Stanley Pup Finds Forever Home After Adoption From Chicago Shelter
Stanley Pup was officially adopted Saturday in Chicago
By Marlene Dela Cruz ••
After the Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup, Bryan Bickell and his wife Amanda decided to celebrate the victory by helping save the lives of some needy canines.
Through the Bickell Foundation they rescued six puppies, including one little brown and white pitbull they affectionately named Stanley Pup. After weeks of living with a foster family through the Chicago-based dog rescue group One Tail at a Time, Stanley Pup was officially adopted on Saturday at the rescue’s new adoption center in Bucktown.
Animal lover and Blackhawks fan Laura Slivka says she’s happy to make Stanley a permanent addition to her family. Slivka says she lost her first dog to cancer earlier this year and reached out to the rescue to help her family find another dog.
Kye Martin NBC 5
NBC and Telemundo are taking part in Clear the Shelters on Aug. 15 for a nationwide push to find homes for pets in need. Here are some NBC 5 and Telemundo employee adoption stories. nnKye Martin (NBC5):I met Bo while hosting an adoption event for Chicago Canine Rescue in the Fall of 2010… needless to say, Bo left that event with my husband and I, and we couldn’t be happier with the mutt. A mix of Shepherd, Pit Bull, and St. Bernard, Bo is 70 pounds of pure love. When my twin sons were born, he was nothing but gentle with the boys, and despite several mishaps involving disappearing sticks of butter, cooling French Toast, etc… the big guy definitely completes our family.
Andy Avalos NBC 5
Andy Avalos (NBC5): If you're my FB Friend, then you know that I love animals, lots of them! Here's me an my crew. Just think, this could be you. If you already have a pet, here's your chance to expand your circle of love.
LeeAnn Trotter NBC 5
LeeAnn Trotter (NBC5): Perhaps you've heard people say their rescue pets seem to "know" they've been rescued. I'm one of those people. I grew up with dogs, but I had never adopted from a shelter until 8 years ago, when I adopted Zoe, a little maltese who was featured on NBC-5's Adopt a Pet segment. Since then, I have adopted 5 more dogs and a cat. And every single one of them...when they finally realized they are in a good place surrounded by good people....you can look into their eyes and feel the gratitude. Unconditional love to the max! It's the best thing ever. #AdoptionIsTheBestOption nnOver the years, I've dealt with some challenging situations with my rescues. But, I've also experienced extraordinary moments, which far outweigh the bad. It's my small way of saving a few lives. I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. Read LeeAnn's full story here.
Maria Ponticello Telemundo
Maria Ponticello (Telemundo): It’s been 6 years since this cute orange tabby named “Seven" came to our lives and oh boy we have enjoyed every minute of his company! nnWhen we were at the shelter looking to adopt, the woman in charge told us that he was an extremely shy animal who got scared and stressed very easily probably because he was abused, but my daughters fell in love with his pink collar -which seemed to belong more to a princess doll than to a cat- and didn’t want to consider other options. nnGrowing up with cats, I knew from experience that this little one was not going to be the type of animal that would cuddle or act playfully with my girls but I thought that this could be a great blessing in disguise because it will allow me to talk to them about patience, kindness and unconditional love between animals and humans.nnWhen he arrived he was indeed very reserved and introverted, it took a lot of patience and time but little by little he learned to trust humans and has become the most loving nurturing cat there is.
Regina Waldroup
Regina Waldroup (NBC5): I adopted Mrs. turtle from a shelter in Pennsylvania almost 10 years ago. Spencer, also known as fi-fi, is a Lab mix we adopted from Tennessee almost four years ago.
Susan Carlson NBC 5
Susan Carlson (NBC5): Arnold (orange) and Trixie (white) are treasured members of our family. Trixie is a 12-year-old formerly feral cat, who I adopted and tamed. She was born on the streets and had no human contact until I took her in at four months old. It took months before this wild cat would even come out from under my bed, but slowly learned to trust and now loves to cuddle. nnArnold was adopted from PAWS Chicago and is now 10. He quickly grew into the alpha male and calls all the shots. He couldn’t be sweeter. They both seem grateful to me and somehow know they were rescued. They have also come to love my newly adopted four-year-old daughter and she is simply in awe of them, calling them “beautiful” and “my babies.” She loves to feed them and play with them. I feel like with “rescues” it works two ways. They also rescued me by filling my home with so much love.
