Please look at the pictures below.  In the first picture, most of the dogs are broken.  After foster care and/or adoption....they have a sparkle back in their eyes and a new hope for life.   This is why, despite all of the hard work and heartbreak involved, we press on and keep rescuing. 

We spend an enormous amount of time and money helping these dogs and we are always in need of donations.   Look at these pictures....there are so many other dogs in shelters that are dying and heartbroken and they need your help!  If you are able to, please click here and donate so that we can continue to save them..... 

This is Shelby.  Shelby was dumped by one of her previous families at a gassing shelter in Ohio in June, 2009.  Before we could rescue her, someone went to the shelter and adopted her (locally).  Three months later, Shelby was returned to the same shelter in the condition that you see in the photos on the left side.  Because of a lack of screening process and no spay/neuter mandate, Shelby’s adoptive family in Ohio left her in the backyard and they rarely fed her.  Unspayed, she of course became pregnant while living outside.  The adopter didn’t give Shelby or the puppies any medical care – instead, once the puppies were born, they dumped them and Shelby at the shelter to be gassed because, they said, they “couldn’t afford to feed her”.  We immediately took Shelby out of the shelter and gave her a new chance at life! 

Many thanks to Amy for being the one to pull this girl to safety, to Mike and Linda for transporting them to us, for Marsha allowing her a temporary place to stay until the puppies were weaned.  An extra special thanks to Wendy and Marc for taking Shelby into their home and helping her blossom into a whole new dog while teaching her the rules of indoor living and preparing her for her forever home -- they taught Shelby to smile again, as you can see in her "after" photo. 

Shelby is seeking her forever home - she wants a real family this time - one that will not abandon her! If you can give Shelby what she deserves, please complete an adoption application.  

Meet Jake - a young chocolate lab mix.  Jake was rescued from a gassing shelter.   We knew nothing about Jake and his original picture from the shelter definitely didn't show what a fun, happy guy he was but Daria and Mike were willing to take their chances on him anyway and applied to foster-to-adopt him.  After opening their hearts and home to him, Jake turned out to be a very grateful boy and didn't disappoint them at all!  Jake lives the good life now.  He is a loving dog that wakes his new mom up with kisses every morning and often goes to work with his dad during the day.  He loves attention, playing ball, interacting with other dogs and getting pet by children.  Jake is proof that you can't judge a book by it's cover....nor can you judge a shelter dog by his picture :)

This is Tonka - a young German Shepherd mix who we saved from a gassing shelter.  Tonka didn't have anyone to rescue him before he was due to be gassed so the nice volunteers at the shelter (Carroll's Angels) knew how sweet he was so they boarded him until we were able to secure a foster for him.  Donna had never fostered before but when she learned of his history, she stepped up for Tonka even though he just looked like a scared little pup in his shelter picture.   When he arrived, Tonka was covered in matted fur and dirt and didn't know any commands - after just a few weeks of love and care, Donna turned him into a smiling, well-behaved dog with a beautiful shiny coat!  Tonka recently found his forever home with the Kochon family who are close friends of his foster mom - it was a truly happy ending/new beginning for all involved!

Meet Lucy.  Lucy is a Shar Pei / Staffordshire Terrier mix.  She had quite a long journey in getting to us but her ending isn’t complete yet and it’s already been so happy!  Lucy was dropped at a gassing shelter through no fault of her own – as you can tell from her “before” picture, it broke her heart to be abandoned - her family said they "didn't want to feed her anymore" and that "she had no name".  The shelter she came from gasses three times per day because they are so overwhelmed with the constant influx of animals.  The dogs that are stuck in the kennels there can smell the death of the other dogs who die in the chamber and hear their squeals while they suffocate.  We are sure Lucy was aware of this but once she was rescued, she held no grudge.  Lucy was boarded after we pulled her and because of lack of transport, she was stuck in boarding for SIX WEEKS which was very hard on her.   Finally, an amazing transporter named Brandy stepped up for this sweet girl and offered to bring her to us.  We met Brandy in Baltimore at 2 AM one evening – when we picked Lucy up she was tired, scared, very emaciated and so dirty that we bathed her four times and the water still didn’t run clear.  For the first few days, she quickly devoured any food that was placed in front of her.  Lucy had to undergo heartworm treatment and had a very hard time with a lot of vomitting and coughing.  Everything in foster care was new for Lucy since she had only lived outside previously but despite the huge adjustments she had to make, she was patient through it all and seemed to know that she was finally safe and loved.  

Today, Lucy constantly kisses everyone on the Thunder’s Angels team – as if she’s saying “Thank You!”  She loves playing with other dogs and is even good at getting cats to trust her.   Lucy is truly a sweetheart – we could try to describe her to you but if a picture is worth a thousand words, all you have to do is look at her huge smile in her “after” picture! 

