“It’s not what you can’t do – it’s what you can do, that counts.” – Nigel’s motto.

Nigel, a Border Collie/Spaniel cross, was hit by a car when he was about a year old. A Good Samaritan who stopped to help picked up the injured pup and took him to the local vet, where it was discovered that Nigel had severe nerve damage to his left front leg. The vet hoped that with time, the feeling would return to the limb, but if it didn’t it Nigel would have to undergo an amputation Nigel didn’t have a collar or microchip; and even though information about him was posted on various websites, no one came forth the claim the dog. So after emergency treatment, he was transferred to the Oregon Humane Society, and a search began for a foster home until the fate of his leg could be determined. The Humane Society sent out a notice to all their volunteers, asking if there was anyone who would be able to take care of the dog.

Nigel doing Flyball

Denise Stidmon was on her way to the shelter when she got the email. There had been a bad snow storm, and she had volunteered to come and walk some of the dogs. So she decided to go and take a look at the injured dog. “When I saw him, here was this petite 11 month old dog (he’s only 30 lbs) with a big smile on his face and a waggy tail. I was immediately smitten with him. There was no doubt that he was coming to my home to heal from the trauma he had endured.” Denise intended to foster Nigel until he was well enough to be placed in a permanent home. But it wasn’t long before she realized that Nigel had already found his forever home. “Nigel and I bonded completely,” she says. “In part, it was because of his “can do” attitude, but more so was the fact that nothing seemed to get this dog down. He’s such a happy-go-lucky guy. On his right leg, he had some pretty bad wounds that I had to clean out on a regular basis. I knew it had to be painful but he was so good about it. He also was really shy with new people and would always turn to me for comfort. I realized I’ve been given this special gift of a dog and decided to adopt him.”

Shortly after that, the vet determined that Nigel was never going to recover the feeling in his injured leg, and he had amputation surgery. As Nigel began to heal, it became obvious that despite having only 3 legs he was an athlete at heart. “Nigel is extremely agile. He could jump up on my bed, which is about mid-thigh high. I was really impressed,” Denise says. “When I have him come inside, he likes to run full out and then skid once he hits the kitchen. He does it on purpose like he’s a race car driver. It cracks me up. The first time I threw a tennis ball for him, he caught it mid-air. He also is wicked fast at the dog park. I would take him to the dog park where he would outrun other dogs, especially to get the balls. One time at the dog park he was beating another dog to get the tennis ball. The guy turned to his dog and said, ‘Dude, you’re getting beat by a 3-legged dog!’”

Because of this, Denise thought Nigel would enjoy agility, a sport where a handler directs their dog through an obstacle course, and is given points for both speed and accuracy. They started attending classes, and “I was amazed at how quickly he took to the equipment and embraced this new challenge.” Denise says. “Nigel may not be the fastest agility dog, but the look of joy on his face makes him a winner in every competition. He had soon mastered jumps and most of the obstacles, including the A-frame, which is very steep. But there was one particular obstacle that worried Denise. The walkway is a narrow path about four feet high, and Denise was concerned about Nigel losing his balance and falling. But Nigel just “put his right leg dead center of his body and literally used it as a tripod. It’s how he balances himself. So, Nigel went up the walkway and just bounced along like he always does. It didn’t faze him a bit.”

Nigel is obsessed with tennis balls, so Denise thought he might enjoy flyball – a dog relay race involving jumps and a tennis ball that is popped from a box. “He is never one of the fastest dogs at flyball tournaments, but his happy wagging tail tells me that there is nothing else he would rather be doing,” Denise says.

But it’s not “all play and no work” for this exuberant dog. Nigel is a trained and certified Pet Partner® with the Delta Society® and he and Denise regularly visit children at the Shriner’s Children’s Hospital who have prothesesis or are in wheelchairs. The children are especially appreciative of their 3-legged role model. “It is in the halls and rooms of the hospital that Nigel has taught others and me the most valuable lessons about celebrating life and living each day to the fullest,” Denise says. “Children see the way that Nigel’s physical limitations don’t stop him and they soon realize that they can find joy and accept each day in spite of life’s challenges. On one memorable afternoon at the hospital, as a woman and her sick three year old daughter watched Nigel catch a ball, she remarked, ‘See sweetie, Nigel is special, just like you are’.”

