We invite you to check out the coming attractions. Each one is a true story based on their lives, part of which included time at NCCR. To read the “rest of the story” follow the link at the bottom of the page.
Old Mellow
This is the heartwarming story of Hurley, who played the leading role. As the story unfolds we find Hurley living his life as a young fellow with a very attentive gentleman. Life was good and he enjoyed all the luxuries that a dignified doxie should have. He engaged in amusing his owner with tricks and spent time curled in his lap. But unfortunately, things began to change. Sometimes his food bowl was left empty, the walks were few, his nails grew long, the vet visits stopped and Hurley’s eyesight began to deteriorate. His itchy skin became unbearable and his hair fell out from the flea infestation. Then came the day when his companion was gone and he found himself homeless at an age when most are ready to retire. Hurley looked at himself and thought, “This is the end, who would want an old fellow with diminished sight, hearing loss and skin that looks like old shoe leather with scales?” Hurley left his home for the last time and we see him walking down South Third St. It was on this street that a hero arrives and picks him up. Hurley’s life then became one of confusion and many scary things. He had a six hour car ride with people he never met. Each one told him how sweet he was and what a good boy he was, but can Hurley ever find happiness again?
From Here To Someplace
This heartrending story finds Baby Girl hunkered down in the corner of her small outdoor kennel in Louisiana. It is hurricane season and she has lived through them before. She watches the tarp covering her bend to the unrelenting wind. The water is rising above the pallet that is her only bed. For six years this mud hole has been the only home she has known. The summer heat is unbearable, mosquitoes are relentless and ticks seek out a warm host. She is infected with heartworm and needs treatment or they will kill her. As the wind begins to subside, she knew she had survived another hurricane, but for what? Would there be brighter days and an existence away from the misery?
Hope For A Wonderful Life
Tessa, a young gal born on the wrong side of the tracks in a small southern town lived a life of a wild, captivating, daring and flirtatious mutt. She ran with the wrong crowd, always the tough gal. But now she had one pup in tow. Homeless with no place to go, she managed to hitch a ride north, not knowing what would become of her or the furry one by her side. Fortunately she ended up in a home where other delinquent mutts go. Living up to her past this stumpy, tenacious trouble maker let it be known that nothing was too big or too much for her, until the day she battled with a car and lost. Tessa was now paralyzed, but the fight was still in her and with the help of the people that took her, she recovered except for the use of a leg and her tail. She lost her leg but that was just a bump in the road for this gal. Tessa still took on anything that was in her way including the big yellow six wheeled thing with School Bus written on it. But survival mode kicked in again. Tessa never got over her past of being ruthless. Frequently, the two oversized companions that she shared her home with would find her hanging on their jowls if she needed to put them in their place. “Fear nothing and take on anything” was her motto. Can this little combative gal overcome her past?
Withering Sights
It’s a cool night, the sun is setting over the lake and waves splash onto the shore. Sid hears them but he can’t tell how far away they are as the years have taken most of his hearing and his sight is now diminished to shadows from the disease in his eyes. He struggles with pain from a mouth full of infection from neglected teeth. He is confused and is looking for the one that brought him here. Why would they leave him? They were his family and he had been a loyal companion for many years. Suddenly he realizes someone is near. Arms reach to pick him up; they aren’t the familiar ones that normally hold him, but those of a stranger. Soon after, Sid finds himself in a very noisy and terrifying place, with unfamiliar dogs barking all around him and with people he does not know. Why is he here? Where is his person? He waits, but they never come. Sid hears a new voice and once again foreign arms pick him up and he is taken to another new place. He likes this new friend, she is gentle and kind. She takes him to the lady in the white coat that gives him medicine for his eyes and fixes his teeth so that he can eat without pain. The days continue in this strange place. His eyes continue to have unrelenting pain so once again he is taken to the lady in white and soon sleep takes over. Sid awakens to a world of total darkness, his eyes are gone and there is a new fear, but loving hands come and take him home. There is so much comfort from this new friend, but can Sid learn to live with no sight in a strange world?
Running Free
This is a story of heartbreak. Samara wonders, “Does the torment ever stop?” Five years Samara has spent in this yard. She’s not alone, yet lonely. Every day is the same, the constant abuse, the never ending care of puppies, never a kind hand reaching out to her. Samara takes wonderful care of her offspring, the roly-poly huskies. It’s always the same, the “warden” as he is known by, comes in and pushes or hits her to take away her young ones. She knows she must stay out of reach, never trust him or anyone else. Her food is dumped on the ground for her to pick through. At times, for no reason that she can think of, the “enemy” comes in through the fence and there is a loud noise and one of her yard mate’s lifeless body is carried out, apparently no longer needed. She learns that she must always find an obscure place to hide when there are loud noises as thunder, hunting season or any unknown sound. She curls up as fear grips her. Her body shakes. Will she be next? Then one day her tormentor corners her and loads her into a crate and she is taken from the yard. What lies ahead for her?
