And when he was met a group of abandoned shelter dogs in Kirby, Texas, there was one pup in particular caught that his eye. Croft decided to take her home to San Antonio and see if she could cut it as a police dog.

Kiah was shy, but strong, a pit bull recovering from a massive head injury. Croft was told she was hit by a hammer shortly before she arrived at the shelter.

“From what I saw, I just couldn’t believe that she survived it, but she did,” Croft told CBS News. What impressed him even more was that Kiah didn’t seem to hold a grudge. He called her miraculous.

That said, she wasn’t easy to train. But Croft found her to be a fast learner and after eight weeks’ worth of schooling, Kiah was pronounced ready to work.

“If we were to have some kind of contest, she would outwork [the other dogs] all days of the week,” a confident Croft said. “This dog is crazy good.”

And so when the City of Poughkeepsie Police Department reached out to Croft in hopes of finding the perfect K9 officer, he had Kiah ready for service.

Now, nearly two years later, Kiah works alongside her partner, Officer Justin Bruzgul, as a narcotics and missing persons detection dog.

What’s more, today she’s set to receive the ASPCA Public Service Award in New York City as the first pit bull police dog in the state of New York.

“These awards recognize not just the heroism of particular animals, individuals, and organizations, but the incredible bond between people and their animals,” said ASPCA president and CEO Matt Bershadker in a statement. “That connection between people and pets is so strong that when you commit to helping one, you’re almost certainly helping the other.”

Since rescuing Kiah, Croft, in partnership with the Animal Farm Foundation, a nonprofit that helps rescue and re-home animals, has helped place 20 pit bulls in police departments across the country.

“They’re just good, good dogs. The Achilles heel is the stigma,” Croft said, referencing the misconception that they are naturally aggressive and/or violent.

Croft points to Kaih as a perfect example.

“She’s so friendly, she wouldn’t hurt a fly,” he said.

The post First New York Pit Bull Police Dog to Receive Honors appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.

The post A Shelter Dog Saved This Man’s Life appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.

This old soul was found in a kill shelter with a large tumor on his left hind leg. He had zero chances of getting out alive, but thanks to rescuers he got a second chance in life, his tumor was removed and he learned the true meaning of love.

Howl of a Dog says Bandit is happy. “He can run again now that he doesn’t have to carry that big tumor [and] what he loves most is to snuggle and sleep after he’s had a well-deserved massage.”

The senior dog who is living life to the fullest is described as “serene and affectionate.”

The post Senior Dog Goes from Caged and Forgotten to Loved and Pampered appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.

The tiny pooch arrived at the shelter on Jan. 9, 2016, three days later 41-year-old occupational therapist John Hwang captured the image and shared it on his Facebook page. Two days later Oliver found his home.

According to ABC News, Hwang spends his free time photographing shelter dogs and sharing those images on social media in an attempt to help homeless dogs find forever homes. When the avid photographer saw Oliver “praying,” he knew he had to snap a shot of that.

“Every time I tried to get up and move away from the kennel, he’d getting up on his hind legs and kept putting his paws together, as if he was begging me to help him,” said Hwang. “He would just come right up to the fence and he would do it. I said, ‘I got to get a photo of that.’”

Oliver’s praying photograph was shared on Facebook more than 2,500 times, and thanks to that image Oliver spent less than a week at the shelter.

Social media is a powerful tool and today it is helping homeless pets find homes more than ever before. To change a shelter dog’s life, all it takes is one simple share

The post Homeless Chihuahua Photographed “Praying” Gets Forever Home appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.

The tiny pooch arrived at the shelter on Jan. 9, 2016, three days later 41-year-old occupational therapist John Hwang captured the image and shared it on his Facebook page. Two days later Oliver found his home.

According to ABC News, Hwang spends his free time photographing shelter dogs and sharing those images on social media in an attempt to help homeless dogs find forever homes. When the avid photographer saw Oliver “praying,” he knew he had to snap a shot of that.

“Every time I tried to get up and move away from the kennel, he’d getting up on his hind legs and kept putting his paws together, as if he was begging me to help him,” said Hwang. “He would just come right up to the fence and he would do it. I said, ‘I got to get a photo of that.’”

Oliver’s praying photograph was shared on Facebook more than 2,500 times, and thanks to that image Oliver spent less than a week at the shelter.

Social media is a powerful tool and today it is helping homeless pets find homes more than ever before. To change a shelter dog’s life, all it takes is one simple share.

The post Homeless Chihuahua Photographed “Praying” Gets Forever Home appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.

By now we all know details of what Joaquín Guzmán Loera, “El Chapo” Guzmán, did to escape maximum security prison not once but twice, and when we see our canine friends attempting to escape shelter walls, we laugh and love to make comparisons. However, what we need to remember is that life in prison (real jail or an animal shelter) is not ideal for anyone.

While we want to make sure real two-legged criminals are not running on the streets freely, who can blame our four-legged friends to wanting to break free? Come one, a forever home is way better than life in a shelter.

The dog in this video has no difficulty climbing over the fence and running to freedom, we just hope that whoever filmed the video captured the fugitive and helped him get a forever home the dog won’t want to run away from.

The post “El Chapo” Dog Escapes Prison appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.

Foster mom Ashley Shuckerow told WKYC News the on that Thursday morning, the dog was not acting like her usual self and was making “a lot of racket.” Shuckerow went to investigate what was wrong with the dog and when she went to the home’s lower level, the woman realized the house was extremely cold. The furnace had malfunctioned.

A repairman was called to check on the furnace and it was him who told the Shuckerows they wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for Dulce’s trained nose.

“The guy said the carbon monoxide [was] probably flowing into our house,” said Shuckerow, “[Dulce] sensed it long before we ever would have.”

The furnace was replaced and all family members and dogs residing in the house are no longer in any danger.

Shuckerow says that because Dulce is deaf, her remaining senses are stronger. It was that special quality in Dulce that saved their lives.

If you want to give Dulce a permanent home, contact Mercy’s Door Pet Rescue and give Dulce what she has been longing for – a home of her own.

The post Deaf Shelter Dog Saves Foster Family from CO Poisoning appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.

If you were hoping to get the forecast in the Edmonton area last week, you might have had a difficult time – Ripple the rescue dog, who was visiting the studio, was far more interested in playing than in letting meteorologist Mike Sobel do his job!

The year-and-a-half-old mastiff mix was on set as part of an adoption advocacy segment from the Edmonton Humane Society.  Sobel held Ripple’s leash and made a valiant effort to broadcast the weather as the rambunctious dog made every effort to get his attention.

Ripple playfully chomped on his leash and finally got his way – Sobel was forced to give in and let him have the impromptu game of tug-of-war!

The post Weather Dog Totally Steals the Show! appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.

The post If this video about a shelter dog doesn’t move you, check your pulse! appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.

The puppy in the video below is nuts about something. And it’s not over a common dog toy. Nope, it’s not a ball, not a rope, but rather, a piece of clothing! She goes totally nuts over jeans! They even caught her on video playing and going crazy over it! And you’re gonna love this one cos the video is in slow motion! You’re gonna see all her adorable and funny facial expressions in slow mo! Check it out!

Puppy needs to fight this evil villain! The jeans must be conquered! It’s just so adorable!
All that cuteness caught in slow motion! And the music is just perfect! I absolutely love this video!

The post Shelter Dog Goes Absolutely Nuts When She Sees Jean Pants appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.