Started From The Bottom Now They’re Here

National Dog Day on August 26 is all about celebrating our canine companions, especially those who started out with a ruff life. There are so many rescue dogs that have found loving homes, and even more who are still searching. To highlight the importance of adoption, we’re giving you a look at some of the best rags to riches stories of some very famous pups.

Travel and fashion icon Ella Bean wasn’t always so fabulous. She was born in a puppy mill and was eventually rescued from a shelter. Now, she has almost 100k followers and is using her fame to raise awareness for other dogs waiting for adoption.

Most people will recognize Toast’s signature floppy tongue. But the story behind it isn’t quite as cute. Toast was rescued from a puppy mill, where she was not properly taken care of and lost all her teeth. Luckily, she made it out of there and now she’s winning the hearts of millions with that adorable slouchy slurp.

Tiny Tuna was rescued when he was just 4 months old. He and his owner had no idea that in just few short years, he would have almost 2 million followers. To show his support for other rescue dogs, he had his most recent birthday party at the Animal Haven shelter in NYC.

Senior rescue Chloe Kardoggian is one little pup with a whole lot of attitude. She is 13 years young and definitely hasn’t lost her spunk. She uses her popular Instagram page to raise money and awareness for older rescue dogs and hospice care.

#GetTough on dog fighting with the @aspca ! Visit aspca.org/gettough for more information!!

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Mervin’s Instagram bio says it all. He really did go from stray to star. He was adopted in 2014 from the ASPCA and now he has almost 71k followers. Mervin is all about bringing awareness to the ASPCA and their many initiatives, including things like putting an end to dog fighting.

Update: Prince was adopted and went to his forever home today, 8/20/17. Thank you to everyone for spreading the word. One less homeless senior dog! Sorry, one more group dog picture in so many days, but this time I want to draw your attention to the senior Dachshund on the right. His name is Prince, he’s available for adoption at Maxfund rescue group in Denver and he’s 12 years old. That means he’s younger than every other dog on that couch except for Engelbert and Edsel. But unlike the rest of the senior dogs in this picture he doesn’t have a home. When he slowly ambled up the steps to my house yesterday I had a grin from ear-to-ear. He’s just one of those dogs that you can’t help but smile when you see. He’s built low to the ground like an exotic sports car, but he moves more like a reliable old farm tractor. He immediately treats everyone, dogs and people, as good friends. I don’t know how he is with cats (you can call Maxfund to find out) but I just can’t imagine this dog chasing anything with any kind of fury. He’d much rather sit with you on the couch and catch up on Netflix. If you aren’t someone that wants to get up and go running with your dog everyday, Prince may be the dog for you. Are you perplexed by young dogs with boundless energy? You and Prince probably already have something in common. He’s on a thyroid pill but that’s really about it. It’s an inexpensive pill, it’s like taking a daily multivitamin. Once a month I work with the Maxfund rescue group in Denver to help them find homes for Senior Dogs. July got a little crazy and I’m behind on these Maxfund posts so Prince is overdue. Please go visit Prince, fall in love like I did and take him home to watch your favorite Netflix together. Maxfund is open today and everyday except for Tuesday. 1005 Galapago, Denver, Colorado. Call 303-595-4917 or email Kim @kimberlyalisonshively@gmail.com #maxfundsenioradoption I will update this post as soon as he gets adopted.

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Much like Chloe Kardoggian, Wolfgang is all about rescuing senior dogs. Owner Steve has a constantly rotating pack of dogs that he owns or fosters to help find them a loving home. His amazing group shots would make anyone want to adopt all the senior dogs at their local shelter.

Albert is a very special pup with a very special family. He wants to make sure other dogs with special needs find the loving homes they deserve. With his adorable face and happy personality, who wouldn’t want a pup like Albert?

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Sarah Cookson

Writer/Dog Enthusiast living in New York City. Only goes to parties in hopes there will be a dog there to hang out with. Her resolutions for 2017 were to eat healthier and pet more pups. Bet you can guess which one she stuck with.

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