SAINTS Rescue

A body is a body. We all age. Things decline. What used to work fine may not anymore, or may perform in alternative ways. Our pets are no different. Sweet Meah's vision and hearing have both declined in the 5 months she's been with us. Her cognitive ability is also somewhat different. She is 17, which is about equal to our 84 years. There are BOUND to be changes. Aging does not make anyone any less valuable. It just means we adapt to her needs instead of the other way around.

Sunday night staff / volunteer pics 🤩

Leila and I have been volunteers at SAINTS since its very beginning in 2004, so it probably won’t surprise anyone that another SAINTS animal has found her way into our home and our hearts.

Zoey came to SAINTS toward the end of March. She arrived at just 42 pounds with a serious skin infection. She is now a healthy 61 pounds. Her people had wanted her euthanized, but thankfully the vet clinic convinced them to surrender her instead. They transferred her to SAINTS, and yesterday she officially came home with Leila and me. Leila filled out the adoption paperwork, so she’s ours completely now.

Losing Rayne last August was hard. We adopted him from SAINTS back in May 2017, and even with his Type 1 diabetes he was the most social dog. Leila could take him anywhere. Before that, she had lost Raleigh in the fall of 2021. He was a foster fail thanks to his “aggression” issues, but Leila “rehabilitated” him through the world of dog sports. After losing both boys, she really missed having a bright, active dog in her life. And 8 years of age Zoey still has a lot of pep and zip in her.

So when I told her about Zoey, she didn’t hesitate. She wanted to meet her right away. The first introduction… well, it did not go well. For either of them. But after several visits (with me tagging along), things slowly started to click. We even had a couple of visits at our home so she could meet our dogs and cats. The cats are still another story entirely.

Zoey absolutely loves Leila. She would love to love our dogs too, if they’d let her. That part will take time. She’s great with them; they’re just a bit wary of her. She’s very excited about the cats, and she seems perfectly fine with people.

The photos you’ll see are:
1. Zoey with Leila
2. Zoey meeting our nervous nellie, Violet
3. Zoey two minutes after meeting our niece
4. Riddick, the big goof, who is reluctant to meet her and ran inside
5. Violet running upstairs when she sees Zoey coming — and Zoey being very unsure about going up the stairs

PS: I wasn’t thrilled about taking on a fourth dog. King — our third dog, whom Zoey will never meet — isn’t good with dogs or people. Thankfully, our house is big enough that we can keep him separated without crating. Violet and Riddick are foster fails because of their huge fear issues, so I really thought I was bringing home another “crazy” dog. But I think Zoey is going to be our dog.

She feels like a good tribute to Rayne, who was our last normal dog.

If you believe in the work SAINTS does — the seniors, the special‑needs animals, the ones who need a soft landing — please consider donating to our Amazing Raise Campaign. https://petfundr.com/amazingraise2026

Zoey thanks you for donating to the place that literally saved her life.
- Sheila