Contrary to the song, there were quite a few clouds in the sky yesterday for our Alumni Pack Walk! But we beat the rain by literal minutes and had a great time seeing everyone! These pack walks are such a fun way for us to continue to stay connected with the dogs we have saved and the families who adore them. We love catching up with you all, hearing all about your dog and seeing how waggy & excited the dogs are to see us. At Lucky Dog, it’s not just an adoption and goodbye, it’s welcome to the family! We host these alumni pack walks on the first Saturday of every month, now that the cooler weather is here we may try to add in another 1 or 2 per month. Would you like that? 🐾Want to join our pack walks? Alumni can sign up on the website. Haven’t adopted from us yet? Don’t worry, we have a ton of amazing dogs just waiting to meet you! Follow the link in our bio to apply now! ::#adopted #family #home #bestfriend #dog #dogmom #dogdad #packwalk #walk #dogwalk #adoptdontshop #dog #puppy #goodboy #goodgirl
BOCELLI PUPDATE! 🐾
The moment we have all been waiting for has arrived. Bocelli is up on four legs and walking! Okay, well, maybe it is a bit more of a hobble, but he is doing it!
As you may remember, Bocelli was found with three broken legs in Kentucky. Since then, he has had two surgeries and is in a splint, but so far, so good! He has about 4 more weeks of rehabilitation left, but then he will be able to join us in Connecticut to find his forever home! We can't wait to meet him.
This little man is so sweet and such a trooper. According to Dr. Jude, "Bocelli is doing awesome. He is the best boy! Three broken legs and tail wags non-stop from day one."
He still has 4 more weeks of vetting ahead of him, so every penny or dollar towards his fundraiser will make a big difference! You can help by sharing this post and raising awareness about this goodest boy! #pleaseshare 🙏🏻
Keep on walkin', Boccelli! You've got this!
#rescue #rescuedogs #adoptdontshop #makeadifference #fundraiser #medicalemergency #hounddog #houndmix
Meet Moore, a 4 month old cowboy from Austin, Texas 🤠🐾
People ask us all the time how we decide which dogs to rescue, and there really is no set formula. Sure, we look at certain behavioral factors and logistics, but what makes us choose THAT dog at THAT moment, when there are so many dogs on broken roads at all times? All I can think is that there must be some invisible string tying our Lucky Dogs to us.
Moore certainly is a very lucky dog - though he may not have guessed it a few months ago. On Juneteenth, 7-week-old Moore was wandering alone through the streets of Austin, Texas, when he followed a kind man home. The man and his partner already had two dogs and were not in a place to take on a puppy, but despite many challenges, they were determined to find him a safe place to land. Easier said than done; overwhelmingly, the response was that the rescues and shelters were full. There is an animal welfare crisis ongoing in this country - especially in Texas - and the number of stray dogs far out numbers the resources available. So everyone was full. We were (are) full.
But there was that invisible string, and it connected a village of people to help this good boy find his way to us. The man mentioned Moore to a friend/co-worker who spread the word. Moore's story landed in front of a friend of ours in Ottawa, who contacted us in Connecticut. We were bursting at the seams with dogs in need...but this friendship went back 15 years, and our gut told us that surely we could squeeze in one little puppy, right?
But we had never pulled from the Austin area before, so we had no network. First, we got lucky and found a transport that stopped in San Antonio. Then Moore's friends agreed to foster him for the additional month to get him updated on his shots. This was starting to look feasible...and it was!
