Furry friends find new homes after rescuer's death

Susan Lee, who called herself an independent animal rescuer, died earlier this year after a battle with cancer. In her final days, she put out a plea to family, friends and the public to adopt the furry friends she called "Susan's Sweethearts."

Mike And Doreen Smith stepped up to care for Bruiser, an energetic 80-pound dog with one blue eye and one brown eye. 

"He makes me feel safer at night knowing he's in the house with my chow chow and my chihuahua," Doreen Smith said. 

Ryan Wood heard about Susan's Sweethearts from a friend. 

"She said, 'There's this place called Susan's Sweethearts,' and she showed me some pictures and I saw Buddy," he recalled.

Now Buddy is Wood's new best friend. " He was unlike any of the other dogs. It's hard to explain. It was love," Wood said.

There is still one adoption story yet to be told. Lilly, an affectionate black lab was one of Lee's favorites, and she remains without a home. That means the work is not complete for Karen Croom, who promised Lee she'd get all of the animals adopted.

"You're dealing with a friend that's passed, but you also know you have a chore in front of you," Croom said. 

Lilly, 10, likes children, men and women and is known as a cuddler, Croom said.