Here's the story of Charlie, the shelter dog who is launching our photo album of readers' adopted shelter pets. He belongs to Ken and Nancy Handsaw.  "We were looking for a playmate for our Scottie and applied to adopt a special need Scottie from Scottish Terrier Club of Greater New York Rescue, but found out that he had already been adopted. They told us that they had another special needs Scottie that really needed a home. They filled us in on him and his condition fully expecting us to decline.  "They told us that he was 2-1/2 years, with a broken back and unable to control his bowel and bladder movement. He was thrown out of a car on a highway and was hit by another car which broke his back. Thankfully the people who hit him, stopped and picked him up and took him to an animal hospital. Charlie lived at the animal hospital for 1-1/2 years where he was treated and nursed back to health. One of their customers even paid for a special cart so Charlie could walk around. He was the mascot for the hospital.  "Things where going well until Charlie nipped one of the vet tech's who accidentally hurt him. She admitted it was her fault and not Charlie's but the hospital couldn't take the chance that Charlie might nip a customer. They contacted STCGNY Rescue and asked them to help."  That's when Ken and Nancy entered the picture. When they told Ken and Nancy about Charlie, the rescue group thought they'd decline. No way, Ken says. Charlie has been with us now for over five years and has been a very important part of our lives.  READERS: If you haven't sent me a photo yet of a dog or cat you've gotten from a shelter, you still have time. Send me e-mails with the pet's name in the subject area. I'm building the photo album of shelter pets , and it takes time, so please don't think I've forgotten you if you don't see your pet -- yet. Thanks to Charlie for getting us started on this fun project and for not giving up.  To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor  . For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to  . Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to
Rescue dogs: Charlie starts off the new photo album - Paw Print Post: A community for Dog, Cat, and Pet Owners - USATODAY.com