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Coco is the newest rescue. She's a 4 year old Morgan mare who came from MA. Her owners were getting too old and needed to find her a home, and since I had Coco's grandmother, Trudy, I was the logical choice.
When Coco arrived she was very nervous because she missed her mother. She had been turned out to pasture with her mother and stabled next to her for four years, and now, she couldn't find her. She shook for two days. I thought she would bond with her grandmother, or with Nynke, but they weren't too friendly, at first. The horses live in my walk-out basement and Trudy does not have a door on her stall because I want her to feel free to walk. She's old and believe me, she's not going to escape from the castle! Trudy and Coco bonded and Trudy would stand beside Coco and they would eat hay together. In September 2014, Trudy, at the age of 27, passed on. Coco became angry - she was grieving for her friend and companion. It wasn't until recently (May 2015) that Coco calmed down and stopped tearing down her stall. She loves to be touch and I touch her every chance I get. We humans are so dense to think that animals don't feel the loss of their friends and companions. 
Walter Pigeon was rescued from the vet's office. Someone brought him into the vet's with a broken wing. I happened to walk in and my vet, Don, asked me if I would rehabilitate him. He was with me for four years.
A car full of 34 guinea hens
I rescued from Byfield, Massachusetts 
Some of the ducks I rescued.
This is a picture of the first horse I owned - a dark brown Morgan mare my then boyfriend named after me. When we broke up, I got to keep her, and when I got married and moved to NH, she came with me.
She lived a long and very comfortable life with me. 
After Dylan and Daisy passed on, Daphne went into a deep depression. There wasn't anything I could do to console her so I called Boxer Rescue and asked Jan if she had a male dog I could adopt. She told me about five year old Brandy who had a heart murmur. I didn't get a good feeling about saying yes because I needed a dog who could be active and run through the woods. Then Jan told me about a two year old former show dog whose owners were getting too old to show and they wanted to place him in a good home. I asked his name and she said Fraiser. That's the one, I said. How do you know Jan asked? It's a sign I said - Daphne is on the Fraiser show....I know he's the dog for us.
That following Saturday, on the way to southern Massachusetts, I stopped in to see Jan and Daphne got to meet Brandy. Daphne had no interest in Brandy at all and climbed on my lap. I thanked Jan and proceed to MA.....three more hours to go. When I pulled into Fraiser's driveway, I could see him in his kennel sitting and looking in my direction. As I walked up to him, he started getting all excited as Boxers generally do when they see someone new. His owner said that he had been sitting there all day as though he was waiting for someone. When his owner opened Fraiser's door, he jumped all over me. He had never been that excited to see anyone I was told. I brought Fraiser to the car to see Daphne and she got excited and smiled. Fraiser jumped in the car and settled in for the ride home. What Fraiser's owners didn't tell me was that he had never been in the house before. He had an inside/outside kennel. The first thing Fraiser did when he got into the house was to jump on the couch and watch TV. He was fascinated by the television. I took Fraiser upstairs to bed with me - another novel experience! He settled in beside me and Daphne, but got very upset the next morning because he didn't know where to pee and poop! So, as I was trying to calm him down and take him outside, he proceeded to pee and poop all the way down the stairs. There was shit all over the walls! And by the time we got outside, there wasn't anything left in him. What a mess! I have found that whenever I rescue a dog, he or she becomes very protective of me or my car. The reason for this behavior is because they know how much they are loved and will do anything not to have to go back to their former life. Rescue dogs love and protect their rescuer. Fraiser was my vibe tester. Whenever someone came near me, he would get in between them and me and nip at his/her hand. He was trying to tell me to beware. He was so good at reading energy. When I went grocery shopping, he went with me. If a grouchy old man or lady walked by the car, or anyone who was negative, Fraiser would jump at the window and bark at them. He would only to this to people whose energy was off. My soon-to-be-ex-husband was yelling at me and threatening me when Fraiser bit him. That was a warning to my husband not to treat me that way. Fraiser was my constant companion and passed on the day before Thanksgiving in 2002, months before this 10th birthday. 
This is Bailey, a ten year old Ragdoll cat I rescued this spring. His owner could no longer keep him in her apartment, so she placed an ad on www.rescueme.org and my girlfriend, Debbie, called me to tell me I had to rescue him. His original owner died and Allie adopted him only to have to surrender him months later. Once I rescue an animal, I care for it until it passes on.
Without a doubt, the saddest and most unloved dog I ever rescued was Sugar.
