Dakota's Story

Hi, my name is Dakota (thats me layin on my back with my brother Zeus and big sister Rogue). I wanted to thank IAR for giving me a second chance to find a forever home! Now here's my mom!
Dakota (we kept his given name by IAR) is a sweet and loving boy! We have been blessed to find him and bring him into our home! We absolutely couldn't imagine a life without this big boy! Dakota enjoys playing in the yard with his little brother Zeus who was adopted a couple days before we brought Dakota in our lives forever! The are such rough-housers and absolutely wear each other out during playtime outside.. this pic was taken shortly after their first introduction to snowfall!
We wanted to thank IAR and the fabulous Fosters that housed Dakota until we could find him. All that you do for these animals is amazing and my heart bleeds for all the animals out there that do not get a chance to be adopted. We have always adopted shelter (rescue) pets as the adoption fees are put to good use, almost every dime goes back into saving the next animal who's time is almost up at a over capacitated shelter.
Though we have the three loves of our life I am still drawn to your website to watch all the other animals that are available and see which one will next have ADOPTION PENDING under their photo! With all the work you do, I am contemplating becoming a foster myself once I have Dakota and Zeus completely trained on doggie manners and training.. Thanks IAR!!!

Jessie's girl

This is my cat, Jessie or, I should say, I am Jessie's human companion. She adopted me in October. I feel like an Academy Award winner – there are so many people I want to thank for making this possible. First, her foster mom who took such good care of her, understood her, helped Jessie blossom in the security of her home, and prepared her to graduate after three years in IAR with her FhD (Forever Home Degree). I'm also grateful to the woman who found Jessie and her three kittens at the Chatham County shelter and brought them into IAR, setting all of this in motion. And to all the foster parents, volunteers, and donors who make IAR the special organization that it is – thank you.
Jessie is such a joy to have around. She is like a new friend you feel as if you've known forever. She perches on the corner of my desk under the front window to watch the neighborhood, especially the birds and squirrels in the trees. She loves to race up and down the carpeted stairs, then hide behind the corner and attack her mouse toys. She helps me with my knitting and likes to curl up on the sofa with me.
Jessie is trying to teach me her language – she has a complex set of vocalizations – and I think I've caught on to the basics (my bowl is empty, scratch my head, turn the water on so I can drink from the faucet). She will patiently train me in the rest, I'm sure. She has quickly learned the language of my household. For example, when the programmable coffee pot makes its noise in the morning, she knows I will soon get up and to expedite this, she comes upstairs and meows to let me know the coffee is ready.
Jessie was listed on the Perfect Pets Promotion page and I have to say I think she is just that – perfect for me. She is wary of people she doesn't know but warm, playful, and loyal to those she trusts. I like to think I'm the same way. I hope other people will give the animals who've had lengthy stays in IAR a chance; the perfect pet could be quietly waiting for you. I am so thankful for the foster parents who keep them safe until the right home is ready for them. I think I can speak for both Jessie and myself in saying we couldn't be happier with the way things turned out and we are indebted to everyone who helped us find our way.

Alice, now Ali

I received a letter from Alice's foster parent asking me for an update and a picture. Ali as we now call her - new home, new name - is a great cat. She came for a trial adoption and never looked back.
My wife and I have another rescue cat that we've had for four years. That one, Zoey, is an intelligent, good natured cat. If she hadn't been so good, we never would have gotten a second. We saw Alice's / Ali's picture on your web site, and she just looked so forlorn, with that bad eye and being semi- feral before IAR. My wife said, "Here's one who looks enough like Zoey to play her in the movie." That weekend we went to Pet Smart to get introduced. We were going to just donate money to her upkeep, when my wife casually asked the cost to adopt. The rest is adoption history.
Ali is happy, happy, happy. I know that is anthropomorphizing, but I think it's true. She has a two-volume purr: one standard and one loud which can be heard across the room. She loves Dentabites and will perform for them. I have her jump atop her scratching post and sit.
Her aim in life is do everything that Zoey does, but this is not possible given their difference in body types. She weighs about 10+ lbs now, so she couldn't play skinny Zoey these days. As she aged, her body type unfolded and it is more cobby than Oriental like Zoey's. So we have two cats, same color, different body types.
We have noticed Ali has a tendency towards overeating. If we leave dry food out, she eats until it's gone, probably a habit from her semi-feral days, or maybe just her genetic destiny. She likes to sit on the top of my easy chair while I read and look out the window. She's a good cat with quite a hunting instinct, considering that she doesn't go outdoors at all. She has torn the tails off her play mice and loves to pounce on them.
Don't worry about Alice. She won the lottery.

