Happy Success Stories

Xander AKA Art had been at the shelter for 8 months. My husband found him on Petfinder in March 2007 and we went to see him the very next day. As we walked past the adult dogs, they all stood up and barked, except Xander. He was lying down and lifted his head as we approached, then put it back down. He seemed really depressed.

We decided we needed to take him home although he looked a lot bigger than the 30 pounds in his bio on Petfinder..(turns out he was really 64) He was a little chubby from the lack of exercise.

We immediately took him to the vet and groomer. He's closer to 55 pound couch potato now. Our whole neighborhood fell in love with him, especially the children. He's like a Rockstar. He loves cuddles and hugs. One neighbor told us about therapy pets, so we immediately checked it out.

Xander graduated from the Miami Valley Pet Therapy program this winter and we're excited to start making visits. So far he's visited the VA and a couple of other retirement facilities. He also volunteers for the Montgomery County Humane Society. Next week, we'll start doing Children's Programs as well. He loves to sit and get petted while kids read to him.

We're so happy to have found him. He's like a child to us and has brought us closer to our neighbors and community. No one understands how Xander could have been in a shelter for so long. I explain that they have a lot of good adult dogs needing homes, so we advertise for Petfinder and shelters as much as possible. Two of our neighbors have gotten rescue dogs after meeting Xander and now Xander has even more friends.!
Carrie, Xander’s mom

We adopted Wrigley (once known as Nautilus) in August, 2008 from the SPCA.  The poor fellow had been at the shelter since January 2008. He has been a great addition to our family.  My 3 yr. old and my 6 yr. old have been so excited to have a new dog.  They both actively participating in his care.  The first few days he had two accidents in the house but has not had any since then.  He is on a consistent diet now and his body seems to be functioning better.  We are working on leash training and he is getting the hang of it pretty quickly with assistance of the choke collar.  He responds well to both discipline and praise and is eager to please us.  We have taken him to the dog park in Mason and he did wonderfully with the other dogs there.  He actually got to open up and just sprint a little bit and it was such a great feeling to see him so happy.  He does great with other dogs in general.  He is very friendly and social and we love having him as part of our family now.
Tricia and the boys

Hobo has been nothing but a blessing in my life. From the day I brought him home, it was as if he had always lived here. Since I myself, became disabled in 2006, he has never left my side.  He has so much love to give , I thought he could bring, at least, a smile to people facing  bad situations.

I registered with a Hospice group as a "Paw Pal". I had to take 12 hours of classes myself and then take Hobo to their offices for approval. Once we were cleared, I was given a list of patients to choose from. We are now involved with a woman at Cedar Village in Mason who has terminal lung cancer. The first time we went to see her, her eyes lit up. She told me she had had a German shepherd that had to be "put down" 2 weeks after she entered Cedar Village. She was so excited to see Hobo! She was feeding him saltine crackers from her bedside table. The next day, I took a photo of Hobo, sprayed it with a sealer, turned it over and made it into a postcard to send to her. I made it sound like it was Hobo sending it, saying thank you letting my mommy and me come to see you. I found out from other workers in my group, that she shows that photo to anyone and everyone who comes into her room. The organization gave Hobo a purple collar and an embroidered purple heart that says "Hobo" on one side and "Paw Pals" on the other. Thanks I believe it was God’s plan that Hobo came to me.
Denise, Hobo’s mom

Ernie had quite a bit of trouble with separation anxiety in the beginning, but we stuck with it, he got over it, and now he has the run of the house with my cat when I’m at work.  No more howling, pottying, or stressing out when mommy walks out the door.  He had been in the shelter for seven months, and it took him seven months to get over his anxiety.  Makes sense, really.

  I have a horse, so we go to the farm 5-6 days a week, and he runs and plays with their dogs.  I take him to visit friends, the dog park, PetSmart, to get the oil changed, everywhere.  He tends to be timid, so my purpose was to build his confidence by wide exposure to new situations, and showing him that it doesn’t matter where we are, you are safe.  Now, when he jumps out of the car, he never knows where we’ll be, but he just turns toward me and sits happily, expectantly, and trusts me.  (He also heels off -leash like a pro!)

