Special-Need Animals Stories

Orange tabby kitten hugging and giving a kiss to Jeff, the blind black and white kitten, while lying together in a bed

Blind kitten gets by with help from his friends

Jeff needed emergency surgery to remove both of his eyes, but the kitten was quickly on the road to recovery thanks to a crew of good friends.
Watch his improvement following surgery
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Frankie the dog in the lap of a person who is reading "101 Dalmatians" to him

Deaf dog loves story time

Even though he can’t follow along with his ears, Frankie loves it when people read to him.
It's fun for everyone
Best Friends Magazine
Ruthie the dog with three people (two in military uniforms) in front of a large vehicle

Faces of No-Kill: 3-legged dog earns her military stripes

Ruthie went from a scared, injured puppy in a shelter to bringing joy to combat veterans who defuse bombs for a living.
She's loving her therapy dog training
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Turtle the kitten wearing her protective helmet

Faces of No-Kill: Kitten with serious head wound gets custom helmet

Shelter collaboration, community support, and TLC help Turtle the kitten survive and thrive.
Joint effort helps save special kitten
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Evelyn the kitten sitting in a sunbeam meowing at a much larger black and white cat

Cats pamper kitten with purrs

After losing her home, an incontinent kitten joins a team of doting feline caregivers in Cat World.
See how she's thriving
Best Friends Magazine
Pancake the tortoiseshell cat lying in a bed

Drawn to adopt a cat with special needs

Pancake needs special care due to her incontinence, but Dakota doesn't mind. In fact, it's the reason she decided to adopt her.
See how she fits in
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Tax the dog, looking forward with mouth open in a smile

Anxious dog who’s deaf finds comfort with new family

Life seemed overwhelming for Taz when he arrived at Best Friends, but now he’s learning how to confidently navigate the world with his new family.
Read how he's settled into his new home
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Spartacus the cat lying on a plaid blanket next to a blue bowl

Miracle cat's healing journey

Faces of no-kill: Beautiful, blue-eyed cat Spartacus came to Best Friends with a broken leg and a terrible respiratory infection, but today he’s thriving in his new home.
See how he's doing now
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Sweet Baby James the puppy in a wheelchair

Foster home helps puppy stand tall

Faces of no-kill: Sweet Baby James could hardly even crawl when he first came to the Sanctuary, but today he’s stronger and in a home of his own.
See him now
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RoiLie the dog running in his wheelchair

Big love for little dog with wheels

An injury changed RoiLie’s life, but his huge personality and a whole lot of love keep him going strong.
See him in his home
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Precious the black and white cat

Paralyzed cat has sweet spirit that can’t be stopped

Life for Precious hasn’t always been easy or kind, but she never fails to find something to purr about.
Read about her progress
Best Friends Magazine
Leonsio the blind orange tabby cat lying on a couch with a Hello Kitty pillow behind him

Blind cat sees the good in everything

Leonsio couldn’t see at all and was skinny and matted when he was found outdoors, but he still sought love and gave it in return.
See how far he's come
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Dolly Parton the cat lying on a couch behind Scott

Three-legged cat is full of surprises

Dolly Parton’s new family was prepared to make their home accessible to her, and then she showed them how much she could do.
She made herself right at home
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Person holding a smiling Java the Chihuahua dog in a lap

Little dog is living large

Java has spina bifida and had difficulty walking when she came to Best Friends, but today the Chihuahua has found her stride.
Read how she's settled in
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Fawkes the Shar-Pei dog wearing a tag on her collar

Wrinkly dog gets comfortable in her own skin

Fawkes was miserable with patchy skin, painful paws and a double dose of eye issues, but today she feels so much better.
Read about her progress
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