Reader Rescue Stories: Meet Snooter, Big Jake and Indiana Jones

Snooter: Happy Nibbler
By Rebecca Lord

: Snooter

My dog Snooter is a 3-year-old Carolina Dog. My daughter adopted her two years ago, right before Snooter was about to be put to sleep. My daughter then moved back in with us and Snooter became my buddy.

I am a stay-at-home mom and since I am with her all day, we really bonded. My daughter called her Chevy to begin with, but when we took her for a walk, we noticed she made a very loud sniffing noise with her nose, so we nicknamed her Snooter. It stuck, and now it is her name.

She always has a smile on her face, and loves other dogs and cats. She has a unique habit of nibbling. Before our cat passed away, she would nibble on his neck and he loved it. They were so cute – they ate and slept together.

Snooter loves to get in the pool, but hates being bathed. She is very friendly, but also very loyal and protective of us. Snooter is a joy to have – and she is not just a dog, she is a family member.

Big Jake: Puppy Love at First Sight
By Rhonda Packard

Big Jake

We actually found Jake as a puppy – well, I say he found us! He was about 3 months old and wandering the streets, bone skinny – you could count all his ribs and vertebrae.

Jake just showed up on our doorstep one morning. My husband told me about him when he came home for lunch. I noticed he was still hanging around outside our door, looking pathetic and hungry, so I fed him. That evening was chilly, so we brought him inside.

When we found him, he could fit inside our cat’s crate. The next morning I fed him and let him out, and put food and water on the step. My husband came home and after he was done with lunch, he went to get in our truck. Jake hopped in and sat in the middle, looking at my husband like, “Let’s go!”

We immediately claimed him because we saw how easily he could be trained and that he was a GREAT dog! We went to the vet and got him all fixed up and gave him a bath. The vet thinks he’s a Boxer-cow dog-Border Collie mix. We agree with that 100 percent. He is a herder and a very lovable, energetic dog!

Later on, we found out he belonged to some drug pushers down the road, but by then he was ours. We would have never let him go just to be abused again.

Jake is now just over 2 years old, and living the good life with us. He no longer fits in the cat’s crate and is in a large crate now, on the rare occasion we do crate him. So spoiled! He’s an indoor dog because we discovered he had really severe allergies to a lot of outdoor plants. However, he loves his daily walks and runs.

Not only is Jake unique in looks, as you can see by the picture, but what I love about him is his distinctive personality. It’s almost as if he understands everything you tell him. He is so smart and well trained. We recently learned hide-and-seek as a new trick.

I wouldn’t trade my baby for anything! He goes everywhere with us, and loves riding in the truck. He’s my forever traveling pal.

Indiana Jones: Adventurous Puppy
By Shawn M. Haufe

: Indiana Jones

When I went to the Maricopa Animal Shelter in Mesa, Ariz., I knew I wanted a dog and that I was probably going to get a puppy, if they had any.

I saw this little puppy all by himself, asleep in a kennel. His tag said he was an 8-week-old Australian Shepherd mix.

I continued to walk around the shelter, but I kept coming back to this little puppy.

I returned to the shelter the next day because I ran out of time the previous day, and I brought my girlfriend with me this time. Again, we walked back and forth between the three bays of the shelter. Again, we came back to this little guy just laying there, not even paying attention to us, sound asleep in his pen.

I told my girlfriend I wanted him and she said okay. So I rushed up to the front desk and asked about the little puppy. The gentleman behind the counter said, “Are you sure? That puppy has a bum leg.”

I said, “Yes,” without hesitation, and the gentleman told us we could adopt him for $85 – half the normal adoption price of $150 – which including neutering and shots.

As we were standing at the counter, an animal control agent overheard our conversation and approached us. The agent said she had brought the puppy in and that he was found abandoned, tossed over a fence in a vacant lot and left there to die.

Listening to the agent, I could not stand it anymore. I whipped out my debit card and told the gentleman, “Let’s do the paperwork.”

I named him Indiana Jones for his adventures leading him to me, and because the third movie has some dialogue that affirms the name.

It has been five months since I adopted Indiana, and he has become my life. I love him and I get compliments on how pretty or handsome he is. His smile wins over the meanest of people.

PHOTOS: Rebecca Lord, Rhonda Packard and Shawn M. Haufe

Sonya Simpkins

Sonya Simpkins is a contributing writer for i Love Dogs, Inc. In her spare time, she loves to take her dogs for long hikes and treks to the beach, out to eat and on long road trips across the county. She then turns those adventures into useful advice for other dog parents who also love to take their dogs with them wherever they go.