  I am blessed to have Ernie.  Such a sweet spirit!  Thank you, thank you, thank you for saving him for me!
Very Sincerely, Diane

Noodle is such a nice girl. Someone has spent time with her teaching her to sit and lie down with hand signals--they really loved her at the vet when  I took her for her rabies shot  ( Though the vet was of the opinion that there was more Walker hound than greyhound in her family tree.)  Noodle is definitely a different critter than the one that was at the shelter, I cannot believe how personable she has become.  I basically brought her home since I thought she would be a suitable companion for our other dog.  I was NOT impressed with her "people skills" at the shelter, but I thought she might warm up to us in time, but WOW!  She has decided she is home and turned on the charm!! Nancy, Noodle’s mom

Farrah has been renamed Daisy by her new family. She has made herself right at home after spending long months at the shelter. Now she enjoys playtime in the large backyard where she has discovered the kids playset. She loves to go sliding down the slide as you can see from her picture.

Rose is a sweet little lady. She would sit in the corner of her kennel with a very sad look in her eyes. It took awhile but finally a family saw into those eyes and decided she was perfect for their household. She is now the head of the household and matriarch of the neighborhood dogs according to her new family. She has definitely found her forever home.

Brando is now one very happy fellow. He had spent months in a kennel before finding a wonderful foster home. The time spent in the foster home gave him the opportunity to rediscover family life. Just recently a family was looking for a new pet and the daughter saw Brando's happy picture. She fell in love with his tongue licking face. The family contacted us and Brando finally found his forever home.

Cole holds the record for the fastest contact after being posted on Petfinder. In less than an hour after having his picture and bio posted, a prospective adopter was contacting us. She drove all the way from Columbus, Ohio to meet Cole and immediately fell in love with him. What a sight they made as they drove away; he was in the back, leaning his head on her shoulder. It was easy to see that this was a perfect match.

Jenny's story is one of our really happy ones. She was part of a large neglect case seizure that totaled over 40 dogs. It took months for all the legal issues to be resolved and the dogs placed for adoption. Happily all the dogs were finally adopted. Jenny found her forever home with a family living in Pikesville, Kentucky.

Sugar was another of the neglect case dogs. She was placed in a wonderful foster home to try and help her overcome her shyness and fear of being around people. She spent lots of time hiding behind the furniture. Her foster mom provided love and a secure home for her. Slowly, Sugar became a more confident dog. She was adopted by a great family who have nothing but love for her.

Annie was a sweetheart, very loving. However, she was hard to place since she was an older, big dog. She spent a long time in a foster home where she learned all the things she needed to be a great family member. Happily, a family who was able to love all of her, adopted her.

Buddy spent almost a year in a local shelter. Despite that, he was a happy fellow. Sheltered Paws Dog Rescue was able to get him placed in a wonderful foster home. His coat gleamed and he seemed to always be smiling once he was groomed. He spent little time in foster. He was quickly adopted by a family in Englewood, Ohio.

Copper was a fun loving dog that enjoyed having his ears scratched. However, he was constantly overlooked while in the shelter. He just didn't seem to stand out.Then for some reason, he got lost in the system. He languished in a kennel with no number and no record of him in the system. Luckily, a volunteer recognized him and got some action started. He got a new number, then left the shelter for a foster home. It was apparent immediately to the foster family that he was a really neat dog. He was crate trained, housebroken, loved people, kids, and CATS. He also rarely barked. He wasn't in foster very long before a family found him on the Internet and adopted him. He now has his own family to love.

Sassy was a lively lady that really didn't enjoy being in that shelter kennel. She did her best to get attention when people walked by. Dispite her antics she was constantly overlooked. We found a nice foster home for her where she quickly fit into the happy home life. Her foster mom taught her how to ring a bell with her nose to go out. Sassy is now living the good life in her forever home.

Kicker spent almost a year at the shelter. He earned the name Kicker because of how he would lift his rear end in the air when he peed. He was always a happy guy despite his time there. Some family finally discovered how cute he was and he now has his forever home.

Maxwell was a large black dog. The sad fact is that large black dogs are normally adopted last. He spent many months at the shelter being passed over by people looking to adopt. He finally found a foster home that readily accepted him for what he was. He learned his manners and became a nice fellow. We were contacted by a lady that was looking for a large dog just like Maxwell. It was a great match from the beginning and now Maxwell has found his forever home.