RecycledLove

Miki's Miracle:

In late November 2007, a young couple noticed what looked to be a cat on the
side of Security Blvd., at the I-70 exit. They pulled their car over, expecting the
cat to take off as they approached. Instead, the cat was in such bad shape that
she could barely lift her head up as they moved towards her. They picked her up,
put her in their car and took her home. She was pure white and had brilliant blue
eyes. They named her Miki (as in "Miki" Blue Eyes).

Miki was approximately 6 months old, but weighed an astonishing 4.6 lbs. Once
home, the couple bathed her, fed her, and gave her the TLC she deserved.
Unfortunately, the couple was expecting their first child at any moment and did
not feel they could give Miki the attention she deserved and needed so badly as
she regained her weight and strength; so they contacted Recycled Love.

Recycled Love accepted Miki into the rescue on November 30, 2007. She
immediately went to Academy Animal Hospital where she was seen by a
veterinarian. She was extremely thin, dehydrated, and had a possible broken
pelvis. It was also determined that Miki was deaf. Miki seemed to be on the
mend, so on December 4th she went into a foster home. That night Miki got
extremely sick and was taken to the Pet ER. Her symptoms were similar to those
of panluke (feline distemper) and seeing how much she had already endured and
how thin she was, we thought Miki's chances of survival were low, but we were
willing to do whatever it took to make sure this sweet cat made it.

Under close surveillance, Miki survived the night, and her panluke results were
negative! The next day her foster mom transported her back to Academy Animal
Hospital where she was put on fluids and was to remain so that she could be
closely watched while she recovered. On December 12th Miki was pronounced to
be in good health. At this point, a bond had begun to grow between Joan and Miki,
and on December 17th
Joan took Miki home…
forever.

Miki now enjoys the
comforts of a warm, safe
home with a wonderful and
caring family. They have
been able to watch her
grow and heal over the past
several months. Miki went
from not being able to jump
up onto the bed because of
her pelvis, to jumping up on
the bed every night to sleep next to her "mom." Her deafness has caused her
other senses to become heightened. When Joan gets home from work, she taps
her fingers on the ground and Miki feels the vibrations and comes running over to
her purring and crying with excitement and joy. And every morning, Miki sits on
the sink and watches Joan blow dry her hair and get ready for work.

Joan could not believe that Miki had survived all of the ordeals she had been
through: living outside while being deaf and not being able to hear the many
dangers that surrounded her, her broken pelvis healing on its own without
surgery, and surviving the illnesses she endured. She felt Miki deserved a more
suiting name...and changed it to Miracle.

Lucy (aka Mouse):

Lucy was seized by Baltimore City Animal
Control during a raid on the residence of a
suspected dog fighter. In addition to
fighting contraband, Animal Enforcement
Officers discovered a small, black and
white pit bull puppy which had her ears cut
down to nubs. Upon returning to the
shelter, Animal Control contacted
Recycled Love. She was given the name
Lucy and she was sent into foster care
with Recycled Love's president for initial
evaluation and training. She proved to be
confident and quite dog social. Lucy,
dubbed "Mouse" for her cropped ears
and small size, quickly picked up on
obedience training. Accordingly, she was
deemed fit for a long-term fostering and
was transferred to another home in
Charles Village. Lucy continued to progress well and soon became a popular
figure in her neighborhood. At a year-old, she was ready for adoption, but despite
her wonderful disposition and manners, Lucy was continuously overlooked by
applicants seeking a pit bull dog. Maybe it was the fact that she was black
(shelters routinely have a more difficult time adopting out large, black dogs) or
maybe it was her ears, but she stayed in the system for quite a while.

Finally, in June 2008, Lucy was adopted by a great couple, Shannon and Jim. Our
(not so) little Mouse may have hung around for a while, but the wait was well
worth it. She now has a wonderful, forever home.

Lucy was just another victim of Baltimore's dog fighting culture. She was abused
and set up for a hard life as a fighting dog, but now... Lucy is Recycled Love!

Sierra:

Sierra appeared wandering
in the neighborhood of a
volunteer. She was thin, had
a slight limp and her
personality was very mellow.
She appeared lost as she
was trying to follow three
teenagers walking through
the neighborhood. She was
trying to keep up with them,
but they totally ignored her.
Fortunately, she wandered
over to one of our good
Samaritans and was taken to the Academy Animal Hospital. Once inside, she was
more than willing to have everyone greet and pet her. She was exhausted and
instantly fell asleep once they had examined her. Her exam indicated that she was
dehydrated and quite sick, and that she was also suffering from an untreated
infection. After her spaying, she developed a uterine infection and it was unclear
whether she would survive.

When she was ready, Sierra was placed into a great foster home. The foster parents
instantly fell in love with her and the bond was evident. As they admitted, "We
agreed to foster her, but knew immediately that we would not be giving her up."
Sierra still had a lingering upper respiratory infection, but with she was a perfect
patient and (with the help of peanut butter!) willingly took her medicine. The foster
parents soon put in their adoption application and Sierra was officially made a
permanent fixture in their home.

Sierra is healthy now and enjoying life. She likes to exercise by chasing her feline
sister, BooBoo, around the house! (Sorry BooBoo) She is extremely social with
animals and people and has enjoyed traveling with her family on summer vacations.

We could not be happier for this sweet girl.