When Ango’s rescuers found him on the street, the little white puppy was turning in circles with a small rock in his mouth. He was thin and could barely take a few steps without falling. He was just over 2 months old. What stayed with me was how ordinary some of the turning points in…

Reese made it into the car, then collapsed. She’d been found on a street in Paterson, New Jersey, and weighed just 17 pounds. She was too weak to stand on her own. The people helping her got her to an animal hospital, where the staff began warming her up. When I think about those first…

A neighbor noticed a mother dog tucked into a narrow gap between buildings. The dog was hurt, and she had her puppies with her.  She’d given birth to eight and was still looking after them even though she was struggling to find enough food for herself. The neighbor stayed to protect the little family and…

Luisa lay so close to the supermarket doors that shoppers sometimes brushed against her legs as they passed. Some came close to stepping on her. She stayed there quietly. People had seen her go inside the store looking for food. By the time the rescuers found her outside, they thought she could give birth at…

Jacob was lying alone near a park trail, his body so thin that nearly every bone was visible. His legs were too weak to hold him up, and painful sores covered parts of his skin. He was still just a puppy, but he was already struggling to survive. Someone walking near the trail spotted him…

Sabrina was so thin that her bones pressed against her skin. Her legs could barely support her, and she sometimes fell while trying to walk. She was constantly searching for food, but even in that condition, she still wanted someone to pet her. When a rescuer finally approached her, Sabrina did something that made her…

Goldie paced back and forth at a courier station, looking for something to eat. She walked with an uneven gait and kept biting at her irritated skin. When she came up beside the person who would rescue her, she still hadn’t found any food. The rescuer went to a nearby cafeteria and bought her a…

When Renatinho came home from the veterinary clinic, he fell asleep with his whole body stretched out. It was the first time Renata Kerlane had seen him sleep that way. A month earlier, she’d been bringing him food beside a neighborhood market. There had been days at the clinic when she wasn’t sure he’d make…

When Constança and her team reached the attic, they found a frightened dog who could barely stand. His name was Jo. He needed veterinary care, and the first thing they could do for him was get him out of the house. There would be exams, meals and treatment in the days that followed. As Jo…

The white cat was still trying to crawl when someone spotted him on the road. He could barely move, but when the people who stopped came closer, he tried to pull away. They stayed and got him to an animal hospital. Three days later, one of those people came back to visit. The cat, who…