Many thanks to Linda for taking such good care of Lucy when she arrived - giving her guidance, love, and plenty of treats, Bruno for showing Lucy what a true doggie friend is, and Julia and Mike for completing her happy ending and giving her a forever home :) 

This is Tipper (later renamed Minnie).  She was a lonely puppy who somehow ended up in a gassing shelter (at only 12 weeks old) with no litter mates and no bedding to keep her warm.  Because of poor nutrition and a bad case of worms, she was unable to walk without falling when we first took her in.  It was a LOT of work to save her since she was located in a shelter that we don't usually pull from.  We want to give a special thank you to Ann for pulling her to safety, Chris for flying her to her temporary foster home and Rhonda for taking special care of her and getting her back to good health.   We also want to give an extra special thanks to Natalee (her foster mom) for taking wonderful care of her, giving her baths to treat the mange (we know it wasn't easy!), teaching her housetraining, and letting her gain some social skills with the other dogs at her house.  And of course, a big thank you to the Myers family for giving Minnie her forever home and happy ending :)

This is Lucky.  He's a mix between a Collie and a German Shepherd - the combination makes him smart and sweet!  He was named Lucky because we saved him from the gas chamber in the nick of time!  We want to thank Michelle for saving him, Betty-Jo and Kevin for getting him to safety,  and Sue for turning this boy's life around with a little bit of love.   We also want to thank Joni and her family for giving him a forever home where he's free to romp in their fenced yard all day and where they even let him get away with jumping in their ornamental koi pond!

When we took him in, Rocky was emaciated and infected with heartworms - he was patient through his treatment and we had him in foster care for 3 months while he healed up.  Rocky has such an upbeat personality that it is hard to imagine how sad and heartbroken he must have been to have been making such a sad face in the 'before' picture.   A special thank you to Jay for helping Rocky get back on the right track and showing him the love he deserves -- Rocky never had a boy to love before and was smitten with Jay for being patient and giving him lots of treats, toys, wrestling matches, and a new spring in his step! 

Meet Bruno – a big muscle man with the heart of a teddy bear!  Bruno was forgotten about at the shelter.  He was brought in as a stray and standard procedure for a stray dog is that they have only 3 days to be claimed before they get gassed.  Bruno wasn’t claimed but he ended up being overlooked by the shelter staff and was in a kennel for two months before we found out he was there.  When we realized how long he’d been stuck in that cage, we just had to claim him and we are so glad that we did!   When we first took him in, Bruno was depressed, infected with heartworms, and had a broken spirit.  He always tried to be the boss, had no manners and was aggressive with other dogs.  He had never lived inside before and would get scared of everyday noises like the hair dryer or vacuum.  But with time, love and discipline, Bruno made great strides!  Once he realized he was safe and loved, Bruno became a total LOVE and will now give you kisses for hours.  He learned that other dogs are his friends and now loves to play at the dog park every weeknight.  He also learned what toys are and now he can’t get enough of them!  He carries his stuffed squeaky toys all around the house and loves making them squeak.   He also discovered soft beds and he can’t get enough of those either!  He loves rolling around in blankets for hours and sleeping in a human bed at night.  The 'new' Bruno has a wiggly butt and a huge smile whenever he sees people and a zest for life! 

Bruno is a mutt of all sorts – we can see some lab in him with his floppy ears, we think he has the jaws of a pit bull, he has rolls of skin like a shar-pei and he has a spotted tongue like a Belgian Malinois.  Whatever he is, he’s a sweetie!  He's been adopted by the founder's of Thunder's Angels - after watching him come so far, they thought he would do great with a 'job', rather than simply acting as one person's companion for the rest of his days, Bruno will begin training for a therapy dog certification in the near future.  And for now, he serves as the greeter, therapy dog, and first friend for all of the scared foster dogs that first arrive at Thunder's Angels.  We think he does great work! :)

Pictured above is Abby, a spitz mix that we rescued in June 2009 from a gassing facility (along with her brother Cooper who is pictured on our “Saved” page). We knew when we pulled Abby and Cooper that they were approximately 14 years old and that it would be VERY hard to find anyone to take them in.  But two angels named Marianne and John stepped up to take BOTH of these pups.  They welcomed Abby into their home and gave her the best care possible and so much love.   Abby was so matted and dirty when she was taken in that she had to be shaved down - when her new coat grew in, it was white, not beige -- she was just so dirty in her "before" picture that she looked brown! Abby may have been a chained dog before she was rescued because when she was set free in the yard for the first time she wasn't sure if it was okay to even sniff around but she adjusted to her new freedom very quickly. 

Unfortunately, in late July, Abby was diagnosed with cancer and was in so much pain that she had to be euthanized.  As it turned out, the vet said she may have been a young as 4 years old, not 14 - she had just had such a horrible life and no previous vet care that her body was already worn out and was giving up.  She was laid to rest on July 31, 2009 - exactly one year after Thunder was laid to rest.   Marianne and John were able to fill Abby’s last days with plenty of food, the company of several other dogs, cozy blankets and more love than she had ever known before.   Abby’s “after” picture above shows her grateful smile.  Rest in Peace Abby - we'll see you at the bridge!