| Pria 
Pria, along with 5 of her other small dog family members, found themselves out on the streets of Chester. They started off as a small scared little pack, staying close together for there is safety in numbers. Staying together in an unfamiliar world of unknown horrors such as cars, people, and large dogs, is a nearly impossible task, and soon the little group was split up. I was able to get one little boy and take him to the safety of my kennels. I tried everything to get the other 5 but they were so scared, lost and alone that they would not stop running long enough for me to get near them. As evening approached I knew I could not do anything for them in the dark, and I would have to leave them and try to find them the next day. The following day, two of the little angels were turned over to me. Pria was one. I learned that one other had been given away to a new home. This left two unaccounted for. I searched for these two little ones, but I was unable to find them. I held the two that had been given to me, their little hearts beating so fast, and eyes wild with fear. I assured them that a whole new world was about to begin for them. I promised them that they would get a wonderful forever home, and that I would make sure they would never be hurt again. The three were at my kennels for a week, before I found rescue groups to take them. I know the groups I work with are amazing, and that all my kids will be WELL taken care of when leaving my hands, but at times it is a little hard when you have one that has just stolen your heart, to hand them over, and not know their final outcome. I thought of Pria a number of times, and wondered what her forever home would be like. Then I received an email from her foster home, along with pictures. The email told me of how Pria came to her home to be fostered, and was so scared she would not come out from under the bed for 2 days. She told of how her little girl crawled up on the bed and I believe because Pria could sense her innocence, felt safe with her, and jumped up on the bed to snuggle. The beautiful little girl with the soft gentle hands gave Pria the confidence to trust once again. I have since learned that Pria has been adopted into her forever home, and that my promises to her was correct, she has a wonderful new home, and she will never be hurt again. THIS is what makes it all worth it. I am so happy for Pria and the other two that were in my care; for I know all three have found safety and love…I still worry for the two unaccounted ones… I know IF they are still out there it can be a cold scary world when you only weigh 10 lbs. I hope they are safe. I hope they have beautiful little angels watching over them. Pria with her Angel 
Rudy Roo  Nearly thrown away...a diamond in the rough. Rudy Roo is a 2 year old Male Red Nose Pit Bull taken off the streets of Chester as a stray. When no one came to claim him I began seeking a rescue shelter that would take him. Every day I would say to him "Honey, I promise it will get so much better; I promise you will get a forever home." After endless times of hearing "sorry we are full" and with our kennels beginning to fill up I knew his time was running out. I sent out an urgent plea to all the rescue groups I work with. Finally a group in Tennessee said they would take him, if I would meet them in Paducah Kentucky. When my husband got off work, we drove to the kennels, packed Rudy up in our Durango and we were off. I met the rescue group, gave my Rudy Roo a big hug, and told him "Buddy, your world has just begun, I promised you a forever home, and now you are one of the lucky ones." I gave him another kiss, and a pat on the head and we left. Two weeks later, I received an email saying Rudy Roo had been adopted! The lady that adopted him wanted to know if it would be okay if she email me. I have had updates on Rudy Roo, along with pictures for a while now, and today (12/14/10) I received the email below. Hi Elanna! Hope all is well. Just thought I would let you know what Mr. Rudy Roo has been up to these days. He is doing very well. He is in his final week of obedience training and will soon test to be an Internationally recognized therapy dog. He has done wonderful thus far; of course I expected nothing less of him. I have attached a photo of him and beau. Beau was giving his brother big kisses :) Talk soon! ~Carissa~ As tears streamed down my face, I thought...Rudy Roo, I promised you it would get so much better, I just didn't know at the time how much better you would make it for us. A nearly thrown away diamond in the rough... but if they become a therapy dog, or a lap dog, a little child's best friend, or an elderly persons companion...are they not all diamonds in the rough? And how many of our precious gems are being thrown away daily. Please consider a rescue or shelter animal when adding a pet to your family. The richness they add to your life is immeasurable. Beau and Rudy 
RICHELLE (which means brave little girl)
Richelle was surrendered to me weighing only 8 lbs (half of what she should weigh) and supporting a hernia the size of a grapefruit. I immediately took her to the vet, and then she went home with me. After a week, she put on 4 lbs, half of what her total body weight was when she came to me. I had her hernia removed, and within a month, she was up to 15 lbs. Richelle is 12 years old, but runs around like a 4 year old. She is such a HOOT! I am looking for Richelle a forever home, but being that she is 12, it has been hard. If a home is not found, she will live out the rest of her years with my family, happy, warm, tummy full, and being loved loved loved! I am so blessed to have her in my life, what a wonderful little girl. Update: The St. Louis Senior Pet Project took in Richelle. They are a large rescue group that, like their name says...focus on getting forever homes for senior pets. Richelle is now in one of their foster homes and will stay there until adopted. She will get more exposure and will have a much better chance of her findig a forever home if she is with them. I have talked with the foster mom and she said Richelle is a wonderful little girl and the family loves her very much. She said they would be very happy if Richelle ends up staying with them for the rest of her life. She has brought as much joy to their family as she did to mine. What a special little girl. 
