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Happy Endings!
June 6th, 2008
Bo and Marlon >>
Jasper >>
Remmie & Reuben >>
Malkey >>
Diamond >>
Faith >>
Gibson >>
Chief >>
Mocha JoJo >>
Fluffy >>
Cookie and the Gang >>
Their new owner writes to Save-A-Pet:
Bo
Bo is still doing amazing! He loves all the dogs in the neighborhood, and has been great with all the kids. He loves to be in the front yard, just hanging out with Monkey, (our Afghan mix). He is starting to be much more vocal, barking and chasing squirrels with our 2 Beagle mixes, and howling along with them too. Pretty funny. My son says he’s his dog, and walks him to the bus with us in the morning, and has me pick him up off the bus with Bo too. I honestly can’t understand anyone not wanting this dog, but also can tell that his last owner must have treated him well, because he is so sweet and gentle.
And Marlon
As for Marlon, … He is much more active, following me everywhere, and also keeping his head up more often, and wagging his tail a ton! I know he’s got his degenerative neuropathy, and now pneumonia, but I’m telling you, he is getting better, not worse! He’s getting more comfortable relaxing lately too. He really likes to be with someone at all times. But the last few days, I’ve found him up in my room, just sleeping in the sun, on his bed. (They all have a bed in our bedroom- well, except the Beagles, they sleep in our bed!) He is seeking out affection more often too. He comes and rests his head on you, instead of just waiting for you to come spend some time with him. He seems to be gaining weight, I can’t feel his ribs that well anymore, and his spine is even less “bony” feeling. He is very crafty with his medicine though. He will now ONLY take it in roasted chicken! If I wrap it in anything else, he eats the wrapping and spits out the pill! So, we buy a roasted chicken from Jewel once a week. Whatever works!
Anyway, I just wanted to let you all know what a great place you are all a part of. I really hope in the future I can also help out the way you all do. But for now, I have to settle on raising my kids, and my furry kids! Thanks for all of your help and concern!
The Schmidt Family
JASPER
From the adopter to Felines, Inc.:
We just wanted to let you know that Jasper is doing great. It only took a couple of days and now him and our cat Kingston are getting along really well and playing all the time. He’s a really good kitten, was surprised at how good he is about using a scratch pad. Anyways, I think you guys are doing a really great thing with your shelter. It’s very obvious that Jasper came from a loving environment. Thanks so much!
REMMIE & REUBEN
Hi ADOPT,
Tom and I adopted Remmie and Reuben, 2 chihuahua mixes, back in February. What a wonderful addition to our family! January had been a particularly bad month. We lost my Mom and our beloved dog, Ed (also an ADOPT alum), within 5 days. I dreaded coming home to my quiet house. Then one cold day in February we wandered into ADOPT, and the rest is history. Tom zeroed in on a very adoptable black lab, but I wanted to see the dog that had been there for a while and was having trouble getting adopted. It turned out there were a couple boys, Remmie and Reuben, who had been there for 5 months. They climbed right up into our laps and into our hearts. They also passed the cat test, which was critical because we have 2 cats. They joined our home a couple days later.
As with any adoption, there was an adjustment period. Our kitties still aren’t too fond of the boys, but they’ve staked out the upstairs of the house as their own and that’s working. We’ve had the extreme good fortune of being able to e-mail Remmie and Reuben’s former owner. What a wonderful, helpful resource she’s been! I’ve learned so much about their past and what to expect. She warned us that when they patrolled their fenced in yard, they were really looking for an escape route. Sure enough, they dug their way out. We lined the bottom of the fence with chicken wire, and that solved that problem. We learned that one is afraid of metal and the other is afraid of flies! We also learned what to expect from each when we have visitors. I can’t tell you how helpful she’s been!
Our daughter has been home from college for the summer, and wow, do Remmie and Reuben adore her! Thy love Tom and me, but one makes their tails wag like Kelli! There’s a whole ritual of running in circles, barking and kissing that takes place every time Kelli walks in. Remmie and Reuben have brought unbelievable joy to our lives.
There isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t laugh and smile because of them. I’m sure they were meant to come into our lives. Thank you, ADOPT, for taking such good care of them before they joined our family. I better go now. Reuben’s doing his chihuahua dance to let me know it’s time to eat!