One day, my plumber drove to my house and knocked on the door. You do Boxer Rescue, right? he said. Yes, I do. Well, if you don't take her, I'm going to shoot her. Without hesitation, I brought Sugar into the house and downstairs to the bathroom where I spent an hour bathing her. She was filthy. Later, I discovered that I was Sugar's tenth home. She was purchased as a fighting dog, but wouldn't fight, so someone used her as bait. She has scars all over her little body. Then, she went to someone who lived in a trailer and he put out his cigarettes on her head. We met one of Sugar's former owners by accident one day, and when she took a look at him, she started to shake. Immediately, we walked away from this man who must have done something awful to her for her to have that reaction. Sugar was with me for three years and passed on after having six grand mal seizures in one day. Sugar won my heart and I was so grateful to be able to give her the love she so deserved. Whenever I rescue or foster a dog, I spend time with them in the bathroom. Showering them cleanses away not only the dirt, but the negative energy of their previous owner. You would be surprised how an abused animal reacts to kindness. In Sugar's case, she was filthy and there was so much dirt in her ears that it took literally over an hour to clean her. And depending upon the season, I do the same with horses......bathe them and spend time bonding with them because moving to a new home is traumatic for animals even though they are going to a better place. Animals have fears too, especially of the unknown. Even though they can read energy and understand their rescuer's intentions, the physcial surroundings are new to them, which makes them cautious. |
The 2 sultan brothers - Frick and Frack-
were adopted by me when they were a week old. Someone purchased them at a fair. They were supposed to be hens. The creep at the fair was selling all his roosters as hens. I ended up with a dozen of them. 
One day, I received a call from Jan of Boxer Rescue. She started the conversation with: "you're Bianca's last hope". Who is Bianca? I asked. Bianca is a white deaf Boxer who has been in a shelter in Ohio for over 6 months and she is going to be killed tomorrow. Can you help her? Of course was my answer, so Jan made arrangements to have Bianca shuttled from Ohio to Vermont so I could claim her.
I was supposed to foster Bianca until Jan found her a home, but Jan had trouble finding her a forever home, and since Bianca bonded with me and my other dogs, I told Jan that we would keep her. Jan made me promise never to let her off leash, but I couldn't do that because I had learned to communicate with Bianca, and besides, there was no way she was going to let me out of her sight. We would go for walks with the other dogs, and when it was time to turn around, I would send her a mental message, and like magic, she would turn around. Bianca was a big girl - not fat - just big and weighed 109 pounds. I love you Bianca. I have a friend who sees spirits and when she comes to my house, she'll ask: " whose the big white dog walking around?" It's Bianca...... 
The white and dark grey rabbit is Vesta. She was rescued from the Humane Society and passed away recently.
Vesta and Lucky
This is a picture of Nugget, who was a dorm bunny, and rescued over the internet.
Lucky, the black rabbit,
was re-homed from a local shelter. 
Sally
Here's the story with Munchkins. When I was a teenager, I had a Siamese cat named Soames who was my constant companion and traveled with me by car everywhere. I lost him a couple of times because he got into other people's cars. I was heart broken when Soames died in the late 70's.
When I had the sanctuary for black bears, I went - every night - to the local Dunkin Donuts to get the left-overs that were thrown away every night. I did this all year round even though the bears went into hibernation in November. One winter night in February, I was coming home and started throwing munchkins out for the skunks or other animals that were hungry. As I passed a snowbank, I saw a little kitten sitting on it. I turned around immediately and stopped just by the snow bank and talked to the kitten. I got out of my car and picked her up and as soon as I did, I saw Soames' face. The kitten snuggled up to me and calmly sat on my lap for the ride home. There was no doubt in my mind from the way the kitten acted that she was Soames. Later, I had this checked by an animal intuitive who told me that she - Munchkins - was my cat Soames. I was very lucky to have a relationship with this cat twice in one lifetime. 
This is Snowball. I rescued him from a man at the Danbury, NH dump.
Snowball had a twin and the man could only keep one cat, so I agreed to adopt him. A month or so later, I adopted Snowball's brother, whose name I can not remember. At one time, I had 12 cats in the house and everyone got along beautifully. There was only one cat in the many I adopted that wasn't happy. He was a Siamese who knocked out the screen and never was to be seen again. My husband and I rescued two kittens from the NH Humane Society - Cheech and Chong (his heroes). They were house cats who occasionally went outside. On day, Chong wanted to go outside, so I let her. She never came back into the house. I would see her in the woods and she would run away. I often saw her in the field, but she wouldn't come to me. The only time she came to the door is the night my beloved Deja had a heart attack in my arms. I heard a noise at the door and turned around to see Chong looking inside. When I started to get up to let her in, she took off and I never saw her again. 
