Our mission is to help facilitate high quality affordable spay/neuter for feral, stray, and house pets and to provide shelter to abused, neglected, and abandoned animals.
“We adopted the beauty in late January. Her name was Patch, but I changed it to Niagara. She enjoys watching the bird and playing with her toys. She “talks” to us, all day, and we love it! She’s very affectionate, follows me around and sits on my lap. I am so grateful to the wonderful people at SOAR. Karen was excellent! She made the adoption process fun and the joy in her work is so evident! Thank you for the work you do. You have made me so happy! Niagara is the Queen of our home.” – J.Borger, January 2024
2023
“We adopted Eli, now Lefty, in July. We had lost our 4 1/2 year old golden doodle to illness and wanted another, but wanted an older rescue vs from another breeder. When SOAR posted a picture of Eli, we immediately submitted our application and quickly got a call for an interview. The process was very comforting, supportive and enjoyable. The meet-up was easy and Gloria was so accommodating and transparent with Eli’s pros and cons. I’ve shared SOAR posts with several friends considering rescue and we can’t recommend them enough!” K.Sonier – July 2023
“We adopted him in June! Alyson Andrews made sure I got this fluffy bear and he is the most perfect, handsome guy! Buddy, now Walker. – V. Kresge, June 2023
“Biscuit, now known as Ben. We unexpectedly had to put our 10 year old shih-tzu, Duke, to rest in August 2023. Duke was my work travel buddy and the loss hit me hard. We were looking for another, my Facebook friends knew it as well. Well, my friends came through as soon as Biscuit was posted. I received so many messages haha! My husband, Kurt, went to meet Biscuit and fell in love instantly (I was on a work assignment). I was a little worried about how our other two girls would take to him, they are 15 & 16 years old. We’ve had Biscuit now for 3 months and he fits in SO well, like he has lived here his whole life! Heck, I’m not even sure if the girls realize he is here yet. He is very much loves, with constant company. Alyson made the adoption process so smooth. We had no issues. We will be adopting from SOAR again, that’s for certain!” K.Amber, October 2023
“I adopted Bianca and Bentley in July after fostering the two of them for a short time. I was supposed to just get Bentleu but that was not to be. lol. The two were a bonded pair, that could not be separated and I got a text from Karen noting there’s… been a little complication. So I said OK, bring them both. Now, they rule the house! They’re a lovely pair and I love them madly!” – T. Verras, July 2023
“We adopted Lacey, now Sandals/Sandy in July. She is definitely comfortable in our home. She and her sister, Slippers, took some time to become friends but they get along wonderfully now! Sandals has even become friends with our daughter’s dog. She is such a loving and friendly addition to our home.” C.Voorhees – July 2023
“Roamer was his name now Max I adopted him March 27, 2023 from Gloria at SOAR. The process was easy and I was able to meet Gloria who was taking care of him. Max is the best little dog and my walking buddy, I am very fortunate to have found SOAR RESCUE.” – J.C roneberger, March 2023
“This is Linus, adopted on November 4, 2023. What a wonderful experience working with SOAR & Linus’s foster Mom. She was extremely helpful in making Linus’s transition to our family go smoothly. I would do it again in a heartbeat. I love the fact that SOAR talked to our Veterinary Practice before allowing us to adopt him, they truly are committed to finding a suitable home for potential adoptees, what wonderful advocates for their animals.” – L. Mengel, November 2023
Maya and Malachi “These 2 were perfect from the start, especially with my 3 kids. They never skipped a beat when they were brought to their new home. They spend their days “supervising” the kids while they homeschool, playing during break time and snuggling with whomever they choose in the evening. Adopting through SOAR was a great experience, even when the initial kittens we were interested in were pending, we were immediately presented with another set of kittens that actually turned out to be the perfect fit for our family. Our family met these 2 little ones at petco, after sending in our adoption application, and we took them home that day.” – E. C. Silvenis, December 2023
“Timon” and “Snowball” “Alyson was so accommodating and kind through the entire adoption process! Thank you again! They are the most perfect addition to our family.” – C. Kline, December 2023
