title: Hopeful Tails: Stories of Rescued Pets and Their Forever Families
author: Shelley O'Hara
description: A plaintive meow or a "pick me" bark. A soulful look or a spontaneous lick. A tentative step or a joyous leap into their new pet parents' arms and lives. These photos and stories of rescued pets will warm your heart and touch your soul. Hundreds of funny, adorable, and poignant photos show all kinds of pets who went from "down and out" to downright irresistible. Many of them had been abused or abandoned, but each of them learned to trust again, and rewarded their adoptive families with unconditional love.
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  _**They called themselves “the lucky ones”**_
  
  They were seven children either orphaned or abandoned by their parents and
  chosen by legendary philanthropist and brain surgeon Dr. Vincent Capello to
  live in The Dragon, his almost magical beach house on the Oregon Coast.
  Allison was the youngest of the lucky ones living an idyllic life with her
  newfound family...until the night she almost died, and was then whisked away
  from the house and her adopted family forever.
  
  Now, thirteen years later, Allison receives a letter from Roland, Dr.
  Capello’s eldest son, warning her that their father is ill and in his final
  days. Allison knows she must go home again and confront the ghosts of her
  past. She’s determined to find out what really happened that fateful night—was
  it an accident, or, as she’s always suspected, did one of her beloved family
  members try to kill her?
  
  But digging into the past can reveal horrific truths, and when Allison pieces
  together the story of