Karen Tomei
MALKEY
Hey, this is Kate Curler - I adopted a cat by the name of Gnocchi that I renamed “Malkey” - short for Greymalkin.
She was the little cutie who came in and hated other cats. You put her up on the shelf and she was a nervous wreck. I saw her and adopted her the next day. At Midsommerfest, I stopped by your booth and you remembered her! You asked me to send a photo of her - it’s attached. She’s very happy - she sits in the window all day and shows off for people who walk by. Very social with everyone but cats!
Thanks again - I love her!!!!!!
DIAMOND
Another story that could have ended bad but will now be in the Happy Endings! This German Shepherd was rescued by an animal control officer who saw her as a “diamond in the rough,” thereby naming her…Diamond.
According to Cause 4 Paws, who took her into their rescue, she had a horrible life, living most of it in a cage too small for her to stand in. She spent so much time in it that she often tried to chew her way out, damaging her front teeth. Her legs also suffered greatly from being in a cage too small and are slightly unstable and deformed. She was also very thin. She is now in foster care and is doing fantastic. Anyone who wants to read more about her can see her story on our site at www.MyCause4Paws.petfinder.com.
FAITH’S HAPPY HOME
FAITH BEFORE
FAITH NOW:
From her new parents:
Hi guys! Just wanted to give you an update on Faith. She is doing wonderfully. Full as energy as ever. She gets along with our dogs great, and also gets to play with a few other local dogs, and we have no problem. On the down side of the socialization part, our cat is still living upstairs because Faith sometimes thinks she is a furry treat. They have come to the point now where they will kind of look at each other and leave it at that. Faith still jumps at her once in awhile, but that is only when Meka (cat) darts off real quick.
There is not a day go by when Faith does not make us laugh. She has such a personality. And she thinks she is a mountain goat. You’ll see in the attached photos. Everyday is a new experience. Jumping, pouncing, licking; almost cat-like. And the jumping, we should put her in some sort of event. I bet she can jump about 5 feet no problem from a stand still. I’m 5′11”, and she can reach my face easily.
The one day she got a hold of an M&M that Lori dropped. Instant addiction. Anytime we have any out, she is in your face relentlessly, to the point where we have to go to another room to have a couple. (They are a favorite snack of my son). And then there is the ice cubes. That’s the answer to a cheap dog treat. If I put a treat and an ice cube on the ground, she will go for the ice cube first. Not sure why, but she loves them. It’s like Pavlov’s dog. She hears the ice machine on the fridge, and she’ll come running from nowhere.
The sleeping is sooo funny. She is almost in a coma when she sleeps. Nothing will wake her up. She’ll sleep upside down, head hanging off the couch, on your lap, on top of other dogs, where ever she feels. She definitely has no etiquette when it comes to laying where she pleases. One time she was sleeping on the couch and slid off and landed on the other dogs. They didn’t move and she didn’t either. She didn’t even wake up. We laughed and let them be.
Overall, she is a great addition to our family. She loves Caleb our son, and has never been a ‘regret’. There are times when we have to remind ourselves she is a puppy - one with a shoe and chewing fetish. Nothing is safe in her presence. Have to have it on a table or be supervised, or she will have a nice leather treat!
Thank you both for helping in finding her. We really do love her. In fact, we are thinking of trying to start some sort of awareness program or something, because we really think this breed is misunderstood. I have never seen a dog so eager to please its owner. And they crack me up! Such personality, and fun to play with.
- David & Lori Hesse
GIBSON IS HAPPY NOW!
Gibson is a 6 - 8 month old male Golden Retriever that was the victim of obvious neglect. He only weighed 24 lbs when he was picked up by a good samaritan off the street and his teeth were all tartered like an old dog. Thanks to being rescued by Cause 4 Paws and living in a loving foster home, he’s gained 20 pounds and now has an adoption pending! YAY!
————-
7/18 Update: He found a fantastic home with 3 other Goldens and 2 fantastic humans named Mike and Kelly! YAY!