So, on Thursday, Moore said goodbye to his emotional fosters, boarded transport, and started his journey to Connecticut. He arrived at our facility this mornin
The weather wasn’t the greatest this week, but we endured the clouds and humidity to break a couple of the dogs from their usual routine. Though they thrive on consistency we make sure their lives are still enriching. This week Slate, Stella, Sunbeam, Coal and Dahlia went to a private farm/beach property. We got to “drop” the leash and let them enjoy being dogs. Running, splashing, wrestling, swimming and floating their tails constantly wagging. Seeing these dogs, all once abandoned by people, thriving and joyful makes every day worth it. Their pasts behind them as we look forward to their futures. We hope that people see what amazing dogs are in the shelters. The good boys and good girls who deserve a loving home. This week new friendships were made, discoveries were had and tails were wagging. At the end of each field trip the dogs hopped into the cars, eager to return to their beds for a well deserved nap and treat. 🐾All of these dogs and so many more at our shelter are looking for homes. Follow the link in our bio to apply now. Share to your story, you never know who’s looking to adopt! We can only continue saving there precious pups with your help and support!!
If you know Lucky Dog, you know Jessica. She is our director - aka fearless leader, passionate canine advocate, and 100% badass! Of the 900 dogs that have passed through our doors since June 2020, Jess has cared and advocated for every single one. She knows their names, remembers their stories, and loves them all. Her passion and advocacy for our dogs, and all dogs in general, is truly unparalleled.
AND TODAY IS HER BIRTHDAY!!!
We are so grateful for the 900+ dogs Jess has saved, bathed, whelped, pack walked, carried, and loved. Go behind the scenes with as we take a trip down memory lane and throw back to our first days in 2020 and the years that followed. Sprinked throughout, you'll notice just a few of Jess' favorite - and not so favorite - things: Starbucks, cookies, bagels, puppies pooping in sweatshirt, searching for lost dogs, pawdicures, vet runs, modeling bite gloves, turf maintenance, pies in the face, and "decomposing" in a corner 😜 (#iykyk)
So sit back and enjoy as we celebrate Jess! And catch a peek of her adorable little rescuer-in-training 👶, who has walked more dogs in 8 months than most have in a lifetime ... just like his mom 😉
Thank you for everything, Jess, and Happy Happy Birthday!!!! Cheers (with puppies 🍻🐾) to you! 🎉
LETS PLAY A GAME IN HONOR OF JESS! Comment below the names of as many dogs as you can identify in this video. The follower with the most CORRECT names will not only earn bragging rights, but also one of Cam's new designs on a sweatshirt or tshirt of their choosing. So on your marks...get set....go!
If you know Lucky Dog, you know Jessica. She is our director - aka fearless leader, passionate canine advocate, and 100% badass! Of the 900 dogs that have passed through our doors since June 2020, Jess has cared and advocated for every single one. She knows their names, remembers their stories, and loves them all. Her passion and advocacy for our dogs, and all dogs in general, is truly unparalleled.
AND TODAY IS HER BIRTHDAY!!!
We are so grateful for the 900+ dogs Jess has saved, bathed, whelped, pack walked, carried, and loved. Go behind the scenes with as we take a trip down memory lane and throw back to our first days in 2020 and the years that followed. Sprinked throughout, you'll notice just a few of Jess' favorite - and not so favorite - things: Starbucks, cookies, bagels, puppies pooping in sweatshirt, searching for lost dogs, pawdicures, vet runs, modeling bite gloves, turf maintenance, pies in the face, and "decomposing" in a corner 😜 (#iykyk)
So sit back and enjoy as we celebrate Jess! And catch a peek of her adorable little rescuer-in-training 👶, who has walked more dogs in 8 months than most have in a lifetime ... just like his mom 😉
Thank you for everything, Jess, and Happy Happy Birthday!!!! Cheers (with puppies 🍻🐾) to you! 🎉
LETS PLAY A GAME IN HONOR OF JESS! Comment below the names of as many dogs as you can identify in this video. The follower with the most CORRECT names will not only earn bragging rights, but also one of Cam's new designs on a sweatshirt or tshirt of their choosing. So on your marks...get set....go!
🐾 Happy Tail 🐾
A happy tail for a happy Sunday! This week, we wanted to feature our wild child, Willa. This girl was a medical case not once but twice. She has been through it but never lost her sense of joy, and the home she found was totally worth the wait!