This is Gracie and oh, what a trip she was. Boxer Rescue asked me to foster her until a home could be found. Jan, the Boxer Rescue Lady, told me that Gracie was dog aggressive. In reality, Gracie was a real sweet heart, but not socialized at all, and she had a mind of her own. Anyway, Gracie was with us for a couple of weeks and then adopted by a young woman. Gracie gave her new owner the run for her money. Whew....Gracie took off every chance she got. It wasn't a compatible match because Gracie needed more structure than her new owner could give her. After a couple of frustrating years, Gracie found her way back into my life. She had never been able to run free because she wouldn't come back. I had a heart to heart with Gracie and told her that she was loved and that I was going to treat her exactly like my other dogs and I expected to her obey the house rules, which weren't many. Gracie and I, along with my other dogs, Lily, Beasley, Mirabella, Sugar and Bianca would go for walks in the woods every day, and never once did Gracie take off. She was a delight....She was here for about 4 years, and one night at 330am, I heard a crash. She had fallen out of bed and had a heart attack. She is buried underneath the Mulberry tree. We love you Gracie!!!
Sweetie Pie and Jericho
Sweetie Pie was a rescue - she was vanilla, chocolate and caramel - and a real sweetie pie who was with us for years. Jericho was my husband's cat who didn't like other cats and enjoyed being the queen, but for some reason really loved Sweetie Pie. 
Bailey in a bag...He's the ten year old
Ragdoll I adopted. 
Sammy is the first Ragdoll I rescued. My friend, Debbie, received a call from a woman who was moving and needed to find a home for Sammy immediately. If she couldn't find a home for him, she was just going to leave him on the street. Sammy has been with me now for 6 years.
Jimmy was saved from the stew pot. He was a really mellow rooster who didn't attack me as some roosters do when they are protecting their flocks.
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Joshua was one of the many
black bears who was under my care when I lived in Danbury. Mother bears would wean their babies and leave them on my doorstep. Joshua and his brother, Tyko, were on my stairs one morning. I became their surrogate mom. They would follow me around. I could pat them too. My bedroom was on the ground floor and every morning at 530, Joshua would tap on my window. I told him that I wasn't getting up for another hour, and then, at 630, he would tap again. This time I got up and fed him. Boy, they had me trained!! 
Another picture of Coltan.
Molly was saved from an early grave by Boxer Rescue. Molly's parents were always fighting and on the verge of a divorce. The wife loved Molly, but the husband didn't, so he made an appointment to have Molly killed. The vet called the wife to verify the appointment who was appalled and hid Molly in a local kennel until I could pick her up for Boxer Rescue. I took Molly to my house so that Jan, the Boxer Rescue lady, could find her a permanent home. I introduced Molly to my five Boxers and we never had a problem. She was with me for a week until Jan placed her with a nice couple in Belmont, NH. I have found that rescued animals never forget the person who saved them.
Last week, I received a call from Molly's new parents. They were a bit upset because they took Molly camping and let her off leash. Molly knows that her job is to protect her new mommy and daddy and when Molly saw two dogs coming her way, she went after them. This scared her new parents. Firstly, they should not have had Molly off-leash in a strange place. Since Molly is going to protect her mommy and daddy, in a strange place, she's even more vigilant. I explained this to Molly's human parents and told them that I would bring my dogs to Molly so that she can get accustomed to other dogs being around her parents. The first day I went to see Molly, I started thinking about her and sending her thoughts like: Molly, you have to be a good girl and not go after strange dogs because it makes your mommy and daddy nervous and they might give you up. When I drove into the driveway, Molly was in the window. She had been there all day looking up the driveway and watching for me. Her dad said that it was really weird because she had never done that before. Molly has fallen in love with her new dad. She loves her new mom, but her dad is special to her. One evening Molly and dad were lying in bed and mom tried to climb into bed and Molly growled at her. I told Jan, the Boxer Rescue lady, and she laughed. Her husband's dog, Hazel, won't let Jan into bed because Hazel has to sleep next to Joe, Jan's husband. Jan told me to tell Molly's mom to make herself comfortable on the couch. Molly's dad said that they were going to solve the problem by getting a bigger bed. Here's a 2015 update on Molly: She is doing great! She and her humans go camping every weekend and Molly gets to chase the turkeys. She doesn't want to hurt them - she just wants to keep them away from her "spot". It makes me feel so good when I'm able to help an animal. 