BEFORE:
NOW:
CHIEF UPDATE
I’ve posted Chief a couple of times. He was the bait dog found battered with a shattered leg. Surgery was performed and and rod and pins placed in his leg. He recovered and was adopted out this past week! Here’s more from the rescuer:
I am so happy and proud to share this with all of you. I have kept you all up to date on Chief, from the day I found him broken and abused on Easter Sunday, his follow ups, and we even posted for more applicants for the “perfect” home. A lot of you really put forth the effort in helping place Chief. I am thrilled to announce that Amber with FUR ANGELS has found Chief the IDEAL home! The new owners have breed experience, and their last dog that they just put to sleep after 15 years was also a bait dog! They came up and met Chief last week. Then Amber had to do a home visit, and cross check some references. Well TODAY Chief is HOME!! And when you see his photos, it warms your heart.
I personally want to thank all you I don’t even know, who opened their hearts and pocket books up to help Chief. You cross posters-this is what it is all about! Because of YOU Chief is where he is, and you should be proud!
I also had a lot of support from you rescues out there. Several of you put the word out, and tried to place Chief in the best home possible as well. I thank you for your hard work and determination!
Best of all, please sit back, grab a tissue, and enjoy the photos of Chief-from “Before” to “After” to “Finally HOME!”
Best regards,
ACO Todd from Bolingbrook, IL
BEFORE:
AFTER:
HOME!!
MOCHA JO JO
From Cindy Steele
One day, shortly after my new next door neighbor, Nicole, moved in, I got an email from her. “Emergency rescue needed near Quad Cities…..several dogs including puppies to be put down! “Awww, soooo sad! And then I saw the pictures! A cute black lab, a beautiful golden retriever looking dog and then I saw the pups! So soft and fluffy…innocent!!! And someone is going to put them down?!?! How could that happen? What have they done?? Their lives have just begun! They haven’t even had the chance to be a part of a family, to run after a ball or frisbee or even to chew their human’s favorite shoe.
After mulling it over and looking at the picture, I decided, OK Nicole, if one of the puppies is going to be left behind, I will take one. Suddenly, I am transported into being a dog rescuer….will they be able to get to the dogs in time? Will all the puppies be saved? Will this puppy fit in with our dog? What have I done? What will Doug (my husband) say? What have I done? More dog poop to pick up…more housetraining….more accidents to clean up….what have I done? All this while trying to get thru an 8 hour shift at a busy hospital.
Then I get the phone call (from Doug) The dogs have arrived and are safe. “I know which one is ours….the puppy!!! And she gives kisses!”(our existing 4 legged furperson doesn’t, unless you are drinking coffee…go figure!!!) He was so excited! “She looks like a little furball with legs AND she is spunky! So doesn’t care how big the other dog is….she messes with them!”
Okay, now I can’t wait to get home from work! Unfortunately, I am on shift till 11pm.
As I pull into my driveway, I wonder what I am going to be walking into….I open the door… and there she is! A little black ball of fur with legs. Sassy little thing that will give our 50 lb black lab “the business” if the spirit moves her to do so….and he is okay with it! He actually seems to enjoy her company! Someone else to play with, someone to keep him company!
Thats it! She stays!
But what to name her?!?! Must be something “fitting” but something unique! She is black and follows us around….Shadow??? Naw too regular….need something more spunky, that reflects her personality! Well, she does have some brown in her coat….Mocha. Just as Doug says how about Jo Jo…hmmmm lets combine them……MOCHA JO JO!!! She does have “Mo Jo” and she is spicy!!! So it shall be…Mocha Jo Jo!!
And now we can’t imagine life without her!!! She is the sweetest little girl who loves everyone and everything she comes in contact with! Its almost as if she knows she was saved and lets us know how happy she is to be here every day! Sometimes, I wonder if that is a smile I see when she looks at me!!! I am thinking about seeing if they will accept her into the Animal Therapy program at the hospital that I work at. I know she would love going to the Pediatric Unit at the hospital. As she loves children so very much! She loves everyone for that matter!
And we are the ones who are blessed that she “picked” us!