Angie Rosemond NBC 5
Angie Rosmond (NBC5): PAWS Chicago brought Maggie here from Oklahoma 2 years ago. Oklahoma needed to clear their shelters after the tornado to take in other dogs, so PAWS brought Maggie here. I saw her when she visited the station at about 8 weeks old and had to have her. She is already the best, smartest dog I have EVER owned and I adore her.
Erik Enstad NBC 5
Erik Enstad (NBC5): At the end of last year we bought a house in the city and finally had the room to add a new furry family member. My girlfriend and I were scouring the web just “looking” at dogs thinking we would wait a few months, but looking anyway. One night I was up taking a look at all of the cute pups when I came across a dog named at Don’t Bully My Breed. We decided why not look at her, and if it doesn’t work out we would wait. The appointment was set, and a week later we met her. Apparently her previous life wasn’t a very smooth ride. About a year earlier she was dropped off at a pound with her boyfriend and puppies. At the time her name was Estrella. The boyfriend and pups got adopted immediately but Estrella had teeth issues that had to be fixed before she could be adopted out. After months of sitting in a cage she was adopted by a woman & her boyfriend. They named her Gianna. A few months into the adoption she apparently fell off a table and hurt her leg. The owner who is an ambulance driver did nothing about it. They finally called Don’t Bully My Breed to report the injury only to find out that she broke her leg in several places. Don’t Bully My Breed took her back, got her leg fixed, changed her name to Lil G and put her back up for adoption. With quite a few inquiries about Lil G we were given the chance to meet her and never looked back. We called the foster Karoline that night and asked her not to show Lil G to anyone else. This little pup has really completed our family more than we ever thought possible. She is the most loving pup to everyone person and animal she meets. I can’t wait to get home to see her every night and she can’t wait to wake us up every morning. If we could, we would rescue 100 more Lil G’s because there are so many amazing pups out there who are just looking to be loved and find a home to call their own.
Alexandria Fisher NBC 5
Alexandria Fisher (NBC5): Shaw was a stray that had been brought into Animal Care and Control on Chicago’s South Side. My boyfriend and I had gone to the facility in search of a corgi-golden mix when we walked past a kennel with a black brindled shepherd. He had been there for nearly three weeks, unclaimed and not adopted. He was smaller than your average shepherd and seemed frightened. He was skinny, had some trust issues and experienced anxiety over being in a cage, which he was living in for all but roughly 30 minutes each day. My boyfriend decided we would take him for a walk outside and it was there, playing fetch in the mud left from the freshly melted snow, that we knew he was the one. Read Alex's full story here.
Marlene Davenport
In 2009 my husband and I adopted a tiny stray Tabby kitten that was found in the middle of a blizzard in Kansas City, MO. After falling asleep in my arms the first night he instantly melted our hearts. We named him Sir Herschel Rupert. Today he’s 17 lbs. and is convinced he’s just a very short, fat, furry human. When we moved to Chicago in 2012 I began volunteering at PAWS Chicago. My husband would occasionally meet me at the shelter to walk me home, when he came across a small Flame Point Siamese. We knew we couldn’t leave without him so we decided to expand our family and adopt him too. While Herschel wasn’t pleased at first by Lord Watson Willis, the two eventually became best of friends and are now inseparable. Both bring us so much joy and happiness. I’m convinced they know we saved their lives and continue to repay us every day with unconditional love. They are always at the door to greet us when we come home, they offer endless head nuzzles and hours of cuddling. I’m so thankful for them each and every day.
Dave Breyer (NBC5): There's nothing like a rescue dog! Kona has been a part of our family for a year and a half now. #Bestdogever!!! Please take part in #ClearTheShelters and find homes for animals in need on Saturday, August 15th.
Slivka said she wasn't really sure if her family was ready for a puppy, but they decided to meet Stanley anyways.
"We knew instantly that Stanley was going to be our newest family member," she told NBC Chicago in an email. "We fell in love with Stanley Pup right away. Her happiness is contagious and we couldn’t stop smiling once we got her home. We couldn’t wait to make it official and become her forever family."
For some, adopting a pet may not be a possibility but even if you can’t provide a forever home you can help out by fostering. NBC 5’s LeeAnn Trotter reports.
Slivka says she doesn't plan on changing Stanley’s name, saying it’s a perfect fit for the pup.
"She knows and responds to her name so I think she’s going to remain a huge Blackhawks fan," Slivka said.