Daisy, Daphne and Dylan. I rescued Daisy and Daphne from a veterinarian who bred Boxers. At the time, I rescued these two dogs, he had 26 dogs in crates, one on top of the other. The dogs were allowed to go out twice a day - that is it. They were not socialized.
Daphne was two when I adopted her. She was so angry at being caged, but so excited to be free. The first day I saw Daisy, she bonded with me instantly. She would not take her eyes off me, and when I was finally able to adopt her, she never left my side. I had known her in a past lifetime, which is why she had such strong connection with me. Because Daisy loved me so much, Daphne was jealous of her, and when Daisy came down with cancer, Daphne picked on her and tried to beat her up on several occasions. Trip her trigger and Daphne went from lovey dovey to fighting demon. I had Daphne at the time when I was caring for and feeding the black bears. I had a chat with Pandar who I fed next to the barn. I told him that I would provide food, shelter and water for him in exchange for a promise not to hurt my dogs. I told him about Daphne, in particular, being a bit bossy. A few days later, I let Daphne out to tinkle, and I could tell from the way she was sniffing the air that I had made a mistake. Sure enough, Daphne took off like a rocket for the barn and I was in hot pursuit. By the time I rounded the corner to the barn, I saw Pandar lying down eating birdseed and Daphne trying to intimidate him with her barking. He looked at me and with his right paw, in slow motion, pushed Daphne aside and continued eating his lunch. From that day on bossy little Daphne respected the bears. I had to release Daisy because she had brain cancer, and a couple of years later, Dylan followed. When Daphne lost Dylan, she fell into a deep depression until I adopted Fraiser. Daphne died of a stroke in 1998. In 1999, I purchased three dogs, Lily, Beasley and Mirabella to keep Fraiser company. 
I had to drive to Vermont to pick up Walter from a Humane Society. When he saw me, he couldn't wait to leave the shelter. Jan, the Boxer Rescue lady, told me about Walter and how he was deaf. On my drive to Vermont, I sent Walter some loving thoughts, so by the time I arrived at the shelter, he was waiting for me. He jumped in my car and sat in the front seat. I was supposed to deliver him to someone in Concord who was going to relay him to Boston. The woman I met in Concord had no experience with dogs at all, and when I told her that Walter was deaf, she started yelling at him. Okay, I said.....this isn't going to work out. You can't yell at a deaf dog, you have to establish sign language. I called Boxer Rescue and told Jan that under no circumstances was I going to leave Walter with this woman. I took Walter home and he lived with us for about a month until Jan found the perfect home with Joey and Diana who had several Boxers and knew how to communicate with deaf dogs. They changed Walter's name to Waldo because he was a goof ball. He lived a long and very comfortable life in Massachusetts.
Gracie and Bianca.
Bianca was rescued from a shelter in Ohio. She was scheduled to be euthanized because no one wanted her. When Jan, the Boxer Rescue lady, heard about this, she called me and asked me to foster her until she could find the right home - someone who wanted a deaf dog. Bianca was relayed from Ohio to Vermont where I picked her up and brought her to my house. She fit in beautifully with the other dogs and I was able relate to her without a problem, so I kept her. Jan asked that I never let her off lease because she was deaf, but I wanted to treat Bianca like the other dogs and let her run free. We would go for daily walks, and whenever it was time to turn around and go home, she was always the first one to do so. It happens all the time- whenever I rescue a dog, they never let me out of their sight for fear of losing me and their new life. 
I rescued Dorito a few weeks ago. He's a two year old Himalayan cat who was surrendered because his owner was allergic to him. It is amazing to me that people will pay from six hundred to one thousand dollars for a cat and then surrender it. Dorito's eyes weep. I wipe them twice a day and they are getting better. He is one of the sweetest cats I have ever had. Normally, when I rescue a cat, he or she hides for about a week. This little guy hid for a day and that was it - he found my lap.
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On the other hand, Rusty, the rude rooster, would sneak up behind me and attack me. He was a complete imbecile because I rescued him from the soup pot and he wasn't grateful. He now resides with Ann and Philip at their sanctuary in Chichester, and occassionally, they have to give him the side of their boot because he's up to his old tricks again.
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All rescues....hens, roosters and ducks. There are some folks who think that chickens are stupid - they are not. I had a Barred Rock hen named Betty who would sing to me. When I was at my computer, she would sit on my lap, and sing. She was a small hen and I carried her around in my jacket and she never pooped on me. There were times when we would go for a car ride and she sat peacefully on my lap. One day, when she was on my lap, she looked at me, extended her leg wing and died.
