Alumni Stories

Hi Family! It's me, Sienna! WOOF, WOOF!

Brittany and Tina suggested I write ya'll for Christmas and I thought that was a GREAT idea! Above is me in my reindeer helper suit. Am I cute or what?? Mikey didn't like to wear it, but I thought it was fun to dress up and take pictures.

Things have been awesome with me. I've made myself right at home. Gosh, the beds are comfy. :-) I graduated from my training two weeks ago and my mommies keep working with me. They don't let me get away with anything! But, it has made me feel a lot less anxious...I just lie down and relax without any worries. They say I am doing much better walking and behaving when we go out!

Let's see... my favorite things to do are fall asleep on Brittany's lap (or neck if she lays down, haha), run errands with Tina (we take car rides together a lot), wrestle with Mikey (coolest bother ever), and take family walks. Just the other week we all went to Burke Lake Park for a little bit. I was wearing my new, pretty pink coat. I love it cause it means I can take longer walks without getting cold. I am including a picture of Brittany, Mikey, and me by the lake that day...Tina took the picture... she is always taking pictures of me because I'm "such a pretty girl." WOOF!

Anyway, I hope you are all doing well. I am very thankful this Christmas because I realize now that I am in my forever home! Thanks for helping me find it! Miss you guys! I am sending sloppy doggy kisses your way.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Love,
Sienna
*Spin, Spin, Spin*

Both dogs are loved by all, friends and family alike. Well, maybe not my brother, but that's what he gets for coming to our house in a kilt, where Sapphire shows no shame in checking out everyone that comes through the door. Sapphire, aka Sapphmonster, has calmed down quite a bit, but can still be very rambunctious, especially when Dash comes to stay with us for a few days. She still provides us with comic relief (like when she attacks the water coming from the hose or buries herself in a pile of leaves) and thinks she is the better than most of us, as evidenced by her cross-legged post by the front door.

I thought Sapphire was hyper-Dash is constant energy in motion, but is the most well-behaved dog I've ever met. He is such a smart and good boy, and has learned many voice and hand commands from his family. He is the favorite subject for my niece's paintings and photographs. I love when he comes to visit, because he actually pays attention to me.

Both dogs are good with cats, and love going for runs and walks, chasing their laser pointers, and tearing up their toys. If they weren't two years apart, you'd think they were separated at birth. Thank you, HART, for bringing us together with these wonderful animals! Our lives are forever changed for the better. May this year see many more dogs and cats going to their forever homes!

Sincerely,
The Marshburn and Pauley Families

Hi,

We haven't been in touch with HART for a little while as we just last year relocated to Kentucky. But I wanted to send this picture of Bruschi (formerly Dempsey) and my 1 year-old son. When we adopted Bruschi in 2005 people at HART assured us that he would make a most wonderful family dog...well, you were right! Just wanted send this brief note and a big thank you for he has been and is the best dog ever!

Sincerely,
Constanze Coon

Dear Karen and Carla,

Best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Scout and Star are doing a great job of keeping Elvis company.

It's a bittersweet holiday - it's our first Christmas without Penny; but it's also our first Christmas a grandparents.

My Mom was just up here from South Carolina to meet her new great-granddaughter. We all went for a nice neighborhood walk on Dec 3 - here are photos of all of us. I hope that I look as good as my Mom does at age 89!

Scout and Star both had echocardiograms yesterday. Scout has developed a minor heart murmur but he does not need any meds, and he is now all clear for his dental with Dr. Hall in Vienna on Dec 27.Star's heart condition has slightly progressed, so today she is starting in Enalapril. Both of them are very energetic and happy.

We just got back from a one-mile neighborhood walk, which is great for all three of them - not to mention both of us! We intensely appreciate every moment that we have with them and feel so lucky to have all three of them as family members. Thank you so much for the wonderful work that you do, which brought these three darlings into our lives. Best wishes for the holidays to you and your loved ones.