FLUFFY
From Ausra Tallat-Kelpsa Di Raimondo
I do have a story – but we rescued the puppy from a pet store and he was probably a puppy mill dog. We were just buying some food and my mom was waiting outside. She went to the back yard and saw this tiny little thing (she couldn’t tell what it was at first). She picked him up and saw that he was really, tiny, nearly hairless, with infected eyes and mouth, and missing a testicle. She came in and was crying…he looked so pitiful. We assumed that the store would probably euthanize him. So I asked the manager how much they wanted for the dog, offering $150 because that’s all I could afford (and that was a stretch) especially since he was going to need a lot of medical care. They insisted on $560 because he was a purebred Chihuahua. I tried to bargain, but they had already noted that we were too concerned about his welfare and would probably buy the dog. I was torn between providing a profit to these greedy people, and saving this little guy. To this day my mom doesn’t know that I paid the $560, but we have a beautiful, longhair, happy “Fluffy” (who now is a little overweight).
We just adopted 2 cats which lost their homes; one due to foreclosure and one because his owner was sent to Iraq and had no one to take care of him. The owner was very upset when he had to give him up we understand from the shelter, but he did not know when he was going to return (stop-loss and all that) and could thus not house him in a pet hotel. We saw so many we would have taken home except we know that we will not be able to take care of any more. We have 5 now (3 chi’s and 2 cats).
THE COOKIE GANG!
BEFORE:
The foster mom said: These puppies were lovingly raised in a foster home in Chicago with their mother because they were only days old. There were 5 females and 3 males. From left to right: Momma Cookie (now Foxy); Biscuit who is quiet and sweet; Coco, runt of the litter with a tiny white tip on her tail, nose, and each of her feet; Oreo looks like a Catahoula Leopard with a heart-shaped black spot on both sides and one blue and one brown eye, laid-back personality; Graham looks like a Bluetick Coonhound who is all about eating and sleeping; Ginger is smart and independent with a cute white-tipped nose; Snicker is a playful tomboy; Sugar (now Harper Lee) is sweet and cuddly, cries for attention the most; Chip (now Blue) is the bossy, mischevious bully of the group.
Foxy, the momma, had a severe bacterial infection. She was barely 6 months old and had no idea how to be a mom. So we made her feed her pups and supplemented that with bottle feeding.
Dr. Brian Cortney of Northwest Animal Hospital was a huge help. He did numerous home visits, or gave Alex, the head vet tech, meds and instructions for Foxy and the pups. They provided great discounts and freebies whenever possible and have for all rescue groups I have worked with. Dr. Cortney knew how expensive this would be and included vaccinations, antibiotics, multiple wormings, mange and other tests for all, and treatment. The office personnel provided dog food for mom and the pups, and new puppy packets when they were ready to go to their new homes.
The pups ended up with mange at 5 weeks old, so their stay was to be extended another 12 weeks. But 3 families took their pups anyway!
AFTER
From the dogs’ current owners
FOXY BROWN (COOKIE) - THE MAMA
Foxy Brown came to us a little over a year ago through a circuitous route. We were looking on petfinder.com for a second dog to keep our first dog Rufus company. We began looking at coonhounds and before you know it we were talking to Dogs Deserve Life, who had many coonhounds for adoption. After speaking with her she determined that the dog we saw online would not be a good fit for us, but she recommended a “precious” female red boned coonhound who they had named Cookie. She had just had a full litter of cookie pups: Oreo, Snickerdoodle, etc. Susan received Cookie from a foster who cared for her while she had her puppies and helped with her serious case of mange.
When Cookie was first brought to us she was cute as could be, and there was no sign that she had had any problems. She looked great and it was clear she had received great care. Of course, there were signs that she had been pregnant, but her fur looked healthy and shiny, and her
demeanor was terrific. When she saw us her butt wiggled and her tailed loudly slapped her sides. We have come to discover that she just loves people, especially little children, and does this to EVERYONE. She has also added a hound howl to her greeting to everyone she sees on her walks.
As Cookie did not have her name for long, we decided to rename her Foxy Brown. We are big Tarrentino and 70’s fans! Plus, she is foxy and brown! She took to our house well and accepted the immediate abuse from Rufus. Rufus loves to play, bite and tackle and she somehow took all of this with
glee. Finally, Rufus found a dog that could take his rough-housing. She could give it back too. Probably the sign of a tough mother. Foxy was, and is, very loving too. She showed us immediately that she likes hugs from people. She puts her front paws around your neck and waits for you to hug. She can’t seem to get enough of these either.
