🐾🐶Our 11 Best Pet Transformations of 2023🐱🐾

We couldn't pick just 10! These are our favorite adoptable-pet glow-ups of the year. Unbelievable before-and-afters [View this email in your browser]( Dear Friend, Each year, we ask our grant recipients to send us pictures of pets they've helped who've had the most dramatic rescue transformations. Then we begin the nearly impossible task of choosing a handful to share with you. This year, we simply couldn't narrow it down to a Top 10 — so here are our Top 11! They include dogs like Lulu (pictured above). Lulu Little Paws Dachshund Rescue, South Carolina: "Lulu was found locked in a crate on her owner's porch in 90+-degree temperatures, extremely thin and covered in urine and feces. It was estimated that she had been left there for days; we are unsure about how long she had gone without food." "Once in her foster home, Lulu thrived! She is a sweet dog with a huge personality who loved to explore the yard and play with all the other foster dogs. Lulu was quickly adopted and now has three fur brothers (also all rescues) whom she adores." Justice Helping Hearts & Healing Tails Animal Rescue, Pennsylvania: "This sweet boy had been abandoned by his previous owner without food or water for days, quite possibly weeks. Our Animal Control officers found him lying beside a tree, tied on with a chain and unable to move. He couldn't even stand for long periods of time without falling down. He weighed just 35 lbs. when he should probably weigh about 70 lbs." "In the rescue, he got a comfy bed with soft blankets. From his reaction, he'd probably never had soft things before. Even after everything he had been through, all he did was give kisses. Little by little, he gained weight and improved every day. Nine months later, he is healthy, happy, and just waiting for a family to adopt him." [Meet Justice here.]( Huckle Friends of Normie, California: "Someone posted on Nextdoor that a 'mean, ugly cat' covered in blood was in his yard trying to find food. [Once we'd trapped him,] my vet said Huckle was a senior cat who'd been attacked by a coyote or a small bear. He had broken most of his teeth from fighting and the roots were exposed, leaving him in excruciating pain." "Several thousand dollars later, Huckle was on the road to recovery. Today, he loves his cat brothers and follows them around the house. He sleeps with me every night and is one of the most loyal animals you will ever meet. He takes every chance he can to show me that he is thankful to me for not giving up on him." Junie NYC Second Chance Rescue Dogs, New York: "On June 16, an unresponsive puppy was found abandoned in a crate in a Georgia field. Her body was emaciated and covered in acid burns and infected open wounds. She was terrified and frail, barely hanging onto her life." Once she was hospitalized, "it was a bumpy ride for Junie. A blood clot caused a pulmonary embolism that nearly killed her. She also developed pneumonia. Each medical consult ended with 'she might not survive the next 24 hours.' But she always did. We transported her to New York after the hospital and she was adopted immediately. She is now loved and healthy!" Pip Sheets Pet Adoptions, North Carolina: "Pip was brought into our vet clinic by a good Samaritan who'd found him motionless in their yard. He was so sick with an upper-respiratory infection that he was blind and couldn’t breathe." "After just two weeks of meds, good nutrition, and lots of love, Pip is a healthy, spunky, super-affectionate, and silly little guy. He is looking for his forever family now that he is all better." [Meet Pip here.]( Francisco Memphis Street Animal Rescue (Oklahoma Paws), Oklahoma: "In August one of our volunteers decided to walk through the kennel runs in the Tulsa Animal Welfare building. She passed kennel #220A and something told her to turn back to snap a photo. Little did she know know this would be the moment that would change the life of the sad face behind those kennel bars." "This beautiful boy went from sad and slumped over to joy-filled almost immediately when leaving the city shelter. He went home with the volunteer who had seen him on that first day and the rest is history: His cement floors and cinder-block walls have been replaced with comfy couches and a memory-foam mattress!" Roselyn Humane Society of Marion County, Arkansas: "Roselyn was brought to us after being found as a very young, abandoned and neglected baby turkey in July 2023. She was very sad and lifeless. It took her a while to trust humans." "We immediately gave her fresh food, water, and lots of love, and she has grown into a beautiful, healthy turkey. She has a forever home and enjoys walks in nature and looking at flowers and leaves. She is very fond of humans now and is curious about many things. We have watched her grow up and we are so thankful to have been given the opportunity to save and love this sweet, beautiful bird." Pudding The Mutt Scouts, California: "Pudding was found by our vet in the middle of the road in Tijuana. It was hard to even tell what type of animal he was because he was so dirty and matted. He had fleas, ticks, horrible skin infections, and multiple tick-borne diseases. If that wasn't enough, he tested positive for distemper." "Miraculously, this sweet boy survived. With lots of love and care, he has finally healed, all his hair has grown back, and he is the most handsome, happy boy. He has been adopted." Pinky Mending Hearts Pet Rescue, Florida: "Pinky was left living in a yard for years. A concerned neighbor approached the homeowner to ask if they would consider giving her up and they said they didn't care. The neighbor reached out to us, and when we received Pinky she was only 30 lbs., filthy, heartworm-positive, and emotionally shut down. For her first vet exam, she did not move or react in any way, even to the blood draw and nail trim!" "After heartworm treatment and some time in a foster home, she came out of her shell and became a silly, affectionate little husky. She was recently adopted at a big event and now has a family that loves her, two border collie siblings, and a big backyard to play in." Nicco Coffee Cause for Paws, Georgia: "Nicco was terrified, had an embedded harness, and would not let anyone near him. People were leaving food for him and he would wait until they left to come out to eat it. Two of our volunteers went out to try and catch him. After several hours, we were finally able to snag him with a large fish net." "Once we were able to get him in a kennel, he was scared and exhausted. A volunteer took him home and discovered that he did not like women at all! However, he seemed to be accepting of her husband. Eventually we found his forever home. He is doing wonderfully there and they work with him and his needs. He loves his new mom and dad, along with his fur siblings!" Tilly PCS Pups, Alabama: "We received a desperate call from a man who had found an injured dog on the side of the road and wasn't sure if she was alive. I made it there in record time and drove even faster to the closest emergency services. Aside from her obvious wounds, Tilly had blood in her lungs and was at high risk for septic shock; both her ears were rotting and needed to be surgically removed." "Despite experiencing the worst humanity has to offer, Tilly is without a doubt the sweetest pup we have ever met. All the staff at the veterinary hospital cried on the day of her last high-risk appointment. Tilly is doing incredibly. She found the most perfect home and is finally exactly where she’s supposed to be." The Petfinder Foundation helps thousands of pets like these make the transformation from homeless to beloved family members. [Your gift helps us save more lives.]( Happy New Year from all of us at the Petfinder Foundation, and thank you for all that you do to help pets in need. Emily Fromm Chief Development Officer The Petfinder Foundation [Donate Now]( [Follow us on Facebook]( [Follow us on Facebook]( [Petfinderfoundation.com]( [Petfinderfoundation.com]( [Share]( [Share]( [Tweet]( [Tweet]( [Forward]( [Forward]( Copyright © 2023 The Petfinder Foundation, All rights reserved. You're receiving this email because you opted in at petfinder.com or petfinderfoundation.com, or because you donated to the Petfinder Foundation (thank you!). Our mailing address is: The Petfinder Foundation 4729 East Sunrise Drive #119Tucson, AZ 85718 [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? 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