Eileen & Ron Parlow

Just dropping you a line to say thanks for your help getting Kobe to us. He is a ball of energy and is very happy with his new home. He has destroyed 2 beds now and now only has 1 bed, ours. Have a happy holiday season and thanks again. Here is a picture of him and his rawhide bone. He runs around looking like he's smoking a cigarette. he's a nut.

Merry Christmas,
Tom and Debbie Lewis

My husband and I adopted Dot (now Drea) in 2005 only to discover she was a bit of a handful. Several thousands of dollars later in damaged carpet, drywall, blinds, shoes, doorframes, and anything else she could get her mouth on we decided maybe she needed a buddy. In 2008 we adopted Charlie/Danny Zucco/Pigpen (now Luca). To our surprise, Drea finally calmed down and even pass the K9 Good Citizen test. However, we are convinced she is still plotting to take over the world. Luca has been a total blessing to our home, although not without his own trials, he is very picky about his dog friends, but I would not trade him for a minute. He is the biggest cuddler known to dog, a lap will never go empty with our 60 lb pitt hanging around. Either way, I cannot thank you all enough for saving these wonderful dogs, our lives would be no where near as fun!

I'm sitting here on a Friday night after a long, long week enjoying others' success stories. It makes me very happy to know that so many wonderful animals have a safe and loving home thanks to HART. In the picture are Maddie, our Westie from a rescue group in Maryland, and Nike (formerly Punkin), whom we adopted from HART five years ago. She is on my bed as I type this, as she usually is this time of day. Nike is hardly the shy little thing that she was way back when! She is a bundle of energy who loves walks, treats, going in the car, and being loved. My younger son is absolutely smitten with her. When I travelled with him in Europe, the only "person" he talked about missing was Nike! Thank you for rescuing this adorable little dog and allowing us to welcome her into our home. She and Maddie are best friends, even though they are total opposites, and we love them dearly.

Tracy

Good Afternoon Kelly and Karen,

It's been a little over a year with Harry and many kittens later for you 2 ladies, so I figured I would shoot you an update. Despite how many cats you cycle through and adopt out, endless bags/cans of food and litter, however many bills and sleepless nights you endure... people like me (and my dog) get to reap the benefits of your hard work! Just doesn't seem right, but thank you nonetheless!

Harry is truly a dream cat for me. We adjusted flawlessly to each other and what all I was hoping I could find in a cat.

My list of "nice to haves" last summer was:

1. Outgoing and Affectionate (no hide under the bed, never-see cats for me!)
2. Great with Dogs
3. Tolerates car travel
4. Short Hair and svelte

Needless to say Harry exceeded my list and provides more enjoyment and perks I never thought possible with a Cat (silly dog person I was...).

1. Harry couldn't have more personality and is very people oriented and curious about everything going on. He spends every night sleeping at my side (unless on the prowl). He often has everyone laughing out loud, whether he's head-butting someone or batting toys around. He is the perfect supervisor and enjoys watching cooking shows (aka his human making dinner).
   Besides sleeping, FOOD is by far Harry's favorite activity and happens way too infrequently for him. Funny enough, I just looked up the original description of him from the HART site (it states "Harry is a very sweet and curious boy who wants to know everything you are doing."
2. Silvi (my 4 yr old Husky/Shep mix) and Harry are best of friends and can often be found chewing on each other or napping together. Some laughed at me when I was interested in having a cat that would like to go on walks with me and the dog. Harry expects that he will walk with us in the evening, and posts himself right in front of the door when the time nears. Granted... I carry him the whole way, but he likes to know what's going on around the neighborhood. Oh, and earlier this summer there was a feral female and her kittens that chose a drain pipe under my 2nd story apt. Get this... Harry would perch himself on my porch and observe with the momma cat... he even went to far as to "donate" one of his rattle mice to the little family. Not sure they even noticed, but quite the lady's man!
3. Harry is the quintessential traveling man and has a several thousand miles under his belt. His road trip behavior involves a cat-atonic :) state in my lap for freakishly long periods of time.
4. Soft as silk coat and lanky guy... you wouldn't believe he's 11lbs.

