Stories
Potcake Success Stories
Every year our dedicated team at Potcake Place works tirelessly to provide safe shelter, care and a brighter future for hundreds of dogs. Many have been abandoned and neglected, leaving them in need of tender loving care and a second chance at happiness.
We have successfully found incredible adoption families for hundreds of potcakes throughout North America and other parts of the world. Many are now enjoying lives on beaches, in the snow, living happily with cats, kids and other dogs.
Your wonderful donations help us to help beautiful souls find their forever homes.
Potcakes touch so many hearts in so many ways. We could not possibly write about each and every puppy we care for but here are a few stand out stories and happy memories from our volunteer team.
ROCKY
Tiny but such a fighter
Meet Rocky. Rocky was left at the TCSPCA’s door one morning. They asked if we'd take this little fella in as they were full. We agreed.
On further inspection, they realized something was terribly wrong with this 6 week old’s back legs. He was dragging himself along by his front legs. An X-ray revealed that both back legs were broken. We still agreed to take him on.
He needed operating on and as soon as possible as a puppy this young grows very fast. We had an offer from a surgeon at a top Vet Hospital in Colorado that they could perform the operation for $7-9000 with a 20% discount, which we appreciated so much.
We ran that number by an orthopaedic veterinary surgeon who we have known through the years who agreed this was a good price and that the facility was 1st class.
After speaking with his partners they contacted us and offered to perform the surgery at one of their hospitals for approx. $5000 as they could use the opportunity as a teaching tool for their veterinary surgical residents.
Within a day, the plan came together. We had an offer from one of our volunteer couriers travelling back into NJ on a private jet and an amazing rescue named Rylie’s Rescue agreed to take this puppy into their foster and adoption program.
So we said goodbye to Rocky and another very lucky dog who also had a broken leg, although not as serious, named Broken Arrow who had been adopted by a vet in CT.
Saying goodbye was bittersweet. We had really come to love this little man. People chipped in with donations. We received a $500 donation from Ocean Outback Adventures here on Island, and many other people stopped by and gave donations towards his medical treatment.
We received word that Rylie’s rescue had dropped him off for his surgery Friday morning, along with the news that they wanted to pay for half of the cost of his operation. We are just blown away by the amazing generosity and feel so blessed to know all these incredible people.
Rocky has a long road ahead of him, but every journey starts with a single step
Rocky is doing well. He has a long road ahead of him, but every journey starts with a single step, and Rocky now has all four legs to start making those steps.
With thanks to:
The couriers - Ocean Outback Adventures
The beautiful lady who donated not once but twice but who will remain anonymous.
The phenomenal Blue Pearl Conshohocken Animal Hospital and the incredibly talented Veterinary Surgeon Dr. Nicole Salas
And please support and follow Rylie’s Rescue in PA
Go Rocky!
From coming into Potcake Place malnourished and covered in ticks to travelling in style with our awesome couriers.
Hope
Learning trust and gaining Hope
Your wonderful donations help us to help these beautiful souls. Beautiful souls like Hope, who when rescued from the streets was about 6 months old and weighed only 19lbs (should have been around 40lbs!)
She was starving and on her last legs, infested with ticks. She calmly allowed the volunteers to bathe her whilst all the time wagging her tail and giving kisses. She was treated for fleas and ticks, dewormed and then fed, watered, bathed, cuddled and put to bed.
On her first night, Hope was in her blankie all snuggled up to her toys. We can only imagine what she had to endure on the streets trying to survive. Our volunteers work so hard to help dogs in need and let them know they don't have to worry about letting their guard down and having a good night's sleep anymore.
After her welcome to Potcake Place Hope gradually gained strength and stood much better on her hind legs. From not being able to stand very well to then going out for walks was a major achievement for the team. It's amazing what love, great nutrition, vitamins and a whole lot of hope can do.
From coming into Potcake Place malnourished and covered in ticks to travelling in style with our awesome couriers. Hope was the pawfect passenger and was taken safely home to her new hoomans in Ohio. This was a momentous day for this beautiful and charismatic young lady. We miss Hope's adorable face around here.
SoFIA
Nothing can stop her now!
Meet beautiful and gentle Sofia. She came into the Potcake Place rescue centre in August 2021with her six siblings (Haidar7).
Unfortunately, Sofia had a birth defect as she had two paws on one leg. As she was unable to use her leg properly, she had been dragging it around causing grazing and possible infection.
