REVIEW: Rescued

Rescued
Author: Peter Zheutlin

I've been a humane society foster parent for years. I've seen many cases of abuse, neglect, and abandonment turn into happy endings. As a foster, the worst case I remember involved a litter of kittens dumped at the local landfill in winter. Some wonderful example of humanity had stuffed an entire litter of newborn kittens into a box filled with garbage, then put several trash bags on top of the box. The kittens were left outside in the cold to die, covered in rotting garbage. Landfill employees miraculously found the kittens, taking them across the street to the animal shelter. Shelter staff called the humane society. My family and I were having breakfast at Waffle House when I got the emergency call. We had our food boxed up and went to get the kittens. I was pissed -- whoever the ass was who abandoned them drove right past the county animal shelter that would have taken them in to sneak into the landfill and dump them to freeze instead. I thought the entire litter would die. They were ice cold and barely moving. Newborn kittens do not react well to being cold and hungry. Usually their organs shut down and they die. But I had to try. I brought them home and started warming them up. They were starving, but I knew not to feed a cold kitten. Using a heating pad, and having my family hold cold kittens next to their skin while petting and rubbing their limbs and talking to them, we warmed them up and I got formula ready. I warned my son not to get attached because there was a good chance that most or all of the litter would die within 24 hours. If they made it through the first day, their chances would improve. Surprisingly, not only did they make it through the first day, but every cat from that litter survived to be adopted out to homes from here in North Carolina clear north to Vermont. And the Karma bus is coming for the person that thought it was ok to leave a litter of kittens outside to freeze to death. They knew they were doing wrong, or they wouldn't have tried to hide what they had done. Not to mention the fact that they went right past the damn animal shelter to do it.  How callous can a person be? There is a soul cost to doing something that wicked. They will pay the price, eventually.

All of my pets are rescues. Our lab dog, Ted. E. Bear, was found as a puppy under a burned out house after a fire. Roxie, a pit mix, was one of my first fosters. She was adopted by a family in West Virginia, only to be returned 4 months later, overweight and hyper. We declared her a foster fail at that point. Ted was ecstatic. He had missed Roxie badly, and was happy to have his pal back. Then we have Princess the Pomchi and Belle the chihuahua. Belle was hit by a car, and after weeks of taking care of her while she recovered from a broken pelvis and other injuries, I just couldn't part with her. And little 4 lb grandma is the last -- she's 16, no teeth and very little eyesight. She was abandoned at the animal shelter to be euthanized after her owner passed away. I was asked if I would give her a home until she passes....of course I will. She was someone's beloved pet for years. I will honor that bond and give the old gal a good home until it's her time to go. She is hilarious and just full of beans most of the time, running around with her tongue hanging out because she's toothless.

I love all my dogs. And they all have stories that should have made them dislike humanity. But they don't. Dogs have an endless capacity to love. They want to belong. They want a home. Rescue dogs more so than any others. That's what drew me to read this book....

Peter Zheutlin shares the stories of his personal pets and those adopted by others. Some rescue animals are easy to love -- others are destructive, untrained and take a lot of work. But, in the end, it's all worth it. When an animal who started out with behavior or fear issues settles down and feels at home....it's just a beautiful thing to see.

This book is a great read for anyone involved in pet rescue, either running a rescue, fostering animals or anyone who has adopted, or is thinking about adopting, a rescue animal. I've had many fur faces come through my life in the past few years....spent many nights rocking and feeding kittens with a bottle, setting alarms to check on sick puppies and kittens, and training my foster babies to be good pets. I am overjoyed every time I receive a photo of one of my fosters in their new furever homes looking contented and loved. This book contains all of that joy. Every story was wonderful, and I found myself reminiscing about my experiences as I read.

At times, the writing style and the amount of time the author spent talking about himself was not really my cup of tea, but overall I enjoyed this book. I think everyone involved in pet rescue should take the time to read it. From saving animals in dangerous situations to putting them on transport to their new homes, animal rescue is an emotional and rewarding experience. 

After I finished reading this book, I went and hugged my dogs....and my 4 cats (all rescues as well). 

For more information on the author and his other books, check out his website: http://peterzheutlin.com/