Bottom-line, I have the coolest cat ever and love him so much it hurts! I have never missed a pet as much as Harry while I'm away on travel. Despite all of my past dogs in my life, Harry is the first pet that I have owned that plays catch (yes, he will catch things with his baseball glove paws) and fetch (places "thing" in mouth from his paw and brings back to you for another throw). Karen, thanks for telling me that the kittens love those little rattling mice you can buy for cheap at pet store. Those are by far his favorite for fetch... of course he has to properly drown/marinade them in the water bowl for a day or two before they are certainly "dead". Too cute to see him trotting up with the mouse dangling by the tip of its tail from his mouth. Harry is wicked smart and very trainable. He is potty trained and has decided that #1 is for the toilet and #2 is for the litter box... ok, ok, not 100% there yet, but I can't be too picky. He remains a water cat and only protests baths when the soap is applied... it's all fun and games until then.

I just wanted to THANK YOU both for doing all that you do and working with me to find the right lil' kitty! I am thrilled to have the snuggle bug in my life... although my paper towel and toilet paper roll survival rate has greatly diminished ;)

I have attached some pics for your viewing pleasure. Thanks again to you and HART and I hope this email finds you and yours well~

All the Best,

Brooke & Harry

Hi!

I wanted to give you an update on Nemo and Merlin (formerly Marlin), who we adopted from HART in 2007. They are wonderful and thriving. Merlin was very shy when he first arrived but how he's as big a ham as his brother and sleeps on the bed with my husband and I. He is still shy around strangers at first, but after he warms up to them he'll let them pet him. Nemo is still as social as ever. Both boys are there to greet my husband and I when we get home from work each day.

In April 2010 my husband and I welcomed our daughter, and first child, into our family. We wanted to make the transition for Nemo and Merlin as smooth as possible, so my husband brought home some of her baby blankets from the hospital before she arrived so that the boys could get used her smell. It worked like a charm, because while they were both cautious of her crying they were very curious about this new addition. From the moment she arrived they were very gentle with her. Merlin would bring his mouse toys and leave them under her bassinet. In fact, he still does this, but now he passes them to her through the bars of her crib...for the longest time I couldn't figure out how they were ending up in her crib till I caught this little moment on the video of our baby monitor. When our daughter was about 3-months old, she was having a rather spectacular meltdown. While I was trying to sooth her, Merlin came rushing into the room and dropped his favorite mouse toy by her and looked at me an expression that clearly said "But it helps me feel better!" When she didn't stop crying he started howling too, which caught her by surprise and she stopped crying.

Our daughter is now 17-months, walking and trying to talk. We supervise her interactions with them, and are teaching her to be gentle with them, and of course give the boys lots of praise because they are both so good at being still and letting her pet them. When she is very still, Merlin purr and rub against her, which caueses some adorable baby giggles. And when they've had enough they know all the high places in the house where she can't reach them.

They are a joy in our house and I am so thankful that we adopted them!

I've attached some pictures of the boys!

All the best,
Jennifer Chen

We adopted Georgia (formerly Karina) on Halloween 2009. She is a wonderful dog and we love her to pieces. After completing obedience classes she received her AKC Canine Good Citizen Certification in early 2010. We regularly participate in agility classes and she has tried some other types of classes as well. We have signed up for our first tracking class next month. Georgia loves long walks, playing with her toys, and running around the backyard. She also likes to sunbathe and romping in the snow (weather permitting). Georgia does not like the rain, so we got her a raincoat! Everyone who meets her comments on how pretty and well-behaved she is. She brings joy to our family and we can't imagine our lives without her.

The Gary Family

Greetings!

Here is a photo of Shelby (the black dog) who I adopted a few years ago from HART. I'd hoped she would make a good companion for my other dog Lenny, who is blind. As you can see, Shelby was the perfect choice they are always close, but after the weekend out at a friend's farm in West Virginia, they were very tired from all the country activities!

Last year my wife and I were looking to adopt an older dog but we happened to stumble onto a litter of pups that was unexpected. We picked up this small, black, cute and soft pup named Paige and my wife quickly fell in love with her (I did too of course). We waited for hours that day for just an interview and it was well worth the wait!

