We watched from the window as a little blur of grey and white fuzz scurried across the yard and into the old dairy barn. The next time we saw him he was climbing on top of the cat enclosure - his long, furry tail was securely attached to his back with a bouquet of burrs! The poor cat was trying his best to find a way into the enclosure.

Zane, as he was later named, started showing up around “feeding time”. The day finally came, as he was gobbling down some food, when we were able to reach out and gently stroke the grey cat’s fur.  Then came the rumble of purrs and Zane started doing the “kitty-cat worm” dance (weaving around our legs and head butting us). After a trip to the vet it was discovered that Zane tested positive for Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV). FIV is a condition in cats that compromises the immune system and can make cats more susceptible to infections and other diseases.  But Zane showed no signs of being sick, and he taught us and others that testing positive for FIV should not be a “death sentence” for cats. Soon after Zane settled in we rescued another FIV positive cat we named, Clover. A local man had driven up and told us he was going to shoot the cat if we didn’t take her. Well as you can imagine, that didn’t go over very well with us, and we proceeded to explain to the man just how we felt about his statement and then sent him on his way. We then took poor Clover to the vet where we discovered that she too was FIV positive. It took some time, but Clover and Zane eventually became good roommates.

Zane continued to thrive here at the sanctuary, and his lucky day came when Sue spotted him online.  Sue and Josh had been working on finding a feline friend for their newly adopted FIV cat, Rico. Zane looked like the perfect match – in fact, he looked just like Rico! Today Zane and Rico are both healthy, playful and the best of buddies. Thanks to Sue and Josh for opening their home to these special cats, and thanks to all of you for making it possible to help special needs animals like Zane and Clover! And in case you were wondering…sweet Clover is still looking for her forever home.

Our vet contacted us about a 5 week old puppy that had been brought into their clinic by a breeder. The breeder was going to have the puppy euthanized because they did not want to pay to have her injured, rear leg treated. Her leg had become severely infected and she was very sick.

The little black and white pup, later named Daisy, had a great will to live and we took her into our program. Daisy had to have the infection drained twice a day and her little leg re-wrapped. She was a real trooper through the whole ordeal. We took Daisy to see a special surgeon who discovered the worse - Daisy's leg had been broken and the infection had severely damaged bone, ligaments and cartilage. The surgeon recommended amputating her leg due to the damage that had been done. He said we needed to wait until she was 4-5 months old before she could have the surgery. So off Daisy went, with her bandaged leg, to live with foster mom, Jean – it was a special home where Daisy could snuggle with her foster mom and get lots of love and attention. Each week Jean drove the little pup to get her leg examined and rewrapped. And then, about a week before her surgery, as the doctor was unwrapping Daisy’s leg, he noticed it seemed very stable and decided to let her walk without the splint.  To everyone’s surprise Daisy was walking without any problem and no signs of pain! No one is sure how it healed, but today Daisy is walking, running and chasing cats in her now “forever” home – yes, Jean fell in love and adopted Daisy!

We are so thankful that our vet contacted us about this little puppy. Because of your support and generosity we are able to help animals like Daisy that come into our program.

It was a hot summer day when Momma was found, wedged between old, broken boards in someone's riding stable. It took an hour for the people to get her free, and when they did, they discovered she was pregnant! Momma and her kittens came to Rescued Tails and received all the necessary vet care and lots of love in their special foster home. One by one, the little kittens found their forever homes. But Momma waited and waited for her new home, and wondered if her lucky day would ever come. Finally, after 3 years of waiting, in February 2012 Momma found her very own forever home! Thanks to Pet Supplies Plus in Rice Lake, WI for helping find Momma a home, and thanks to Danielle for giving her the loving home she had been waiting for, for so long!

It was Labor Day weekend when we received the e-mail from a good samaritan about a dog that had been abandoned. When we drove to the address the “house” was really a small shack that was covered in graffiti and looked to be abandoned. There was so much trash, and partially burned furniture thrown about, it was difficult to walk around. All of a sudden a little black furry dog came bounding out to greet us! He jumped up and licked our faces and seemed to say, “Where have you been? I have been waiting…and waiting.”  We contacted the sheriff, and just as he arrived on the scene so did a woman who jumped out of her car and called, “Here Stache!” The little black dog went running to the woman, and it was obvious the two knew each other. The woman, Jessica, proceeded to explain that she had given Stash away, along with his litter mates, when they were puppies. She had heard that this little one had since been abandoned. Rescued Tails worked with Jessica to get Stache, along with his littermate Nicki, to the vet. Each dog received medical care, including being spayed/neutered. In a blink of an eye, Stache was seen on our web site by Carrie and Josh and adopted into the wonderful forever home he so deserved. And soon after, Nicki’s lucky day came when Bonnie spotted her on our Petfinder page and drove over 50 miles, with her daughter and grandkids, to meet the little black dog. It was love at first sight, and Nicki went home the very same day. Thank you to everyone who helped save these two wonderful dogs!

Izzy needed some “real-life” experience and went to live in a foster home – but ended up staying. Thank you Paul and Teri for adopting Izzy and continuing with her obedience training and socialization!