“We adopted Kora in August 2023 and could not be happier! She is the sweetest girl, super playful and a little snugglebug who loves to burrow herself in blankies on the sofa. She has been a wonderful little sister to Maisie, our other pup also adopted from SOAR. They are the best of friends; Kora has truly completed our family! The process to adopt was very simple; we had great communication with Kora’s foster mom and a meet-and-greet before making our decision to bring Kora home. Thank you SOAR!” – J. Sharadin, August 2023
Daisy “SOAR is an amazing rescue group and I’m so happy we adopted from you. I truly appreciate that you ask for references and make sure the animals are going to good homes. We have had Daisy as a part of our family since October and she has become my best friend. I love her so much. She’s so smart and just a total love bug. I couldn’t ask for a better pup.” – S. Hahn, October 2023
Marcie “I work part time at Petco and see SOAR every Saturday. The love they give to every single cat and dog in their care is easily seen. We were ready for a second dog but ours is particular so it was a struggle. We were monitoring the SOAR page for a while, and while we applied for another dog that found a different home, two volunteers reached out to me about a pair of rescue puppies coming in. We got to meet the puppies at the foster home just a few days after they arrived. The foster mom allowed us some time to think it over and prepare (we wanted an older calmer dog to match our current dogs wavelength). We ended up taking home a puppy! The foster mom checked in a few times to make sure things were still going well, and they have been great. Marcie is the perfect addition to our family and I love that we were able to rescue her!” – K. Gavrielatos, December 2023
Toby “Our experience was amazing, foster mom was awesome, adoption coordinator was great, very timely response.” – D. R. Fritzinger May 2023
Quill aka Cole “We weren’t looking to get another dog but he was looking for us. He was shared across Facebook for a few weeks before I just had to know his story. I reached out to his foster mom Alyson and her first response was you guys are exactly what we’re looking for. We now have 4 dogs and couldn’t be happier with how well Quill fits in. Alyson was super patient in the get to know you process since we have 2 senior dogs and wanted to make sure that a puppy wouldn’t throw them off. She even kept him for an extra week until we had time to prepare and get through a few days away from home.” – J. Derr, June 2023
Rudy and Ethan “Rudy is a special needs poodle puppy. Our experience with Rudy’s foster Alyson was great! She explained his condition and the special care he would need. Our experience with adopting from SOAR was great.” – S. Repash, April & December 2023
“Jack was adopted on 5/9/23, which was also my birthday. No better gift. Jack was the second puppy I adopted from SOAR. Love this rescue & support all they do. Gloria is a saint.” – D.L.S. Rutan, May 2023
Have an adoption story with SOAR? Send your story to – [email protected]
Happy Tails from past years
“We got Fresca about a year ago today. The second we saw her we knew she was ours. Fresca has been an amazing addition to our family. She is a sweet, loving, cat who makes us laugh on a daily basis and has the most adorable whirr noises she frequently makes instead of meows. Fresca greets us at the door every time we come in and gallops up the steps to greet me every morning. She and our older cat, Amelia, have become best friends and often rub noses before playfully batting at each other. I want to thank SOAR and all the volunteers for making our home and family more complete! “ -John & Amanda, April 2022
“Valentino celebrated his first Christmas with us in December 2022, on his 8-month homecoming anniversary. This big boy has brought us an incredible amount of joy and happiness. As you can see his fur has grown back (and then some!) and he seems to be as grateful for us as we are for him!” -Barb Dec 2022
“My sweet SOAR babies Peaty and Rocket, they are a year apart and took no time to love each other. This is their favorite spot to cuddle. My experience with this rescue in the last two years is nothing but amazing. Thankful for everything you guys do!” -Abigail W., April 2021