We changed Paige's name to Sophie and she just turned 1 last month. She weighs in at 45 pounds and she is a happy pup. Her best friend is Pinky (our Jack Russell) and loves playing with her her and sleeping by her side.

My wife and I always wanted to adopt a rescue dog and one Sunday morning, while having brunch with friends, we were asked "When are you getting a dog?". The subsequent discussion revealed both of us had been secretly searching the various adoption sites looking for the perfect dog. The next day we discovered Phoenix (formerly Shiloh) and immediately fell in love with her online picture and profile. Our first in-person meeting at the home of her foster parents, Vern and Jane, confirmed everything we saw in her online description and we were welcomed into their home where the minutes quickly turned into hours.

Phoenix came into our home, lives and hearts on March 5 2011; we're not sure who rescued who! Since that time she has shed her shyness and blossomed into a remarkable companion. She is the perfect dog for us, with all of the key characteristics that were on our wish list: female, medium sized, very smart, doesn't bark, doesn't bother with the cat, has beautiful coloring and markings, very affectionate, enjoys hiking and camping, gives dry kisses and has a very expressive face/ears. She brings so much joy into our lives! She even has her own Facebook page to keep friends and family updated on her latest adventure and achievement.

Phoenix gets three one-mile walks per day plus lots of room to run in the backyard...and can she RUN! She is incredibly fast and agile and we have so much fun playing fetch with a ball. Her bright eyes and wagging tail make it so much easier to get up at 5am for her morning walk. She greets us with lots of "hugs" and loves to give us kisses. Phoenix passed her beginner obedience class last week, as a star pupil, and will begin intermediate classes this week.

We introduced her to camping in Shenandoah National Park where she encountered a world of new smells, chipmunks and deer but she was always attentive to us and obeyed when told to "leave it". Due to near freezing temperatures she ended up sleeping in our tent, (yes, she has her own tent!) between us inside the sleeping bag, stretched out on her side with her head on my wife's pillow; she didn't budge all night! She also helped keep my wife warm as they snuggled throughout the night. Morning brought a full belly rub, her favorite, as shown by the big smile (yes, she actually smiles!) in the picture.

She is a wonderful traveller too. We fasten her doggie seatbelt and she immediately lays down on the seat until we reach our destination; there's no pacing, panting, whining or sickness! She also learned to avoid getting tangled in the seatbelt strap.

Bottom line, our lives have been enhanced with the addition of Phoenix, she brings us a tremendous amount of joy and we're all showered with incredible amounts of love. We're amazed and thankful that she hadn't been adopted during her three previous adoption events...she was meant to be with us!

Thank you to HART for rescuing this precious dog as well as to Vern and Jane for being such wonderful foster parents!

Just before the new year, I saw Kat's precious face on petfinder.com. We came to meet her on New Year's Day, and though she was scared and shy, I knew immediately that she was meant to be with me. We've worked on her weight (she's at her goal weight!) and getting her to stop licking her feet. She was still a timid girl when my brother brought over his 3 legged hound dog. Right away, Kat was a different dog. She seemed happy and engaged. At that moment, I knew we were going to be adopting another dog. When I told HART that, they suggested Bubba, her foster "boyfriend." We were there for Kat's reunion with Bubba, which was adorable. Not long after, he was ours also! They could not be more happy together! Kat is pretty much a dog's dog now, which if you had met her when I had, or even more so when she was rescued from the puppy mill, you would know what an accomplishment this is.

Bubba, as an older gentleman, had a heart murmur that brought us to a veterinary cardiologist. They mentioned that we should have his regular vet take a look at a lump on his neck. Bubba is a lumpy guy, so we had not distinguished this lump from any of the others. We took him to the vet, who took a sample and then said we should see a veterinary oncologist. We found out yesterday that his thyroid tumor has spread to his lungs. Don't let that make you feel sorry for good ol' Bubba. He's just as eager to eat, go on a walk, howl at who-knows-what and do everything that he has always done! He is a trooper! We are focusing on providing EVERYTHING we can for Bubba and Kat for as long as we have them.