In November 2022, Willa was found in the woods and literally carried out on rescuer Stacey's back. She was skinny, but we'd seen worse. Then, 48 hours after she got to Stacey's, Willa declined rapidly and was admitted to the hospital with Parvo. Despite being a very sick girl, Willa rebounded with the same energy and enthusiasm that has become her trademark.
She arrived at Lucky Dog in February 2023 and immediately proved to be the wild child of our pack. She loved playing with dogs, especially Smokey. For reasons we can't explain, she went unnoticed for months during a difficult adoption drought. We thought she deserved the attention and TLC of a foster, so we placed her with Mariah while waiting for her forever home. She loved it!
In November 2023, Mariah called us urgently, saying that Willa wasn't her normal, peppy self and had other concerning symptoms. Willa went to Cornell and was immediately admitted for emergency surgery. Our girl had a splenic torsion, and her foster's attention and quick reaction saved her life. Where were the signs we wondered? We looked back at her files, nothing. Then, deep in messages, we found an off-hand mention from her first days at the vet in Mississippi that her spleen was slightly enlarged but was attributed to her being sick with Parvo so no one was concerned.
Willa rebounded quickly (again), and we knew that once again, fate was on her side when we got an application from a home with another Shepherd. If we could have written a wish list for Willa's forever home, it would have been: canine sibling, access to water, plenty of space to play, and an adopter who can appreciate her quirky husky/shepherd tendencies. This application had all of that and more. Now Wi
🌈 In Memoriam-Molly 🐾
Yesterday, a very special and beloved member of the #luckydogrefugealumni family crossed the Rainbow Bridge. While our hearts are broken, we want to honor her journey because it was a miracle.
Molly was found in a hoarding situation in Mississippi in 2020, where she lived outside, chained up in a dirty dog house. On her side was a horrific tumor, and we thought maybe this would be one we couldn't save. Boy, did she show us! Not only was the tumor successfully removed, but she was also found to be pregnant with what would become known as our Hocus Pocus litter. She whelped her puppies with foster Cathy and her grandchildren in MS, soaking up the attention.
This girl did not have a mean bone in her body...but that body sure was "lorg" (from steroid treatment) by the time she finally arrived in CT. Molly was less than thrilled at first with having to walk off the extra pounds; so much so that she was known to stop midwalk and call a Lucky Dog Uber to pick her up, especially if it was raining. With time, she got to a healthy weight and learned to love (okay, tolerate 😂) her walkies. She also became a spokesdog thanks to her love of absolutely everyone, joining us at events and lounging while her adoring public fawned over her.
In November 2021, Molly hit the jackpot when she was adopted by her forever family. They didn't just love Molly, they cherished her, doted on her, spoiled her. In the two and a half years she was with her family, she did all the living she had previously missed out on and then some! We loved watching her celebrate holidays,and we were overjoyed when Molly made frequent visits for hugs and scritches, always remembering every single one of us.
But it seems that nasty tumor wasn't gone for good, as it kept sneaking back in the form of mast cell tumors. Her family did everything they could, but they kept coming back.
While Molly may have been living on borrowed time, she squeezed every second of happiness out
You told us you wanted to see more happy tail adoption stories, and we heard you! So we thought we would share the incredible story of two energizer bunnies who found love 🐶🐶
Meet Buddy. Buddy was found in August 2022 in eastern Texas with a horrible injury allegedly caused by an animal trap. With half his face missing, Buddy needed our help the most. It took four surgeries (made possible by your donations!) in Texas and at @vca.vrec to reshape his face and create an air passage through the remaining nostril. But nothing could break the stride of this happy boy! Thrilled to be alive, Buddy arrived at Lucky Dog as a bundle of energy and loved everyone he met. He needed an adopter who would appreciate him for his unique look AND give him plenty of adventure. Thankfully, he found just that when he joined his new dad in February 2023 in Oxford, CT. Buddy was having a blast! But, his dad suspected that Buddy might be even happier if he had a canine friend to adventure with.