To see pictures of Foxy from before were amazing. It is hard to believe that she was ever in such bad shape, as when we received her she was upbeat and looked great. A sign of great care! Adopting Foxy was a great experience for us, and the right thing to do. We had Rufus who was adopted from the Chicago Anti Cruelty Society and he needed a friend. Foxy turned out to be a perfect friend for him, and us, and she needed a home…and deserved one! To think that there are so many dogs waiting to be saved and adopted, it’s hard to believe that anyone would breed or purchase a dog. Any dog we have ever adopted seems so much more loving than dogs we have met that friends have purchased. And they seem to have less medical problems too! We have actually taken the adoption process one step further as we are now in the process of adopting a young boy from Guatemala. We know that Foxy will be super excited the day he takes his first steps into our house. Hopefully, we can keep him on his feet as I know Foxy will attack him with loving licks.
-Mark, Jen and Rufus Yoder
HARPER LEE (SUGAR)
Sugar (now Harper Lee) is doing great! She just celebrated her 8 month birthday and is now 50.8 pounds and about 20 inches at the shoulder (that height is an estimate since she doesn’t stay still long enough to get an accurate measurement). She’s got an amazing bay and is becoming a good watchdog. She can be really sweet and gives actual hugs, wrapping her front legs around your neck and licking your face or just nuzzling into your cheek. She can also be really bossy, and rough-houses with the best of them. She’s always wagging her tail and ready to greet you.
She adores my other dog, Emmett, and he is very protective of her. Because of illnesses in the family, I haven’t had much time to work with her to train her, but I’ve noticed she watches Emmett to see what he does and is learning commands that way. I haven’t started her in agility, yet, but will soon. It will probably be our winter and summer activity. I’m not sure how she’ll do. She’s got an independent streak and is not as interested in pleasing as Emmett is. 
She’s got the speed, though. I recently started Emmett in a tracking class (we think he’s got a little redbone coonhound in him, too) and he’s a natural. Once Harper Lee is a bit more controlled, I’ll start her in it too. That will probably be our fall and spring activity.
She’s pretty much outgrown her carsickness and loves to ride in the car now, but she hates going for walks. She’s very sound and sight sensitive, so any street traffic freaks her out. Even on short walks on empty streets, she gets nervous after about a block and a half and starts drooling and pulling towards home.
I’ll attach a couple pictures. One is of Harper Lee shortly after I got her, trying to get Emmett to play … something she still does. The other is from about two months ago. You can see how she’s grown.
BLUE
I found a picture of Blue and his siblings posted on petfinder.com It had been about six months since my previous dog passed away and my girlfriend and I felt it was time to get another dog. In looking through the pets I cameI found a picture of Blue and his siblings posted on petfinder.com It had been about six months since my upon the pictures and contacted the Rescue (Dogs Deserve Life) in charge of their adoption. I had told the person in charge of the rescue that I was looking for a calmer, easy to train pup, and she brought over three pups to my place. We tentatively chose one of the pups, but then I asked if I could go visit during the time we had to wait while the mange cleared up. She said that was fine. It just happened to work out that the foster mom was close to my workplace, and I was able to go visit the pups. 
Upon talking to the foster mom and explaining what I was looking for, she gave me a little extra info about what she had seen in their behavior, and her opinion of which pup would be the best fit. I was able to see all eight of them run around the backyard with her other dogs and see the way they interacted. I was able to see how they reacted to the older dogs, and get a better idea of their temperament. The biggest thing was seeing how they acted towards me when they were outside and free to run all over the
place. The dog I originally thought I was going to take could care less that other people or dogs were around, and was on her own the whole time. Blue (then Chip) would run up to me to be pet then run and play with the other dogs only to return to my side after a minute or two. It was more like he picked me than I picked him.
The foster was so accommodating and helpful, I can’t imagine not having this dog as mine. Granted he was half bald when I got him, but his personality had shown right through. The best part of visiting all the pups was wrangling them back into the pen
at the end of the visit. I remember visiting the pups and then going back to work for a meeting with muddy paw prints all over my pants. In the end the foster mom was so important in the process, and knew the dogs in a manner that helped fit the right dog with the right owner.
-John Rocco
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