12 Days of Pet Adoption Cheer #PetSmart (Day 1 & 2)

There is never a “better time of the year” to adopt a pet, but when the holidays roll around it is a great time of year to share heart-warming stories of pets that had been adopted into loving forever homes. We will be sharing with you, 12 of these heart-warming tales shared with us by the nonprofit PetSmart Charities that works with more than 3,000 local adoption partners to facilitate roughly 400,000 pet adoptions each year.

This year alone, more than 1,000 pet adopters shared their uplifting adoption stories with PetSmart Charities on its website. We’ve chosen the top 12 that warmed our hearts the most and compiled them into a “12 Days of Adoption Cheer” photo and story slideshow (we even included celebrity author and pet adoption advocate Nicholas Sparks’ story on the list).

Day 1 and Day 2:

Snickers & BamBam
Location: West Virginia
Pet Parent: Karyn Marshall

While the life of a long haul truck driver can sometimes be lonely, Karyn Marshall’s cross-country trips are full of fun with her kitty companions, Snickers and BamBam, riding shotgun.

After falling in love and adopting Snickers in Peru, Ill., Karyn immediately spoiled him with a bed, carrier and a lot of new toys for his traveling home with her. Snickers has since become something of a celebrity in the trucking

world, serving as “spokeskitty” in a national industry newspaper to help find more trucking homes for cats.

After finding such a successful trucking cat in Snickers, Karyn was more than happy to take in BamBam, an abandoned kitten she found in Ontario, Calif.

Now, the two provide peace and fun for Karyn on those long treks across the country.

Day 2:
Minnie
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Pet Parent: Kristin Taylor

While every adopted pet has a life story prior to finding their forever home, Minnie’s is especially heart wrenching. A PetSmart Charities adoption partner received a call one night regarding an animal abuse case. Minnie, who had been set on fire, was quickly brought in with severe burns to be treated. After three months of recovery, Minnie was ready for adoption and had already caught the eye of Kristin Taylor.

Kristin followed Minnie’s story on social media and the local news, and even donated money to help relieve Minnie’s recovery costs. Kristin knew that she, who used to teach fire safety education, and her husband, a firefighter, would be the perfect family to take in the newly transformed cat.

Minnie became an official Taylor family member around Christmas, and she now lives happily with another cat, two Dalmatians and her pet parents.