‘The adoption process was smooth and pretty quick. Once my application was approved, I spoke with Baby’s foster and we went to go meet her! Baby was super scared when my boyfriend & I met her that day, she barked her little head off at us. We hung around for a little while to see if she’d calm down and she didn’t (which was even more of a reason for me to want her as I knew she’d love us once she calmed down and got settled in). Once we got her home, she took a nap and we didn’t bother her. The next morning, she came out for some belly rubs and instantly, not only was she loving us but we fell for her! It didn’t take her long to come out of her shell and she is such a happy girl. She is so obedient and just an all around sweetheart!! I’d recommend SOAR to anyone that is looking to adopt!” -Danielle C., April 2021
“A friend told me about a 5 month old female Siamese kitten, that was rescued from a kill shelter in NY and needed a home, she was being held at SOAR. Fast forward – we had a wonderful chat with Miriam (foster mom) and met Olivia. She was so scared! The true scaredy-cat! It took weeks for her not to hide and see her during the day. It took months for her to sit on my lap. She avoided men! Now she sits on laps, rubs against you, is friends with our other cat, but she doesn’t like to be lifted off the ground. We love having Livvy in our home. Thank you!” -Mary Z., April 2021
“We lost two dogs (14 & 16) in a year & it was so rough on us. Animal lovers know what a hole that leaves in your heart. It was so hard on us & my husband said, “No more dogs,” but after 5 months, I couldn’t take it anymore. I have had dogs from the time I was a child. He insisted we get an older dog & I agreed. I just wanted a dog to love & make their time on earth the best I could for them. When I saw Tony’s picture and heard his story, I just wanted to give him a good home. Luckily, Gloria was willing to let me adopt him. It was kind of rough the first three months, which is normal, but I felt so sorry for this little dog who didn’t ask for his life to be uprooted like this. It broke my heart to the point that it made me cry. Even though I was with him all the time & would cuddle & talk to him, he seemed a little distant. I am thrilled to say, that after a year he has accepted us & has gotten into our routine. My husband walks him nearly every day or takes him to the dog park. Unfortunately, in September he had a bad stroke & I thought we were going to lose him; we were devastated. When I brought him home he still couldn’t stand, but I worked on his legs like he was riding bicycle & today he runs like nothing ever happened! It was a miracle from above. However, he lost his sight and we needed more medication, but he has recovered! This poor guy went through all of this in one year, talk about being dealt a bad hand of cards. Even through all of this, he has been such a blessing to us. He plays with his toys, throws them in the air & loves to continuously make them squeak. He loves to lay in doggie/cat beds, but at night it’s time to sleep with Mommy in her bed. He ignores our 3 cats even though one wants to make friends with him, by walking along side of him & curling her tail over his back, but he looks the other way & tries to get away from her. He is something else & just fills my heart with love after losing my two precious dogs. We rescued each other.”-Jacquie M. April 2021
“Thank you to Starting Over Animal Rescue.”
-Randi B., November 2020
“It’s about to be 1 year gotcha day anniversary with my SOAR baby, was Jessie now Cleo. She has been the absolute best cat ever since day 1, came to college with me in Pittsburgh, moved up to the Poconos with me, and now we live down in Tennessee. This girl has no problem adjusting whatsoever, so happy anywhere we go. I recently adopted a kitten and she loves him! They run around and play all day long and snuggle together when they think i’m not watching. Karen, I could never thank you enough. I love SOAR!! can’t wait to adopt more some day -Abby L., November 2020
“This is Henley . She came from SOAR. Wonderful organization, and wonderful people “
-Heather, November 2020
“I first met Captain Snazzy Pants when he was just a tiny foster kitten my daughter was taking care of. Captain became ill and I had to watch him while my daughter was on vacation. It turned out she never picked him up and he was in my home to stay! Captain has brought so much joy and silliness to my house.
Thank you SOAR and Gloria!”
-Carol K., August 2019
At Starting Over Animal Rescue we extend a great big THANK YOU for choosing to adopt & for your kind words.
If you would like your adoption story published on our testimonials page, please submit your story to [email protected]. Please be sure to include your name (how you want it to be shared), pets name, month & date of adoption, your story & photos! Thank you for adopting with SOAR!
