Pets and Their Stories

I am named after the island of St. Croix, where I was born and used to live. In 2017, Hurricane Irma struck my island home. I remember trying to hide in a safe place while the wind howled, and the pelting rains seemed to go on forever. When the hurricane was over, a lot of my island was covered in debris and I could not find my friends and family. Fortunately, some wonderful people adopted me and I was brought to America. My new owners are very kind and adopted another puppy just so I would have someone to play with.

I am just a little dog but my owners consider me a hero. They adopted me a year before they had a baby, and from the start, I felt like I was the baby’s big brother. One night, I went to check on the baby and became alarmed when I did not hear her breathing. I ran to my owner’s bedroom and jumped on their bed until they woke up. After that I barked and barked and ran back to the baby’s room. The doctors at the hospital said that the baby would have died if it wasn’t for me. Since that day, I have been given lots of love and extra treats.

​I am a special cat who has had two different names and several lives. When I was born, my owner named me Maximus after a character in a movie. My owner was very surprised when the vet told her I was girl cat and that's how I ended up being called Maxine. I am very small but I can be ferocious. Once I got out of my house at dusk and faced down a really scary coyote. Another time I jumped out of the window of my owner's moving car. Somehow I landed on my feet and my owner found me unhurt and hiding in an alley. I have also survived a very mysterious stomach disorder and lots of anxiety attacks. I love being a cat, and I think I have a few lives left in me yet!

Everyone always call me “one groovy dog.” My owners found me at an all day music festival.  I looked skinny and hungry, so they took me home with them. They posted pictures of me to try to find my original owner but no one came forward to claim me.  My owners are bohemian hippies and they named me after their favorite musical group. They have since adopted two cats who they named Stills and Nash. We all live under the same roof in perfect harmony.

People tell me that I am a cat, but I have always felt and acted like a dog. I was adopted from an animal shelter when I was a young kitten. My owners had two dogs at their house, and they helped raise me. My favorite game to play is fetch, and I like to go on long walks whenever I can. I don’t need a leash like the dogs do, and I think that makes them jealous. The dogs also envy the fact that, unlike them, I am fast enough to catch lizards and mice

My name is Harry, and I live at Voz Animal (Animal Voice) shelter in Orosi, Costa Rica. I arrived at the shelter with a large burn covering one side of my face. I don't remember how I got hurt but the shelter owners think it was an acid burn. I don't let my disfigurement keep me from socializing and having fun. In fact, I am a greeter of sorts as I am often positioned as the first friendly face that visitors see when they arrive at Voz Animal.

I am from Fort Myers, Florida and had a wonderful time while I lived there. My owner was sweet and gentle, and she had lots of grandchildren who would come over and play with me. It was very sad when my owner got sick and died from cancer. Her son found a safe and loving home for me on a farm in Ocala, Florida. Today, I enjoy running around the farm and helping my new owner take care of his horses. 

Though today I am affectionate and cuddly, I haven't always had an easy life. My first owner was addicted to drugs and sometimes her addiction was more important to her than I was. We moved around a lot and often I was left alone for days at a time with no food to eat. I loved my first owner, but she was not healthy enough to take care of me. When she had to go to jail, she made sure to give me to a friend of hers who eventually found me a forever home. I now live with a wonderful family who have three daughters, two dogs and two snakes. Though I am a little wary of the snakes, today I am a very contented cat.

People always say that I have sad eyes, but I have a happy heart. My first owner used to yell at me all the time and would often mistreat me. I was afraid and would hide from him. One day I hid so far away I could not find my way home and got lost. Luckily, I was found by a nice woman who took me to her house and made me part of her family. At first I did not trust that they were not going to yell at me or hurt me, but they were so kind and gentle, I quickly learned to love my home.

I was abandoned as a puppy, but luckily I somehow wandered onto Finca Cristina coffee plantation near Orosi, Costa Rica, where I now live. When I showed up at the plantation, I was covered in blue paint and so the owners decided to call me Blue. The plantation owners are kind enough to let stray dogs like myself call their property home. There are 5 other dogs on the plantation with whom I love to play. I enjoy accompanying tourists as they walk around the coffee farm, and I love eating the overripe bananas that have fallen from the trees. I am now old and blind, but my milky eyes and achy hips don’t stop me from being grateful every day.