After a lengthy consultation with the Veterinary team, Sofia had surgery to remove her front left leg. She recovered in her wonderful foster home, learning how to walk with three legs and was put up for adoption. It was a sad day for the foster family and the volunteers at Potcake Place to say goodbye to our beautiful tripod Sofia. We are going to miss her sweet face.
Sofia went to a wonderful forever home in Ohio and was happy to meet her Porcake siblings.
The rest of Sofia's litter from the Haidar 7 all found their forever homes. Sweet Chloe finally found a home and is now living in Virginia with her new Potcake sister.
Brothers Juba and Linus both flew home with more wonderful couriers and Juba is now enjoying life in New Jersey with his new Potcake sister and Linus is not too far away in New York with his new humans.
Little brother Charlie was the first of the Haidar 7 to be adopted and he flew with more awesome couriers and is living his best life in North Carolina, while brother Snoopy headed home with another wonderful courier and is living happily ever after in Massachusetts with his new human. Sweet sister Patty also hitched a ride with her amazing couriers and is enjoying life in Rhode Island with her forever family.
Many thanks to our wonderful couriers. Your time and donations mean the world to our furry friends.
Brooke
A fully-fledged member of our family
This beautiful rescue dog, Brooke, was found as a stray on the streets of Provo but now she has a new happy life in….Provo!
Brooke celebrated her 2nd birthday in October 2021 with her traditional treat of a doggy carrot cake. What a different life she leads now compared to the life she had on the streets.
Just two years ago, Brooke was found and rescued on a cold and wet evening by Potcake Place Founder, Jane. Poor Brooke had given birth to her litter near a lawyer’s office and was sheltering precariously under a truck. Brooke and her young litter were cold and could not stay sheltered under the truck. It certainly was not an easy rescue. It was clear she was a stray, as she was so scared, confused and hugely distressed trying to look after her babies.
Jane recalls that night, “Brooke and I spent a few hours together laying in the dirt under a truck in the pouring rain in heated discussions about bringing her and her babies in.” It went back and forth but Brooke eventually agreed to go into Potcake Place.
“Thank you for trusting me. You are now a fully-fledged member of our family and we adore you. Thank you for being you,” says Jane.
Brooke and her babies came into the centre into the ‘maternity ward’. Brooke was bathed, treated to soft blankets and tasty food and given a quiet place to nurse her babies. In time, all her puppies grew up at Potcake Place and went on to find new homes in North America.
The strong bond between Jane and Brooke stayed strong as she eventually ended up moving in with Jane, and her husband Colin, and has not looked back. She is a very content lady who we are sure is thankful for the love and care she received from Jane and all the volunteers at Potcake Place.
Chiquitita
How could we say no
It's time to showcase Chiquitita. It's difficult for us to take in adult dogs due to lack of space but when faced with this how could we say no.
Chiquitita was trapped near Froggies in Blue Hills after we were alerted to her plight. The tissue around her right eye was so swollen that it was impossible to know if she even had an eye.
Her last remaining pup was also caught but sadly passed from parvovirus. Chiquitita had surgery at @barkandbliss to drain the fluid and reconstruct her eyelids. Over the next few weeks, she blossomed from a shy nervous street dog who preferred to stay in her crate to a well adjusted and trusting young lady who would hang out in the Potcake Place office and happily go for walks.
This extremely lucky lady met her new forever human while he was visiting the island and had a few sleepovers at his condo before he had to depart, resolving to pull out all the stops to get her home.
Thanks to some wonderful couriers on a private jet Chiquitita was flown up to New York and is now living happily ever after in Ohio with her new Potcake brothers Porkchop and Nemo.
This is what all your wonderful donations help us achieve. Thank you
BONNIE
Operation Rescue Bonnie
We received a call from a local hotel about some newborn pups and the Mum on their property. We went to investigate.
Mum 'Bonnie' had the pups under the hotel's large propane tank all safe and sound. She had made a den for herself nearby. The area beside the hotel was strewn with garbage and this poor skinny young Mum was trying to care for her babies the best she knew how. The very kind staff were bringing her food but guests were starting to complain.
We didn't want to take the pups and just leave moma dog behind. We needed to rescue them all. So we left the puppies in her care and set about 'Operation Rescue Bonnie'.
We tried all hours of the day and night to get her. She came so close with a beautiful waggy tail and Potcake Smile but would then run off.
It took days of Jane crawling and sitting in unmentionable items and a borrowed trap from the TCSPCA, but we finally got her.
Finally, Bonnie and her babies were safe and sound.
From a crazy start, they all went on to find wonderful new homes.