The Castaway
Phoebe was born unique and beautiful but a bit aloof. She grew up with her siblings and soon found a home to call her own, but along the way she became fearful of men. She stored that fear away, not sharing the reason. One day her welcome wore out and she was given to a friend. Phoebe is now seen enjoying her new life, running with the four wheeler and spending time outside with her new family, but she continues to be leery of men. Perhaps she would do better in another home? She is then moved to a place with other castaways. She continues to be untrusting of men especially, only making friends with those that serve her. Her personality blossoms for those she is close to. She loves playing keep away in the yard and will share rock playing time, throwing them in the air and chasing them. Phoebe will endure meeting families, but if there is a man in the group she finds it fun to sneak behind and nip them in the butt. Phoebe dreams big dreams, a yard, a pool to swim in, someone to love her for who she is, can this happen?
The Yearning
The opening scene of “The Yearning” finds Miley and her sister Marley as young gals being raised at a puppy mill, certainly not the best place to start life. It wasn’t that food was scarce, their weight attests to that. But it was the threat of what life might be for them. They grew into beautiful girls, so they were “chosen”. Life became a continual process of producing cute little rotties that their owner could sell. There was some free time where Marley and Miley could roam together and bond as sisters. Their play was often rough but at least they were together. The people were friendly but there was rumor that a move might be coming. The move did come and different people came and went each day…so many new faces and confusion. Marley seemed to take the change better then Miley and at times Miley would let it be known that she didn’t like people to get too close. Then came the day that they were told they were going home, a real home, living in a house. Lots of excitement and again all new surroundings, but they still had each other. Their play continued to escalate until the day that Miley bit Marley and so ended their life together. Once again Miley was taken to the place for the unwanted. Miley’s days became filled with memories of the past that is no more. Now she gets attention and walks but she still lets it be known when she has had enough. As day after lonely day passes she becomes more depressed and sits and stares into space yearning for love. Can this ever come to pass?
That Darn Dog
This is the account of the life of Bailey. Bailey arrived into the world with an exuberance for life that was hard to contain. He was the class clown, the leader of mischievous happenings and always looking for a good time. This behavior soon wore thin with his Indiana family and he found himself headed to New York, not knowing what would become of him. Bailey went to live with a foster family and soon was very well known in the neighborhood. Where there was trouble, there was Bailey. One of his largest feats was dismantling a couch and he did it all by himself. He innocently chewed just a tiny hole and out popped a little white fluffy stuffing. Was there more in there? Sure enough there was and the excitement took over. Bailey didn’t wait for people to come to him, he went to them. This meant leaving his yard and traveling any path that would take him to where the action was, whether chasing critters or playing with kids along the way. Bailey quite often hitched a ride back home with anyone that would stop and open their car door for him. Sometimes he got on the school bus to meet the kids. Bailey loved moving large branches and was able to swing them just at the right time to take the legs out from under anyone near by. Bailey also had a propensity to christen everything that he thought was his…toys, shoes, legs, anything was fair game and he did this by a swift lift of the leg! Does this handsome boy become reformed and find a permanent home or will he become an outcast?
Sammi Come Home
The opening scene takes place in a rural wooded community where a young lady could run and sow her wild oats with little attention. During one of her romps, Sammi met Gus and the two become fast friends and traveled the roads together with not a care in the world until that fateful day that Gus was hit by a truck and left for dead. Sammi’s world changed drastically that day as she continued to be the elusive butterfly and grew heavy with the pups she now carried. Fall was approaching and the temperature was dropping. Would she have these babies in the cold and snow? Sammi knew she was being watched and well aware that the intent of these intruders was to catch her. She could come to within inches of them to take chicken but never close enough for the leash that was waiting. But one day, she let her guard down…one misstep and she was captured. Two days later she was surrounded by eight squirmy pups that looked like Gus. These pups are hers and no one was to get near them. Sammi rebelled with every fiber of her being. She would bite, growl and bare teeth to anyone that came near. For eight weeks she protected her brood until one by one each one left her. Sammi then took on a new personality, watching everything and everyone , with her brown soulful eyes. She conformed to her new life and developed a sense of humor. She is coy and never missed a chance to slip her lead and run off hoping for freedom once again. She could keep her caretakers up all night while roaming the vineyards laughing inside as she outsmarted them. Sammi gradually began to let a few people into her life and would go for walks, but she always kept her guard up, making sure not to get too close. People come to see her but she remained cold and distant. She had been let down by a person before and was not going to do it again. Weeks turned into months and months into years as she waited for the one she could trust, but would that ever happen?
Small Town Dog
Azlan was born is a small town in the South. Life was tough there for a family that included his Mom and three siblings. A little work on Mom’s part and they were able to make their way North with rides from strangers. There wasn’t very much that stood out about this crew except for Azlan’s penetrating blue eyes and his glossy coat. He was just an average mutt, nothing special in most people’s eyes. But quite by accident, Carly appeared. She just wanted to take a peek at these husky mix kids that showed up in town. One look was all it took, those blue eyes seem to say, “take me with you.” Azlan had some work to do, but first was a new name, and he was dubbed Brimstone. Brimstone went to classes to learn how to be a polite boy, he learned to sit and stay, not to jump up and he also got to do fun tricks with his brother Lux. As Brimstone learned, so did Carly and she found that the two of them made a pretty good team. Carly opened her own training facility and Brimstone was right there with her as a helper, he worked with everything from puppies to reactive rovers. What more could come for this small town boy?
How are each of these dogs doing today? Follow this link to find out! https://www.caninerescue.org/the-rest-of-the-story/