Enter Ginger. Ginger was found as a stray in Stamford, CT, in December 2023 and taken in by @stamfordanimalcontrolpets. When we heard how sweet she was, we asked if we could bring her to Lucky Dog, where she could play with other dogs and expel some of that pent-up puppy energy. It immediately became apparent that she wanted a family very much. And not just a human family, but a fellow dog that she could play rough and tumble with. That's when we got to thinking: we had two energetic bully breeds who were very dog friendly and who were looking for a companion... could this be fate?
So Buddy's dad brought him by our facility to meet Ginger, and the chemistry was instant! They hit it off like a house and fire, and it was immediately apparent that they were meant to be, and she was adopted on the spot. Since she went home in March 2023, Ginger and Buddy have been inseparable. Whether it's cuddled up in a sunbeam or romping through the woods, these two energetic pups were born to be wild... toge
Yesterday you abandoned your dog. You knew what you were doing was wrong. You slowly walked down the driveway, making sure no one was inside to see you, likely checking our operating hours before arriving. You left her there without a second glance, only a bag of food, some bowls and a note with false information. The crate was not even latched properly; it is pure luck that she did not get out and run into traffic. She frantically barked all morning, hoping her family would come back. We arrived to find her terrified, confused, thirsty and still barking. Each time we’ve brought her outside she’s looking “…where did they go?” she seems to ask. 🐾We reached out to our community of rescuers, trying to find a foster rescue for her, as she is overwhelmed and scared being in the building with other dogs at the facility and we (like so many others) are already overcapacity. That’s when we found out the truth. After being told it was illegal to dump dogs, these people did it anyway when they didn’t get the answer they wanted from another rescue. They didn’t keep trying to find a place, they didn’t make plans for her wellbeing, they just wanted her gone to avoid a fine from their landlords. She hasn’t been to the vet in over a year and is out of date for her vaccines, despite what her note said. Her coat is dirty and greasy. She’s scared, unsure and unable to settle. 🐾We’ve contacted the proper authorities. We are hopeful with the information we were able to collect it will result in at least a fine or citation. 🐾As of now she will stay with us, even though we are full. She has calmed down a bit in one of our offices but she still would do better in a home, without other dogs. Her name is Dallas. She will be loved, cherished, cared for and hopefully, eventually, she will forget what was done to her. We hope she stops looking for the people who left her on the doorstep without a goodbye.
We have a tradition here at Lucky Dog where when one of our team has a birthday, we make a video out of all the photos we have collected of the birthday girl or boy to celebrate them and their dedication to our pups. So we decided to post them from now on and take you all behind the scenes to see what it's like to save dogs every day!
🥳 Today, please join us in wishing Yenifer a very happy birthday! Yenifer joined our dog care team last August and has been an absolute ray of sunshine. Her hard work, humor, and loving nature with the dogs are so appreciated, and she always keeps us laughing. Happy Birthday, Yenifer!! We are so grateful to have you on the team! 🎂
Make Yenifer's day by posting photos of your Lucky Dogs and tagging us! 📸 🐶
#happybirthday #birthday #rescue #rescuedogs #adoptdontshop #makeadifference #puppies
At Subaru Stamford, they don't just love pets, they save lives!
As many of you know, May has been an overwhelming month of emergency cases for Lucky Dog Refuge. But help came when we needed it most! We just received an extremely generous donation of $36,513 from Subaru Stamford to support our cause. Through their #ShareTheLove initiative, a portion of proceeds from every new car sold or leased between mid-November 2023 and early January 2024 was donated to help our dogs most in need.
Three of our May emergency cases stopped by Subaru Stamford this week to shake paws & say THANK YOU!