Nigel also helps Denise with her volunteer work at the Humane Society, acting as “big brother” to other pups that she fosters. “He loves puppies and teaches them appropriate manners,” she says. “Nigel is a very confident dog. So, with the puppies, especially the shy ones, they pick up on that. They take cues from him.” And Nigel accompanies Denise to the OHS, where he helps socialize the younger dogs. “It’s amazing to watch Nigel help bring these puppies out of their shells. Since he’s so relaxed and doesn’t mind the puppies jumping all over his head, the puppies start getting relaxed and will start taking treats from me and let me pet them. It’s like Nigel told them not to worry and that everything would be okay.”

Of course Nigel has his quirks as well. “Nigel is a pig and will eat anything. When we’re at flyball practice he is shameless. He goes up to every member on the team and begs for treats. He knows how to “sit pretty” which is him sitting on his back legs balancing with his paw up. Since he’s so cute and only has 3 legs, he gets a lot of treats. “

Nigel can also be pretty stubborn. Sometimes when we go to the dog park and he’s not ready to leave he’ll just sit there. When I call him to me I swear he shakes his head “no” to let me know he’s not done playing yet.” His stubbornness extends to getting people to play with him, too. “He’ll bring a ball to you and put it in your lap. If you don’t throw it, he picks it up and puts it back in your lap. He stares at the ball then stares at you. There is no doubt as to what Nigel wants.”

Perhaps one of Nigel’s biggest eccentricities has to do with his relationship with water. He adores water, especially puddles. But because he has only one front leg, when he jumps in puddles the water invariably splashes. And Nigel just can’t resist trying to bite it! It’s a source of never-ending fascination, and quite amusing to watch him walk along “going splash, bite, splash, bite, splash, bite.”

Nigel also appeared, alongside Denise, on a televised fundraiser for the Oregon Humane Society. It’s easy to see why Denise refers to him as a “can do” dog!

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Elizabeth always knew she wanted to adopt a rescue dog, so when the time was right, she started searching on Petfinder.  Right away, she saw a picture of a spunky hound dog mix, read a bio, and said to herself, “That’s the dog I want!” Elizabeth is an art lover, and a fan of Picasso, so she felt P.Casso (Casso for short) would be the perfect name!

Casso had been found wandering the streets in St. Louis, and rescued by the Illinois Birddog Rescue.  When Elizabeth first met him, he was staying in a foster home. The spunky dog was 1 ½ years old, and had irreparable nerve damage to his left hind leg. He was probably hit by a vehicle – most likely a truck, because he was skittish around trucks for quite awhile. Although the leg will never completely, heal, Casso is still the fastest dog in the park. He just picks up his hind leg and runs on all three!

When Elizabeth took Casso for x-rays for his hind leg, it was discovered he also had buckshot scattered throughout his body. It was permanently embedded in his elbow, paw, and close to his heart. Unfortunately, this scenario is not uncommon in hunting dogs. The vet recommended leaving the pellets in place, because they had developed a significant amount of scar tissue and some were precariously close to vital organs.

However, about a year ago Casso suddenly developed lameness in his left front leg. The lameness was caused by the rifle pellet in his elbow joint that was lodged between the two bones and was crushed between when he would extend his leg fully. He had surgery to remove the pellet, which was the size of a pencil eraser.

Even though Casso had a rough start in life, he is making up for lost time. He lives a life of luxury – languishing on the couch for hours, and basking in the sun any chance he can get. He loves attention, and is happiest when someone – anyone, for that matter – is petting him.

Casso’s one idiosyncrasy is his absolute hatred of water. While he will patiently endure a bath, he will also walk gingerly around any and all puddles. He is curious and creative, too – much like his namesake, Pablo Picasso.

