Your Pet's Rescue Story
I decided to rescue a pup as a gift to myself for my 21st birthday. My mother and I went to a local adoption event and saw an adorable “Australian Shepherd Lab mix” calmly sitting inside the fenced in area with all of the other puppies running around. I was too scared to hold him…the only living thing I have ever been responsible for before this was a hamster! But my mom and I agreed that he was perfect. When we went to adopt him, they kept telling me how sick he was, as if it would change my mind. He was severely underweight and suffering from mange and heartworms, but by the time we found this out, we already decided he would be part of our family. After adopting him, we brought him inside PetSmart to get the essentials. Everyone fell in love with him and followed us around the store; until he taught me my first lesson of puppy motherhood: cleaning up accidents. The poor guy had an accident on my mom's foot in the store: he was already warming up to us!

Almost 3 years later: Simba went from a 9-pound puppy to happy and healthy 76 pound furbaby. After getting a DNA test done, we found out he is a Staffordshire Terrier, German Shepherd, Pomeranian mix; making him quite possibly the goofiest and most energetic dog around! We hit a few bumps in the road; I took him to the after-hours emergency vet for breathing too hard (turns out he was just excited) and once called my mom late at night asking her what the alarming growths on his tummy were (did you know male dogs have nipples too?) Despite the initial stress, potty training (harder than it sounded), and medical bills, he has taught me so much about unconditional love and responsibility. We rescued each other. There’s no better feeling than being greeted with love all day, every day, and I am so happy to be his mom!