Newest update...Richelle was adopted out of the Senior Pet Project!!! She went to her new forever home where she will be very loved and well taken care of for the rest of her life! Richelle believes in miracles !!  I do too!!
| | Hayden's Story From Feral to Family Friendly July 15, 2011, 2:57PM MT By Katy Washburne, Best Friends Network Published in Best Friends Online Magazine  Elanna Bradley said that her heart jumped into her throat when she first saw the young black Lab caught in the trap. She got out of her car and walked toward the cage. He made no sound as he moved deep into a corner, urinating himself at the sight of her. Elanna, an animal control officer in Chester, Illinois, had set the humane trap that now confined him in an ongoing effort to rescue a pack of dirty, scrawny dogs she had been watching and rescuing for over a year. From the first time Elanna saw the pack of dogs, feasting on a deer carcass in a field, she never gave up trying to save them. The skittish black Lab, now in her trap, proved to be the biggest challenge. She named him Hayden.
She was told feral dogs can’t be tamed and that she should put them down, but she would never consider it.
"I’ll fix them," was how she replied to the naysayers, but even with her many years experience working with rescue animals, she contacted Diane Young, regional specialist for Community Animal Assistance at Best Friends, and they began corresponding regularly about Hayden’s future and wellbeing. "It’s important to really know, inside yourself, in your heart, that there is always hope for any dog," Diane says. "A dog with a difficult past, fearful or shy, needs love, commitment, a quiet atmosphere, a steady, reliable routine, tolerance for his fear, which in all honesty may not ever go away entirely, and, patience." Elanna was undaunted by the challenges. She has rescued and placed over 265 dogs. Each dog has a special place in her heart and a photograph on her wall. In the early stages of Hayden’s rehabilitation, she was able to do little more than enter his run, flip a bucket over and sit quietly for 30 minutes. Hayden would move to the farthest corner, face the wall and ignore her. After a month, he still wouldn’t let her near him, but she wanted to do more, hoping one day to find him a home. At one point during his training, he curled his lip and growled at her. Diane says, "A dog with an unknown past, and who is clearly frightened, can and may bite out of that fear. That kind of fear biting does not always lend itself to the rational thought that would stop him from biting a friend." This behavior did not deter Elanna. Her first attempt at touching him began with a broom. She had used the same technique before, and it had been successful. She stood in his kennel and began touching him with it, but he urinated himself. "I felt horrible for him, but knew that I could not stop." He bit the broom and ran to the other side of the run. As he ran, she kept the appendage resting on him. She then sat in the kennel blocking the run with her back, forcing Hayden to run past her. For over an hour, each time he ran past, she would let her hand run the full length of his body, and soon, she was able to abandon the broom. "I didn't even have to touch him with it," she says. "I would just look at him and say ‘come on, you know how this works’ and he would run in front of me and I would touch him." The following day, she sat in the run with her back to him. He crept up to her, cautiously sniffing her hair and eventually her face. "Every day, I noticed baby steps," Elanna says. He now looked at her instead of the corner and didn’t tuck his tail anymore. She felt it was time to attempt petting him. She sat next to him for a long time then slowly and gently touched his back leg, knowing it was a long way from his mouth. After a slow process that involved gentle touching and massage, Hayden tolerated being petted, so Elanna made the decision to take him home to begin socializing him with her dogs. She has a large fenced backyard where they all love to play together, but Hayden likes spending time on the couch too. 