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Rosie, the Muscovy duck, and her brothers were given to me. Rosie and I had a special bond - she loved to play fly and fetch. During the winter, she would fly into the deep snow and I had to fetch her, so I would make my way through knee-deep snow to pick her up and carry her back to the barn. I knew it was a game because she only did this when I was around.
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One Friday morning, I received a phone call from a distraught woman who had taken in her daughter's dog because her daughter had moved into an apartment that did not allow dogs. Mya is an almost two year old white Boxer who was moved to her 5th home.
The woman said that Mya did not get along with the other dogs and should be the only dog in the household. I didn't get that sense about Mya. I brought her home and introduced her to my four dogs - 2 females and 2 males. She made herself right at home and played beautifully with them. But, Mya had issues - she wasn't housebroken. I didn't discover this until I walked on the dining room rug barefooted and it was soaked. It took a while to house break her. After 5 homes, enough was enough, she found her forever home. 
I received a call from a friend whose nephew rescued a Boxer mix from a kill shelter in Tulsa, Oklahoma. However, the young man has cerebral palsy and couldn't keep up with an active dog with emotional issues. So, on July 13th, 2013, Buddy arrived from Tulsa to his new home in Rumney.
Buddy had lots of emotional issues and separation anxiety was one of them, which is why I knew that I could never place him with anyone. For the first couple of weeks, he was fine when I left for a couple of hours. Then one day, I came home to find that he tore up a 5x8 wool rug, demolished a potted plant, tore up some couch pillows and shit all over the place! I contacted my vet who suggested Prozac. That did the trick! He was on Prozac for 6 months and he hasn't destroyed anything in the house since. Buddy has been here for three years now and has gotten into a lot of trouble. I let him have some freedom because he loves to run and always came back when I called him. Until one day he met a porcupine and ended up in surgery for 4.5 hours, which cost me $1500.00! There were three more incidents with a porcupine bringing the vet bill up to $3800!! Needless to say, Buddy is under house arrest! I take him for walks and tie him outside, but he's not allowed to roam free anymore. Someday, when we have a fenced-in yard, he can have his freedom back, but until then..... |
As you can see, Stanley and Mya like to play with each other. Both dogs made themselves at home in record time. Generally, it takes a rescue dog from 8-12 weeks to feel at home, but both dogs became used to the routine in two days.
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This is Stanley, a five year old black Boxer who finally found his forever home.
One day, I received a call from the Boxer Rescue lady, Jan Fournier, asking for help with Stanley. He needed a structured home because he had issues - he liked to be in charge.
Stanley was purchased as a puppy by a woman who lived in Manhattan, and when he got too big for the apartment, he was sent packing. From Manhattan, he ended up in Connecticut. He was placed in two homes, but they didn't work out. Finally, for the last year, he has been in foster care. When I told Boxer Rescue that I would provide a forever home for Stanley, I started talking to him telepathically. I would visualize him and send him messages about his new home and what I expected of him. When he saw me, he was so excited to see me and jumped into my car and curled up in the front seat. He has made himself at home. However, after a couple of days, Stanley started testing me and even showed me his pearly whites. We had a little discussion about inappropriate behavior and Stanley got the message.....for awhile anyway. Stanley was allowed to sleep on my bed. One night, he tried to push me off the bed. I asked him to get off and he growled at me. I lowered my voice and told him to get off the bed. He knew that I meant business! I told him to go down stairs. Since he has snapped at people before, I could not let him get away with inappropriate behavior. Stanley has been here for three years now and has mellowed quite a bit, but he still needs consistency and structure. |
Present Rescues.......
Contrary to what people may think, chickens are pretty smart. Every night, I would check my chickens before I went to bed, and on one particular cold evening, I found a Rhode Island Hen half frozen. Somehow, she had broken her leg and was unable to move around to keep warm. I picked her up and wrapped her in my fleece jacket and took her to the house to defrost. I held her next to me so that my body heat would keep her warm. She started perking up,and when she was conscious, I placed her in a dog crate on the radiant floor. The next morning she was talking up a storm. I named her Evelyn. She stayed in the house for a month until her leg healed. She always had a limp and everyday, when she saw me, she would run over to me yakking all the way. I would pick her up and walk around with her.....she was such a neat hen. I have found that the best layers are Rhode Island Red and Barred Rocks. Most of my hens are between six and eight years old, and occassionally, I get an egg or two a day. They have served me well and now it is the time to serve them. My hens and roosters never end up in a soup pot.
Gabby weighing in at 4 pounds.
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George and Gigi came from Massachusetts in July 2015.
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