Adoption stories to warm your heart: How our Wholesome team found their rescue pets
Kirsten Pohle, our Product Director, with her rescue dog Remus
Real talk: One of the biggest benefits of working from home is spending extra time with our furry friends. Not to mention, they make Zoom calls so much more entertaining. Have you been seeing dogs pop in the corner of screens during virtual presentations… and cats climb on shelves in the middle of one-on-ones? We thought so! And since behind all rescue pets are inspiring rescue stories, we’re sharing our team’s adoption experiences with you.
While we encourage anyone looking for an animal companion to rescue, if you’re not in the position to adopt, like many of us, we applaud you for recognizing the responsibility that comes with pet adoption. As our Product Director, Kirsten Pohle, says, “I would literally adopt any animal that was put in front of me. But one thing I’ve learned from the pets I have is that once you adopt them they are a part of your family for their entire life. And you need to do what is best for them and the entire family which sometimes means saying no to other animals.”
Whether you’re looking for some paws-itivity (aren’t we all!) or thinking of adopting a pet, we hope these rescue pet stories brighten up your day.❤️
Adoption stories to warm your heart: How our Wholesome team found their rescue pets
Olive
Olive’s mom: KT, Operations Manager
Olive is the cat we never knew we needed. While taking my dog out I kept hearing a cat meowing but couldn’t find the cat. Then one evening we saw something run by our sliding glass door. We barely saw her but knew it was a kitten. So we put food out for her just in case she was hungry. I would check every day to see if she had eaten and every day I would find the food bowl in a different spot than I left it. This went on for a couple of weeks and I never saw who was eating the food.
Then, one day I was looking out the window and I saw her eating. She was tiny. I slowly would make my way out there when she was eating to let her know I was there.
Eventually, I sat outside with treats. She was very shy, but over two days I won her trust and she started to let me pet her.
Now she is inside with her dog sister terrorizing her! She is the sweetest and funniest cat ever. I call her a dog cat because she is more like a dog than a cat. She LOVES people food. Her favorite is any kind of cheese! We didn’t know we needed a cat but she has certainly won me and my husband over, and we are absolutely in love with her.
Felicia & Lark
Felicia & Lark’s mom: Amy G. Senior Graphic Designer
Felicia is our 1.5-year-old Chihuahua and Lark is our 5-month-old cattle dog/Chihuahua mix. Both Felicia and Lark came from uncontrolled breeding situations (“whoopsy litters”). But honestly, their adoption into our home was not planned!
Last November, I took Felicia in to spay and foster her. I already had a rescue, named Valor, a German Shepherd/Lab mix that I adopted as a puppy when I was in college. So I was not particularly looking for a full-time second dog yet (me trying to make responsible choices when in reality I want many, many dogs).
Valor and Felicia became instant friends, however, Valor suddenly passed away right at his 8th birthday. Without hesitation, I decided Felicia was not going anywhere. Felicia, of course, needed a friend, so my search for another rescue pup commenced – despite my boyfriend’s statements that one dog was enough. (But come on, Felicia is all of 6 pounds so she’s not even like a full dog, right?!) Well, enter Lark.
Lark was one of six puppies in a whoopsy litter and the living situation was not the best. I did not think twice about bringing her home, but it was hard not bringing her littermates with me, too. Lark was all of 3 pounds when we brought her home and now she is a stumpy, twenty-pound chunk of love. She constantly plays with Felicia and they are truly inseparable. My boyfriend even admits that bringing Lark into the family was a perfect decision. For now, we will hang out with just these two, but I know my future self will be rescuing many more animals to come.
Peperann, Dolly, Remus, and Daphne
P +D+R+D’s Mom: Kirsten, Product Director
Pepperann (Tuxedo Cat) is 9 and was adopted from San Francisco SPCA. She was abandoned in a box with her sibling as a 6-week old kitten. Her sibling had been adopted, but she was alone at the shelter. I knew I couldn’t leave without her. She’s always been wonderful and the cat everyone loves!
Dolly (Orange Tabby) is 4 and literally showed up on my doorstep as a kitten! I searched for her owner and when no one came forward, I welcomed her into my home. I’m fairly certain she thinks she’s a dog because she always wants your attention! Random fact: she’s a female which is super rare for orange tabbies.
Remus (Pit Lab Mix) turned 3 last week. Although we didn’t technically adopt Remus, a woman posted online about her dog having “accidentally” gotten pregnant, and she was rehoming the puppies. We went to see the puppies and quickly discovered that the pregnancy was a product of an owner who hoarded pets in a tiny 1 bedroom apartment. Once we were told that she’d find someone else if we didn’t take him, we knew we couldn’t leave him. Due to the initial environment that he came from, Remus deals with extreme anxiety and has been classified as a special needs dog. We absolutely love him and he’s the biggest cuddle bug who just always wants us to be with him.
Daphne (Corgi Pit Mix) is 2-and-a-half years old and we adopted her from Pawp Culture Dog Rescue in Nashville. She was abandoned as a puppy and came from an unknown environment that has left her very timid, but she looooves Remus and us. She has a very quirky personality and belches, which is probably the funniest thing I’ve ever seen in a dog.
Leima
Leima’s mom: Timea, Graphic Designer
My partner and I wanted to adopt a kitty for a long time, and we visited a shelter multiple times to find the “right cat” for us. We wanted one that had been there for a while and that no one else wanted. Finally, we found her! She was shy, hiding, and basically didn’t like anyone, until she let us pet her.We took her the next day, and tried to make her feel welcome. It took her almost two weeks to finally come out from under the couch.
Now, I’m not going to lie, adopting a pet from a shelter is tricky because your animal can be traumatized and you may not know exactly why. My advice: Give them time to adjust. Don’t pressure them to come to you.
And that’s exactly what we did. We did put food around the apartment so she would slowly discover it, and now she is adapting to us. She lets us touch her without running away. She jumps on the couch to be pet once she needs some love and we have some conversations now and then. We love her dearly.
Lune
Lune’s mom: Claudia Martel, Social Media Consultant & Photographer
I saw a story that someone needed a home for Lune or she would have to go to a shelter, and I just HAD to take her. But I didn’t tell my boyfriend — I wanted her too much!
She was really scared to be in another environment and since she doesn’t see very well, it took a long time for her to be comfortable in a new house with new parents and a brother (Onyx, my black cat). She was always hiding or in a corner — she was so scared! We couldn’t even hold her because she would hurt us with her nails.
But one year later, she started to feel more comfortable around us. And now, she sleeps in our bed with us EVERY night, has gained weight, and she’s so happy! We love her so much!”