He has a long way to go before he will be ready to go up for adoption, but that is her ultimate goal. "I love Hayden with all my heart," she says, "but I learned a long time ago ... it’s not my job to keep them. It’s only my job to give them the very best start at a new life." 
If you have any questions about one day adopting Hayden or any of the other animals she has rescued, you can call her at (618) 859-4191. There is an application process, reference check and home inspection prior to adoption. Photos courtesy of Elanna Bradley
ALENA 
Little Alena was running the streets scared of everyone. When I first tried to catch her, she would not even let me get out of my vehicle without running. I tried throwing her treats, and as hungry as I know she was, she was still too afraid to go after the food. After a few attempts I went for the treat that never fails, I bought 6 fast food hamburgers, and tried again. This time I saw her resting on the side of a hill, I quietly went around the other side, and tossed a hamburger to her. She had not seen me yet, but quickly found the burger. I sat quietly atop the hill, and tossed a few more pieces her way. When she saw me, she started to run, but the yummy burgers made her stay. I tossed pieces to her getting her closer and closer, and then she was eating out of my hand. I gently reached around, and scooped her up. I took her to the kennels, and within a week, she looked so much better, and was now coming to me. Alena went to a rescue group near Chicago, and within 3 days was adopted by an older couple with no children or other pets. She is now being spoiled with daily hugs and kisses, a warm home and a full tummy. I am so happy for my little Alena! The pictures below are after she had been at the kennel for a week.  
CODY!! 
Cody is a coy dog, part lab, and part coyote. He ran the streets for many months. After numerous tries, I was finally able to catch him. He was scared to death of everyone, and everything. He had been shot in the leg, and had internal and external parasites. When no one claimed Cody, I adopted him myself. I took him home, and by the end of the day, he would come to me. Cody was having a ball with our other dogs, and he just seemed SO happy. I took him to the vet, and with a lot of medicine, all his problems healed, except one, Cody is incontinent, when he walks, he drops feces. I took him to a specialist in St. Louis who took x-rays, and explained that Cody had also been shot in his back right side. There was a big piece of shot still in him, and bone fragments everywhere. It had severed his spine, and his tail. I asked the Doctor, how was Cody walking, and he said he shouldn’t be. I was told he would always be incontinent, and that because there is always going to be some leakage, insects would eat him up if left outside. I either had to put him down, or take off his tail, put him in diapers and keep him in the house. I knew because of our busy schedules it would be very unrealistic to even attempt giving him the care he would need, but how do you make the decision to put down such an amazing dog, who in every way is perfect, except he just happens to drop feces now and then, and did I mention, the little guy has totally stolen my heart! It is so obvious he had never been shown affection, and now all he wants is for you to love him. I cried for days, knowing I would send out to everyone my request for someone to take him and give him all the love and care I couldn’t, but knowing in my heart, it probably wouldn’t happen. As I prepared myself for what I was about to face, a miracle happened, with the name of Carol. I talked to her about what was happening, and she said I’ll take him; I have one in diapers already, what’s two. Cody will soon be going to her house, and I know he will have the life he so deserves, and until recently has never had. God bless you Carol, for having such a beautiful heart. You are my hero.
CINDY (Cinderella) 
This little girl showed up at the kennels with her two puppies. She was so dirty I had to take her to the vet to give her a bath. It took five scrubbings, and a pair of scissors, but what a difference! She was a beautiful dog, except all her top teeth were falling out. You could pull them out with your fingers, and the infection was horrible. This lucky girl was transported to Wisconsin, to a shelter that has a vet. She is going to get her teeth taken care of, and will be adopted out. What a great new beginning.  
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