A Forever Home

The first time I came to the IAR Website I saw a photo of our new cat, Yuki (formerly known as Waffles) and I thought what a striking looking fellow! I showed the photo to my family and asked what they thought ot this beautiful cat - only to find out that they were not as inamoured with him as I was (they thought his eyes looked too odd for them -he has green eyes with a dark outline around the iris). For the next month I kept checking out the website but was drawn to this one particular cat. Finally after we returned from vacation we decided to attend the PetSmart Adoption event & came face to face with him! I was a goner after that -- I had already filled out the adoption application, had talked to his foster mom and after meeting him, knew he belonged with us. Thankfully, she agreed with me!

He is such a GREAT cat! He is just like his foster mom described him - very laid back and a sweet boy! He has had some health issues (dental problems that were addressed prior to our adopting him and a heart murmur which he will take medication for forever) but we look at it like this - each day with him is a blessing which we will enjoy for as long as we have him!

I really appreciate IAR and all of the volunteers that are willing to do what it takes to find forever homes for these animals! I HIGHLY recommend adopting a pet from IAR and am very glad that the organization takes the adoption so seriously!

Greta's looking for a home!

Greta's still waiting to have an adoption "tale" of her own! If you're interested in a sweet, loyal and fun-loving companion, come meet Greta! www.animalrescue.net

His Name is Levi

Levi was a kitten that was passed around several homes before coming to IAR. He had been given as a gift to a person that didn't want him, and poor Levi was passed along to another person who found him too rambunctious. I had 2 cats, and had just moved to a place large enough to accommodate a third, and so when I saw Levi's picture in IAR's ad, I knew I had to meet him. My husband and I went to meet Levi at a space IAR had in a local mall. Levi had met some other families before we saw him, and he had been vigorously playing and was quite exhausted. I sat down in our little meeting room, and he jumped into my lap, and went to sleep. I knew that we were not the only people who had applied for Levi's adoption, and so when we got the call that we had been approved and Levi was ours, it felt like we had won a contest. Levi's foster mom brought him to our apartment, and Levi came right out of his carrier, and made himself at home. We had set up a room for him with a baby-gate, to
let him and our cats get used to each other, but Levi would have none of it, and jumped right over the gate. He was never the least bit bothered when our cats hissed and growled at him, and went right on about his business. He LOVED playing, and would wear us out. Levi trotted around with his tiny mice in his mouth, and he would drop them for us to throw for him. He is 5 years old now, and still loves to play, and will fuss if we do not give in to his demands. Levi's nicknames are "Mr. Fussy Pants" and "El Diablo" because he can be quite diabolical. He is expert at stealing food, and has the LOUDEST meow I have ever heard. I really think he loves the sound of his own voice. He is the alpha-cat in our large, multi-cat household. He is swift, agile, and king of all he surveys. And, of course, we love him dearly.
File #2 President Levi.jpg exceeds the maximum file size. Error: 1.

Bailey (formerly Pearl)'s New Life

Almost a year ago to the day, I adopted Bailey (formerly Pearl) from IAR. Bailey is my first dog, and after having her for a year, I cannot imagine my life without her. She is the sweetest dog I have ever met, and has yet to meet another person, dog, or other animal that she doesn't like. She loves to play, run, and most of all, chase squirrels, but is also perfectly happy curling up in my lap on the sofa (even though she is 55lbs).

We have been through 3 obedience classes so far, and she has excelled in all. As we continue to work on obedience and Bailey calms down a little with age, I hope to have her trained as a therapy dog so she can enrich the lives of others, just as she has mine. Bailey is an amazing dog, and I am very lucky IAR rescued her so that I was able to adopt her.

One of our cute adoptable dogs!  http://www.animalrescue.net/D-10-040