relatively common to find an injured one. I regularly free them from netting or sharp wire, and the little things go into little fits because of their wounds, so I keep them in a carrier with food and water until they're better.
I just gotta say, Petey is the cutest thing!!!

 

[LBejaran]

I admire all who rescue and care for animals. A lot of the respect for them has been lost over the years. If I had the time and room I would most certainly be doing what you do but since I don't most of my work is with small wildlife. Our neighbourhood has a high population of doves and it is relatively common to find an injured one. I regularly free them from netting or sharp wire, and the little things go into little fits because of their wounds, so I keep them in a carrier with food and water until they're better.
I just gotta say, Petey is the cutest thing!!!

I don't meet many people who help rehabilitate animals other than my siblings and a cousin of mine. To me, it just makes sense to try and help out whenever I can. I have some family members who tell me to just let nature run its course, but if we can make a little difference to this animal, I think we should do it.

Don't belittle your efforts! It's wonderful that you spend what time you can helping your neighborhood doves. We used to have doves get trapped in our coop, so we'd have to capture them and release them again before our rat dog, Kimchi, could snatch them up. She killed about four before we could catch them, unfortunately. Doves are so beautiful, but they get so panicked once any big of danger comes upon them. I released one only for it to fly straight through the fence. A bunch of feathers just exploded off of it and it landed in the neighbor's yard. Thankfully, it calmed down and finally flew away, but that was terrifying for me, haha!

Yup, Petey is just a little puffball, heehee! She's got a lot of spunk and whenever I get too close, she'll stare me down. She always looks really unimpressed with me.

 

[Nutcase]

If I ever came across an injured dove chick I'd probably keep it, but all the doves I rescue are adults. There are a lot of masked lapwings (they're like plovers) breeding in our area, and the stupid birds lay their eggs next to the road. I can't help but keep an eye on the chicks' safety because the parents are always taking them onto the road. A lot just vanish, the chicks are so tiny that only about 1 out of 3 in a clutch make it to adulthood, sadly... A thirsty little kitten came to our door a few months back and we fed it, but despite its irresistible cuteness we couldn't keep it because it had a collar, and when we contacted the owners they wanted it. It seems to like us better though, as it keeps coming back regularly for cuddles and treats. Unfortunately she got a bit too curious for her own good, and after she starting stalking my hen (my favourite hen, mind you

), we had to drive lil Ginger away. Besides she had already chased our free-range rabbits around, much to their disgust.

 

[LBejaran]

If I ever came across an injured dove chick I'd probably keep it, but all the doves I rescue are adults. There are a lot of masked lapwings (they're like plovers) breeding in our area, and the stupid birds lay their eggs next to the road. I can't help but keep an eye on the chicks' safety because the parents are always taking them onto the road. A lot just vanish, the chicks are so tiny that only about 1 out of 3 in a clutch make it to adulthood, sadly... A thirsty little kitten came to our door a few months back and we fed it, but despite its irresistible cuteness we couldn't keep it because it had a collar, and when we contacted the owners they wanted it. It seems to like us better though, as it keeps coming back regularly for cuddles and treats. Unfortunately she got a bit too curious for her own good, and after she starting stalking my hen (my favourite hen, mind you

), we had to drive lil Ginger away. Besides she had already chased our free-range rabbits around, much to their disgust.

I wish I came across more dove adults than babies. I really feel disappointed when I can't send a bird back to the wild. There was a time when Petey caught the attention of a male dove that was hanging outside our window. They shared a little romantic birdy gaze and then the male splayed his wings for her. She cooed back and tried to get to him, but he eventually flew away when she didn't come to him. I'd never felt so guilty for saving her. Those are the times when you feel really bad for rescuing birds that maybe were going to die.

There's a fat little basset hound that comes to our house sometimes. He'll stand in the yard and when someone comes out, he'll wait for them to give him water. The first time I saw him, I was so worried because his collar said he was from about a mile away. I called the number and the woman just said, "Oh, it's fine. He always comes back."

You just know that the owners don't care that much when they say their fat dog will eventually come back. Part of me just wanted to kidnap him, haha!

I taught my rescued kitties to fear the chickens. I put them next to my calmest broody hen and they were absolutely terrified with how angry she got when they got too close. Now, they don't touch the birds, they don't look at the birds, they don't want to eat the birds. As far as they are concerned, the birds are dangerous creatures that roam the yard without a care. The negative, however, is that the cats don't walk around very much when they are outside, haha! The chickens follow me around, so the cats have to be away from me to be comfortable to walk around. Oops!

