Rescues

Hey, my name is Shep! I was abandoned by my former family during the harsh winter of 2009 and spent the entire winter as a puppy in the bitter cold until the Madison County Animal Shelter found me. I was rescued through a Brother Wolf adoption day at Pet Smart in June 2010. I saw Mom walk by my crate, and she couldn’t resist taking me home!

I am such a good boy, and she calls me her perfect child. I’m the alarm clock for the house since I’m up by 5:00 every morning ready to go have fun. My favorite part of the day is when Mom takes us all on a walk every morning.

June 4th is my 14th anniversary with Mom and Dad, but I’ll actually be 15 because I was one year old when they adopted me. I am slowing down physically, as expected at my age, but I still love to go for walks and am the first one to come running when the food bowls start rattling. Mom keeps me on great supplements, and I see a doggy physical therapist, chiropractor, and acupuncturist to help keep me going and out of pain.

Hey, I’m Rocky, and I’m no longer the baby with the newest rescue having arrived in November 2022. It’s nice to gain a little bit more status!

Mom and Dad were devastated by the sudden loss of their Shepherd mix Murphy on January 27, 2021, to an aggressive cancer. Our story is unique in how it intertwined in such a special way with the big brother I never got to meet. At 10 months old I was dumped off at Rusty’s Legacy on Christmas Day 2020, the same day Murphy got so sick. Mom stayed up all night with Murphy that fateful Christmas, and I spent that Christmas night scared, confused, and abandoned by the family I thought loved me. The same foster mom and shelter that rescued Murphy also rescued me – small world! It gets better: as Murphy’s cancer quickly took over, Mom let Jeri at Rusty’s Legacy know how sick he was and that he would pass soon. The night before my big brother went to heaven, my foster mom sent my mom-to-be a picture of me to think on, not knowing Murphy would pass so soon. During January, Camp Bow Wow took me in to help me conquer my fear and anxiety, giving me a better chance of being adopted. I got to play with other dogs all day, and the people there were so nice to me! On February 6, 2021, Mom came to meet me for the first time. She brought Shep, Jordan, and Riley too. They took me with them that day, and I found my forever home.

I’m a great little boy – and especially very faithful to Mom – but still a work in progress. I have leftover fear and anxiety issues from my past, but Mom and Dad continue to help me work through them with the help of a professional trainer as well. I’m still learning that being touched and loved on is okay, and I’m still working on being able to go to the vet without being a brat. My two-year anniversary with Mom and Dad is February 6th, but my real birthday is March 8th when I’ll turn 3 – at least I’m past the terrible twos!

I’m still the middle child, and I will always be a work in progress. I have leftover fear and anxiety issues, but Mom and Dad continue to help me work through them. I’m still learning that being touched and loved on is okay, and I’m still trying to figure out how to go to the vet without being a brat! My three-year anniversary was on February 6th, but I actually turned four years old on March 8th. I was recently diagnosed with a small tear in my left knee; it doesn’t slow me down much, and Mom gives me great supplements to help. I also see a doggy physical therapist and a chiropractor.

Rosie was adopted on November 11, 2022, and came to us named Connie. We decided to call her Rosie (a.k.a Rosebud) as she joined our household. Rosie came to us with worms of all kinds – heartworms, hookworms, and round worms. She was very successfully treated for the heartworms Spring 2023 and has done well; however, it took us a full year to rid the pack of the worms which seemed to be very persistent.

She’s approximately four years old – about the same age as Rocky – and they are inseparable buddies and have been very good for each other. Rosie is still very shy with strangers and, like many German Shepherds, gets occasional GI upset but is quite healthy overall – we are so grateful for this! Rocky has taught her all of his bad habits that include running the fence line, chasing squirrels, and barking at all the neighbors’ dogs. She has been a great addition to our family and has helped replace the hole in our hearts from losing our long-time girl Jordan.

Casper was initially seen in Dr. Bowman-Hensley’s neighborhood the first part of June 2023. Dr. Bowman-Hensley would catch glimpses of her for a few days but eventually caught her hanging out under the bird feeder, trying to survive. After a few days of feeding her, Dr. Bowman-Hensley realized she was hurt and trapped her on June 13, 2023. She was likely injured by a hawk and had significant wounds, especially on her head.

Dr. Bowman-Hensley started caring for her at home with her veterinarian’s help and nursed Casper back to health with the intent to adopt her out – Dr. Bowman-Hensley had never had a cat in her life! As the summer progressed, the shelters were full, and their friends and neighbors were unable to take Casper. Dr. Bowman-Hensley ended up keeping her as her own and went to great lengths to separate her from the dogs at home. As the winter came on, they set up places for her both inside their home and at the office. If you look closely in the upstairs window, you might see Casper in the loft watching you come in the door! For now, she stays at the office during the work days and goes home with Dr. Bowman-Hensley on weekends. She has quite the personality and radiates all the qualities that cats are known for, but they love her dearly!

Jasper was part of the litter of feral cats that Dr. Bowman-Hensley and her staff had been taking care of since COVID started. Jasper started coming by the summer of 2022 and has been the most frequent flyer out of the feral litter. He would wait to see Dr. Bowman-Hensley’s car and lay low nearby in the bushes because he knew he’d get a good meal that day!

Jasper disappeared in early January 2024, and Dr. Bowman-Hensley’s heart fell as she knew something had probably happened to him. After a few days he reappeared, and Dr. Bowman-Hensley’s fears were confirmed when she noticed he had been hurt. She very much feared for his ability to weather his injuries with the coldest air of the winter coming that weekend. Dr. Bowman-Hensley was referred to Friends 2 Feral, and they helped trap him that same day and hospitalized him for the care he needed for 10 of the next 12 days. Dr. Bowman-Hensley worried very much that he would not pull through as he was still very underweight with very serious injuries that needed to heal. Early on, as Dr. Bowman-Hensley gained his trust and started assessing him more fully, it became very apparent that a coyote had likely nearly killed him; we feel it is a miracle he survived the injuries, even with the professional help he received. He was way too sick and injured to turn back outside as is customary, and Dr. Bowman-Hensley and her staff have been fostering and nursing him back to health.

After three full months, Jasper’s physical and emotional scars healed so nicely, and he started putting on weight. Jasper slowly started trusting Dr. Bowman-Hensley and Hannah enough to easily pet him and climb up on their laps! It has been a joy to watch him come out of his shell and learn to trust us. Dr. Bowman-Hensley intends to keep him as little brother to Casper, but that remains to be seen as Miss Congeniality is not having anything to do with him just yet!