🐶 Collins and Cornelia are two #labmix #shepherdmix puppies who were being sold online when they contracted the parvovirus, an illness that is extremely deadly in puppies and non-vaccinated dogs. By the time we received the distress call from Cornell University Veterinary Specialists, their sister had already passed and these two were headed in the same direction. Despite knowing that it costs an average of $1,000+ per day, per dog, to treat parvo, we didn't think twice before saying, "Do whatever it takes to save them!" Now, these two happy, healthy puppies have a chance to live the life they so deserve, Parvo-free & ready for forever families.
🐾 Final Vet Bill for Collins & Cornelia: $15,762
🐶 Toad (full name "Flawless Toad") suffered from a urethral prolapse, and he had spent a week bleeding out while his owners took him to various vet hospitals for quotes but declining treatment. Thankfully, VCA Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center called us, and the owners agreed to surrender him to our rescue. We immediately got him the surgery he needed to save his life and relieve his agony. Now, this pint-size cutie is healthy with a new pep in his step as he awaits his forever home.
🐾 Final Vet Bill for Toad: $6,783
All three of these dogs were failed by backyard breeders in our very own state. They were being bred as tools for financial gain without being given the pr
Coal had a special field trip today. He went offsite to a private location where we could drop the leash and let him be a dog. Carefree, worry free and best of all, happy; Coal wasn’t on edge for other dogs or busy streets. He glanced at then ignored the turkeys and geese, most interested in the smells and sights to see. Coal ran, swam and basked in the freedom to just be. Best of all, we didn’t rush him back, today was on his time. After about an hour (though we let him know he could stay longer!) he was content and galloped back to the car, settling in for the drive back to the refuge where he promptly took a nap. 🐺We get the dogs out of their rooms as often as we can. That’s why our set up is different than most, with lots of volunteers, our dedicated staff and an outstanding facility. We change their walking route, explore different parts of Stamford and occasionally take them on a little drive. Keeping their lives enriching, engaging and exciting helps ease the shelter fatigue of every day being the same. 🐺Want to help? Sign up to volunteer now! We have volunteer hours every day from 9am-6pm and you can sign up as often as you’d like. Getting these dogs even more love and care, getting your steps in and some fresh air. It’s the perfect way to unplug for a big, help the community and made a dog’s day. :::#shepherd #fieldtrip #dogday #adopt #woof #friday #fridayvibes
In the face of sorrow, we look at the dogs we were able to save. The lives and love we have been able to give them. A staple at the refuge is Elle, born 3.5yrs ago into our foster’s care she contracted the deadly Distemper Virus in Mississippi. She survived though not without consequences. Elle is deaf, has some brain damage and seizures, but she is a survivor. She is our go to dog to intro other dogs to due to her usually calm and unbothered attitude. Push her buttons though and she’ll show you why this @taylorswift song is perfect for her! 🐾Elle is a miracle, she went through the worst and today lives a life completely catered to her needs and wants. She spends most days out with a variety of pals sunning on the turf. She does like to play and since she doesn’t know how tough she looks. If you stop by the refuge you’ll likely see this unbothered queen snoozing away, at least 3x a week we have to go out and prove to passerby’s she is in fact alive, just in a very deep sleep. 🐾Elle reminds us why we do what we do. No matter the heartbreak seeing the dogs we’ve been able to save makes it worth it. ::#survivor #ttpd #ttpdtaylorswift #ttpdtheanthology #dog #adopt #rescued #adoptdontshop #dogsofinstagram #doglover #rescuedogsofinstagram #rescuedismyfavoritebreed
Please join us in wishing our co-founder Maria Mende a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Without her, this dream of ours would never have been possible. She made Lucky Dog Refuge a reality and supports our dogs every single day. If there's ever a fight, you want her in your corner, and she is in the corner of every dog in need. Her big heart, compassion, and generosity are the reason we have been able to save close to 900 dogs in our 4 years of operations, and there is still so much ahead!
Make her day by posting your #luckydogrefugealumni and tagging us so she can see all the smiling faces she helped save!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARIA (Mom 💜) with love from the entire Lucky Dog Team 🐾
#happybirthday #adoptdontshop #rescue