Elizabeth is incredibly grateful for having Casso in her life, and wanted to find a way to give back. So she joined Canine Therapy Corps a network of volunteers and their therapy dogs based in Chicago that offers rehabilitative therapy to those with physical and emotional challenges.

Casso took the Canine Therapy Corps (CTC) test, and became a certified Therapy Dog. Today, he and Elizabeth volunteer at Haymarket Center. They work with chemically dependent men and women in rehabilitation, some of whom are in residence as an alternative to serving jail time.

During this 8-week program the participants work on obedience and agility with the dogs. At the end of the session is a graduation, where each participant demonstrates their newly-acquired skills. During the course of the program, they also work on anger management, and develop communications skills, self-awareness, and self-esteem.

About three years later, Elizabeth adopted D. Vinci (named after another famous painter!) Vinci is an English setter, and Elizabeth recalls the first time she saw her. “This little dog was just over a year old and had already had a litter of pups. She was a very timid girl. I fell in love with her immediately,” Elizabeth says. However, it didn’t’ take long until “she began to blossom into the sweet dog she is today. “

Unlike her brother, Vinci tends to race straight through water, bushes, over other dogs and sometimes fences. She is indestructible and seems to be invincible, Elizabeth says. True to her breed, she is a maniac for birds. “Vinci will sit on the back porch for hours on end watching the pigeons in the neighbor’s yard. Absolutely everything stops for her when she has a bird in her sites.”

While this trait made passing the CTC test challenging, Elizabeth says it has proven to be an asset when working with clients at Haymarket Center. “Thankfully that level of attention has translated to her work as a therapy dog. She so easily and readily focuses on whomever she is working with in the program. While Casso tends to take his time responding to certain commands, people often comment on how quick Vinci is to obey.”

Casso and Vinci have also started working with Safe Humane Chicago, a unique program that aims to create safer, more humane neigborhoods by promoting treating animals in a compassionate, caring way. As official “Ambassador Dogs,” official ambassadors, P.Casso and D. Vinci (along with Elizabeth, of course) visit schools to teach children about responsible pet ownership, how to approach an animal safely (including how to avoid a bite), the importance of spay/ neuter programs, and why dog fighting and animal abuse are wrong.

Elizabeth is enthusiastic when she talks about her rescued companions, who occupy a very special place in her heart. “The happy truth is the level of resilience many rescue dogs display, I can speak only for the two that I have adopted, but it is rare that we see evidence of their past mistreatment. If and when we do it is usually a sudden fearfulness due to a loud noise, a raised hand or leg or simply a person holding something that may look harmful to a dog,” she says. “I’m so proud of how they have given back. Their ability to love and be loved is boundless and they have changed my life and the lives of many others in countless ways.”

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Eight-year-old Olivia Miller asked for a Chihuahua for Christmas, but what she received was far more precious than just any pet. That’s because Olivia and her new little dog both have diabetes and today they comfort and encourage each other through the rigors of dealing with the disease. Olivia’s family adopted the special-needs pet at TAILS Humane Society in DeKalb, Illinois, and every day the 10-pound dog, now named Noel, supports the little girl through the hard times.

“I don’t really know anyone else who has diabetes, so we talk about it together,” said Olivia of her beloved Chihuahua.Olivia cradles Noel like a baby. “I tell Noel that it’s okay to have diabetes. She likes to give me little kisses.”

We use the same size shots,” Olivia continued. “She’s not scared when she gets shots. I show her the shot first so she knows what it is and then I lift up some skin around her collar and give her the shot. If she squeaks, I just hug her, but most of the time she doesn’t even know it’s happening.”

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Here’s Buddha’s Story

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The day we got Bama, our foster dog from the animal shelter it was freezing cold with snow and ice on the way. I had gone to the shelter after e-mailing with the director to pick out a dog to bring home and to hopefully make a difference for an animal in need. I had my eye on some dogs I had seen on Petfinder, however, Karen, the shelter director wanted me to consider Bama, a 4 month old Sheppard/pyrenees mix that had been brought in as stray and was very frightened and scared.

