There’s a reason why a lot of people say “adopt, don’t shop” when somebody is thinking of getting a new pet. There are a lot of animals that would love nothing more than to find a nice home, but only seem to experience abuse or neglect before a shelter takes them in.
But as much as the people in those shelters may care for these animals, there’s only so much they can do before someone comes along and adopts.
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And these photos offer a revealing look into both the challenges and the rewards of taking that step.
Lup here was still very shaken when this man brought her home, but the difference a year later is like night and day.
Today, he describes her as “a hyperactive basket case who has eaten all of my blankets and of course I love her to death.”
This cat was part of an abandoned litter found in a basement, but his troubles didn’t stop once he was adopted.
Indeed, he had to fight ringworm for about three months, but he is now much happier and healthier a year later.
When the adopter found this little guy in their friend’s backyard, he was doing about as poorly as it seems.
He had fleas, he was starving and–naturally–he was terrified. However, he’s perfectly cuddly now that he’s had seven months of loving care.
Unfortunately, we have a much better idea of what Theo here went through before he was rescued.
He and his brother had to live in a house with five other dogs and all of them had to fight for what little food there was. On top of that, the owner was likely physically abusive.
Although new people can still make him nervous, he’s in a much more relaxing environment now.
There’s a reason Kit here looked so solemn on the day he was rescued.
At the time of this first picture, he was severely ill with a viral infection. Now, he’s in much better health and we can actually see his pretty eyes.
This is Dahlia and she had the profound displeasure of living in a hoarder’s house.
She was infested with fleas, very malnourished, and somehow ended up with the worst ears the vet who checked her out had ever seen.
But nowadays, the owner says you couldn’t ask for a happier, more affectionate dog.
Shea the Indian ringneck parakeet somehow survived undernourishment and dehydration in the Texas heat long enough to be adopted.
She always looked like a lovely bird, but six months later, we have a better sense of what both she and her plumage are supposed to look like.
If this cat’s way of walking seems a little strange in the first picture, that’s because he had a broken hip.
His adopter said the vet had to remove one of his hip bones because it was healing in an improper and therefore painful way.
However, it seems the muscles could pick up the slack because he now runs and jumps perfectly normally.
Bonnie here was once so skinny that she could be mistaken for a greyhound. Five years later, everything has changed.
Not only has she doubled in weight, but her owner describes her as a “walking tornado”with tons of playful energy.
When this doberman was nine-months-old, she had been abused so badly that she lost the will to live.
She came from an illegal breeder and her owner suspects that her abuser wanted to make her into a tough doberman for fighting or guarding but she was simply too gentle and sweet for either of those roles.
Although she’s more comfortable now, seeing a man with a tall walking stick can give her a panic attack.
Daisy’s adopter found her under their car and apparently had to chase her around the neighborhood before they could bring her to a vet.
By this point, Daisy was already more than 11-years-old. In addition to the matted fur, she was malnourished and had an infected eye.
It’s unclear exactly what happened to her, but the fact that she doesn’t trust men and is terrified of feet likely indicates past abuse.
This dog’s adopter fell in love with those expressive eyes three years ago, but it’s much better to see them expressing joy.
And in those three years, his owner has had plenty of opportunities to see him like this because he’s apparently a very happy boy now.
I should warn you that it’s hard to look at the first picture of Tiny the cat, but it shows how much progress she’s already made.
The uploader said she continues to struggle a lot in life, which is certainly understandable given what she survived.
It’s hard to believe this is even the same dog, which is likely why his owner shared more pictures of his progress.
Wylie here was very close to being put down, but three years of care has obviously worked wonders for him.
Gomez, who’s also known as Gomo, had every reason in the world to be angry five months ago.
The details are sparse, but his previous owner apparently got hot glue on his ears and nose, which removed all of the hair from those areas.
Although the shelter informed Gomo’s new owner that the hair wouldn’t grow back, it seems it already has.
Although Freya here is sleeping in the first picture, she probably wouldn’t be anywhere near as happy and goofy as in the second one if she were awake.
It might just be a perspective issue, but it looks like her coat has even become more colorful since she’s been adopted.
I’m not sure we even want to know what happened to Amory by the time he was six-weeks-old, but he seems to have healed nicely.
Now that he’s seven-months-old, his owner describes him as “destructive,” but also clearly loves him a lot.
Those big smiles somehow look even happier now that we know what came before them.
It’s also amazing that these two were able to be adopted together, even though it’s hard to imagine anybody saying “no” to those faces.
This emaciated dog was at serious risk of being put down before one SPCA worker stepped in.
There’s no telling how long it took to nurse this pup to health, but it’s hard to imagine it being easy. Still, the appreciative look in his eyes was clearly more than worth it.
Luna looks like a completely different dog from the sad state she was in eight months ago.
Back then, she was not only incredibly malnourished, but mange had taken a lot of her hair from her.
Fortunately, she now seems to hold a much healthier amount of hair and lives at a much healthier weight. It’s amazing that her attitude was so bright even back then, though.