 

[Nutcase]

Haha that's funny! I'm going to remember the broody hen idea for when we get a couple of kittens. I understand you feeling guilty about Petey. A lot of people say to let nature take its course, but sometimes it's better to help nature instead. I mean if a starving eagle swooped down on a cute little mouse I'd let things alone, because that's different. But sometimes animals need help too just like people, you know?

I remember when I was a little kid our neighbor had a cocker spaniel who visited us regularly and his owner couldn't care less. He was cute - the dog, that is - but it's a bit frustrating when people let their pets roam free. 8 years ago my view was reinforced, very sadly. We had a large family of pet rabbits living in our backyard but one day a large dog came in and ate the babies, leaving the parents dead in the hutch. Only 2 kits survived the ordeal and one was always vicious and traumatized as she got older. Keep your dogs in your yard, people!

Oops...look I'm turning your thread into my animal experiences story....

 

[LBejaran]

Oh no, continue! I love animal stories because they confirm that I'm not the only person who has a miniature zoo in their backyard, haha!

I have learned my lesson about letting dogs free to roam throughout the neighborhood. We have Rosie, our rescued dog that we found on the street, and she used to love to wander around the neighborhood. We had her in a fenced yard and would cover any holes as we found them, but she'd always find a way out. Well, one day, she found her way into our neighbor's yard where they have a huge white dog. It ripped open the skin above her shoulder blades. We knew she disappeared sometimes, but she'd never come back injured.

She came back as soon as it happened. I had to muzzle and bandage her (she bit me when I tried to clean her wound). She still has a bit of sensitivity on that part of her back and she rarely leaves the yard now. She only escapes when it rains and she just goes to the front door and scratches until we let her in. I'm just glad our neighbor doesn't let her dog wander anymore. It used to wreak havoc on other animals in the neighborhood, but now it's tied up in their yard. I'm not happy about it, but it's better than letting the dog loose.

That's horrible about the rabbits! I'm so lucky to have such good dogs to protect the yard. They've prevented loads of attacks from happening and are really good with my existing flock. I'm actually looking to, eventually, adopt a puppy that my lead dog, Sandy, can train to protect the yard. She's nearing 11 years old and it's time to start thinking about the future. I'll be terribly sad to lose her when it's her time, but I'd love for her legacy to continue. She's been the best dog this family has ever had.

 

[Sjisty]

A few years ago I was on my way to my parent's house to take care of their animals while they were on vacation. On the side of the road was a fast food bag that looked to be full of garbage. When I came near the bag, I could see it was moving! Well, I stopped, of course. Inside the bag was one live tiny kitten - it's eyes weren't even open yet. Its brothers or sisters were already dead. I took the little guy home and bottle fed him. One of my neighbors gave him a home when he was old enough. Happy ending for that little guy!

The best cat I ever had was a black one. I was on my way to church (this was about 25 years ago). The car in front of us hit this little kitty and kept going. I stopped. She was bleeding from the mouth and rectum and couldn't stand. I put her in the car and went on to church, thinking at least she would die in peace. It was a cool day, so no harm in leaving her in the car. After church she was still alive! We called the family veterinarian, who opened his clinic on Sunday to see her. It turned out the bleeding from her mouth was due to biting her tongue and the bleeding from her rectum was road rash. One leg was crushed, though. I couldn't afford surgery, so the Dr. just taped up the leg for a couple of weeks. In time, she healed completely - didn't even have a limp. She was a sweetheart and we had her for many years.

Rescued animals make the best pets!

 

[LBejaran]

Oh, what a brilliant tale! That the cat didn't even have a limp after having a shattered leg is a miracle.

I despise when people just drop kittens and puppies off in the middle of nowhere to die. Seriously, are they heartless? Years ago, someone dropped a puppy off in front of our house. It heard our dogs, so it sat beside our garage. When we got home, we saw the cutest ugly dog in the world. He had to be a mix between a chow chow and a pit bull (he had a purple tongue and a very strong bone structure). He turned out to be the sweetest dog, so we gifted him to our grandma. She hated cats, so he learned to chase them out of the yard for her, haha!

 

[Nutcase]

Heartless is quite the appropriate word. And irresponsible. People don't worry or care about the responsibilities and consequences that come with negligent and careless breeding. Many people let their dogs roam around freely and the result is a bunch of mixed breed puppies that nobody wants. And dogs aren't the only ones: rabbits are less robust and prone to postnatal weakness. I have been very careful after I underestimated the power of the male bunny...it led to my doe being pregnant 3 times in a few months. Eventually lack of recovery time between litters resulted in a half blind kit. That really struck home.

Sjisty, that is one tough cat!!