When I saw him I knew I had to bring him home. When we got him to our house he would not leave his bed in the den. We had to bring his food to him and pick him up to go outside. He would not walk on the leash and certainly did not want to go on any neighborhood walks. This went on for the next few days. Fortunately he loved our other rescue dog, Sadie. Slowly he began to get up and walk to us for a snack and then one day he actually got up and walked out the door on his own. Then we began to work on walking with the leash and little by little he began to realize he was loved and in a good place. People began to be interested in adopting him and somehow homes that we wanted for him just weren’t working out. We kept reminding ourselves that we weren’t going to keep him, but we knew we were falling in love with him and wouldn’t be able to let him go. We adopted him from the shelter and he is the most loving and sweet dog. He does something to make us laugh everyday and we are so glad that he has realized how much he is loved.

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In July, this nameless little waif was turned into a County Animal Control Facility. The woman who brought her in claimed she was a stray. Sporting a fairly new collar, she would be held for 9 days, giving her owner a chance to reclaim her.

In spite of the fact that Claire was horribly ill, no vetting was given during this grueling period. The day she was released to New Rattitude Rat Terrier Rescue www.newrattitude.org, she weighed 7.2 lbs, was highly infested with fleas, and showing early signs of Kennel Cough.

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The community of volunteers who called themselves “Friends of the Animals” banded together, bought property and built a new shelter.  Under new guidance, the adoption rate improved, as did the condition of the kennels and care, but they were still overcome by the numbers of abandoned and abused animals.  Dr. Carol Hood, a local Vet, gave up her practice and took over the helm of the struggling shelter.  She aided Cynthia Woods in establishing the Rolling Rescue and soon had contacts in the states that had successfully controlled the pet population.  They started taking transports to New York, New Jersey, Wisconsin and Florida and soon the adoption rate was really looking good, coming close to qualifying for a No-kill shelter.

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I’m Harley, a 3-1/2 year old Weimaraner.  I was surrendered to Heartland Animal Shelter in Northbrook Illinois along with 4 of my siblings by a breeder that couldn’t find us a home.  My shelter name was “Wild Thing”, which should give you a clue about me. I was a bouncy, playful guy that was given lots of love and attention in my days at the shelter.

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One day about 15 years ago, I walked into the central office of the humanities department of San Juan College, where I am the program director of KSJE FM, public radio. The head of humanities wife> Laura, sat with a beautiful little dog on her lap. Falling instantly in love with its huge eyes, I asked if I could hold it. She said yes and I gathered the little ball of golden fur into my arms.

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Hi my name is Rex I am a healthy, young 4 year old male DOGO/Pit Bull mix. I have been rescued and I am safe now but let me tell you how I got to where I am with the help of Barks of Love animal rescue.I have seen a lot of stuff in my life. But don’t be sad for me. I’m tough and I always look on the bright side. Things weren’t always so good for me. I was born in a really ugly place. I was there with a bunch of other dogs. They were really mean to me, both dogs and the humans. Those humans took those shiny silver things and cut off my ears. They said it would make me look fierce. But I didn’t cry when they did that to me. No sir, not me. They were teaching me to take the pain. And I did too. Even when it hurt really bad. One day, those mean humans left the gate open. I ran, I ran like I had never run before.

I enjoyed my freedom but not for long. I had to look for my own food and a warm place to sleep. I tried to stay out of everyone’s way. I didn’t want any mean humans to find me. I was found by the side of the road in Sylmar, CA. My feet were blistered and swollen from walking so long. A really nice man picked me up and talked to me sweetly. He had a kind face so I trusted him. He gave me food boy was I hungry. He took me to his house, I enjoyed being there. He was sad he couldn’t keep me so he took me to the shelter. They fed me there but it wasn’t that much better than the streets. All that changed when the man came back and brought a nice lady from Barks of love rescue.

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