I can't tell you how much these dogs have added to our lives in the short time that we've had them. There is nothing like a good Sunday morning snuggle session, with all four of us in bed together. We even had to get a bigger bed to make room for these guys!

Our Kat and Bubba have benefited so much from HART's exemplary care and love. We cannot thank you enough for letting us adopt them. They enrich our lives every day. Kat and Bubba let us know what it means to be loved- truly.

Katie and Dave

Pictures of Kat and Bubba

When we went to a HART adoption event, we were looking for a young, small breed dog. We didn't see any dogs that we thought would work for us and were about to leave when we met Dude. At about 25 lbs, Dude was already a little bigger than I wanted, but he was the most affectionate dog I'd ever met and I had to take him home! 11 months and 25 pounds later, Dude is a big, strong boy who is the best cuddler imaginable. It looks like he was a little younger than we thought!

Dude's now fully house-broken and crate trained, and is doing well with obediance and tricks. He's very smart, which makes him sneaky at times. Dude is very quirky, and is often caught doing silly things like standing on the dining room table even when there's no food to be after. He's an extremely energetic boy, and loves to run and romp with his human and dog friends. We're still working on getting him to not jump on guests. Thanks to HART for bringing us such a friendly, happy dog and an amazing addition to our family!

I chose to get my husband a puppy for our anniversary 2 years ago. We got Blue, a black lab, and we just adore him. I think he may be the best dog we've ever had. Blue rides in the van, sits on your lap(even though he's 106 lbs) and is welcome at any house we go to. He has several friends, and the neighbors welcome him to their homes to play with other family pets. He loves going to the cabin, and the grandparents. I would have been able to adopt him out to many different people, but we could never let him go. He loves the kids, and the cat even though the cat doesn't appreciate him like we do. Thank you so much HART for allowing us to have such a wonderful family pet.

The Traun family.

Hi Charlene & HART,

He is having great fun playing chase with our 8-yr old dog, Sheli, which gives her some much-needed exercise. He tries his best to get the 3 kitties to play with him, too. Potty training is coming along. Timmy is a real cutie who has captured all our hearts!

Thanks,
Sharon, Richard, and Andrew Moreno

On February 5, 2011, I adopted a great little dog and named him Brady! My niece and I couldn't resist that face. He was anxious on adoption day, but soon relaxed during the car ride home. He has transitioned well to his new home. There is nothing wrong with his hearing as he perks up to any small noise outside. He has fallen in love with many members of the family. They enjoy his affection and how he likes being close. His first bath was extremely successful, but we are
still working on rides in the car. Thanks HART for making this adoption possible!

Gary

Hi Hart!

Just wanted to drop a note now that I've had London (formally Lyn) for over a year now. She's doing great and I am so thankful to Hart for bringing her into my life!

She at first was scared and shaky and now she loves playing in the snow, smiling at the neighbors, meeting other dogs, bringing toys to mom, and racing her dad to the door after coming from outside.

We also noticed something special about London when she was curled up one day...she has her own "Hart" mark! See the picture to see her heart shaped mark.

Thanks again for saving a wonderful pup!
~Alexandra

Hi,

I just wanted to submit an alumni story for Sammy and to thank HART for my best bud.

Deciding to take Sammy was a spur of the moment decision but have absolutely no regrets. I was returning some DVDs at the Blockbuster 2 yrs ago near PETCO and noticed the only sleeping dog amongst a crowd of energetic puppies. In my head I thought... "this is my dog".

The foster mom told me he was abused as a puppy and was pretty much afraid of everything. I started socializing him and taking him to Dogtopia and now he's almost grown out of it. To this day, he is THE most chill dog and I treat him like a son!

I'm a Soldier that's deploying to Iraq and will be my first time away from Sammy but my Mom (who has a Westie) is glad to "babysit" for a year :) Thanks everyone for such a great dog and my best friend.

Roland