Alumni Stories

Hi Meg,

We were on vacation Apr 21-25, 2008 in the Shenandoah Mountains in a lovely secluded cedar cabin near Luray, VA. I enjoyed the great views and wonderful cabin amenities, and we both enjoyed the long walks and cuddling on the couch in the evenings. Lynx also enjoyed being with the 3 local dogs that came by to visit every day, several times a day. I'm really not sure who had the better vacation - me or Lynx. In this photo, you can see Lynx's gorgeous Blue Merle coloring, and his serenity and happiness just radiate from the photo. His companionship is a wonderful blessing and I love him so much. I am so glad that HART rescued Lynx and that I was able to adopt him.

Eleanor

It's been four years since our lives were changed for the better with the addition of Patches to our family. He fast became a favorite of all the children in our neighborhood who often shriek and run down the sidewalk just to say hello. He has not only attached himself to us but also to our family and friends. He has many furry friends of his own with whom he enjoys long walks. Cars slow down to watch Patches and his buddies make a puppy parade as they stroll down the street. He has gained some notoriety in town by doing some "modeling" for our clients in their ads. Patches is very smart and knows many commands including "high five", "find it", "sit cute", and "rollover". He is as sweet and affectionate as he is cute.

There is nothing like coming home to that adorable "wiggle wagon" after a long day at work. I am convinced that we miss him as much as he misses us while we are away during the day. One of the most endearing qualities about Patches is that he is so interactive. This trait enables him to excel in agility classes, which he loves. As active as he can be, Patches still enjoys lazy naps in the sun and will lie at your feet under your desk for hours while you work on the computer (which is where he has parked himself as I type this now). In case you were wondering, he still has that insatiable hound appetite!

We thank you for being the catalyst that brought Patches into our lives. Our boy was very sick when you took him in and you gave him the TLC and medical attention that he needed. He continues to enjoy perfect health. Patches is just the right fit in our home. He is a wonderful example of what companionship should be and we love every minute of it.

Katie & Mark

Hi Bonnie,

Just wanted to let you know that Huck is doing great. He was quite shy the first day, but has really come out of his shell and is such a good pup. He has already mastered sit and is doing great at night in the crate. He only gets up once for a bathroom break and then stays sleeping quietly until morning. We are still working on the leash though. It will be a while before he fully gets the idea of a walk on the leash. He has his vet appt. tomorrow and hopefully will get a good checkup. Thought you might enjoy some pictures.

Thanks again.
Tobi

Hi, Gale:

Just wanted to touch base with you about Dolly. She is doing well and has taken over as the princess! Her personality is so different from our Labs and it has been quite the experience! She has us well-trained and we are grateful she lets us share the house with her! She loves to walk and goes with me and my friend every day on our 4 mile hike. She the shoes go on and she is so excited when the leash comes out. Dolly is true to her Jack Russell roots and is quite the digger. She seems to have claimed a back corner of her fenced in yard as digging country, so we have let her play out there. She does not dig up any other area, so she seems to know it's "her" spot.

Dolly loves to travel and enjoys being the center of attention as the only granddog on visits to my parents in PA. She is looking forward to spending New Year's Eve in FL with her aunt and uncle. She will get to meet Marley (her cat cousin) and that should make for an interesting moment. Will let you know how that goes!

Thought you'd like the attached picture of Dolly "resting"! We couldn't find her and looked in the bedroom and she had tunneled her way behind the pillows. Definitely a Jack Russell!

Joanne

Meg,

Bella has been GREAT! We love her soooooooooo much.

There is not one thing that we would change about her.

Not one accident.

She has been great with all other dogs, big and small. She even met some cows yesterday.

We have been to three different dog parks and a dog beach (Quiet Waters Park - Annapolis, MD). She absolutely loves the water and the baby pool at one of the dog parks, sp she got her own pool for the back yard. She was crazy at the dog beach and loved retrieving tennis balls and swimming and herding the other dogs.

We slowly introduced her to the 1st two levels of out townhouse and she is not allowed on the third level (bedrooms) and she honors our wishes and stays on the 2nd level while we are on the 3rd level and we don't even use a gate. She sleeps downstairs in the kennel and is really good about it. She sits, shakes hands, stays, heels, fetches the Frisbee and balls and comes when she is called. Everyone who has met her at dog parks and along out many walks are stunned that we have only had her a week and can't believe that she was a rescue dog and that she lived in a kennel for so long.

We want to thank you very much for holding Bella until Ann's arrival in Maryland from Boston. We were all meant to be together and Bella has been quite the joy. Anytime you find yourself in Maryland or passing through, we would love for you to stop by and see Bella and we will register for the Annual Dog Walk and Homecoming in October.

I have to go back to work next week and I am not looking forward to being away from her all day, but it will give time for Bella to forge a better bond with Mommy since she has been like Velcro to me this past week and becomes a little anxious when I leave her.

Thanks again,
Rick, Ann and Bella.

Hi Bonnie,

Thought I'd send you a summer update on our Kaycee.

She is a very happy and loved puppy! She gets lots of love and attention, has plenty of exercise and has tons of dog friends to be frisky with.

It's funny how we just knew she was the dog for us!

Keep it touch,
Pam

Dear HART Folks -

I have such fond memories of you and I promise I won't forget you, BUT life here is great! My best friend is Mary, and I really love her. I allow her to make some of the decisions, but most of the important one like where and when do I eat, who gets to take me out, where do I sleep, are mine. Mary and I get along famously and are both very happy - as you can see from the picture of us sharing a laugh. Geoff (and Alice) come up to see me a lot and I really love them and their dogs, Andy and Mona. Geoff always looks his best when he is in a picture with me. Go figure! The third picture is me on my best behavior to impress Alice's mother. She seems a very lovely lady, and I try to behave when I'm around her.

Anyhow, say "Hi," to all my admirers at HART. Mary and I are doing well now, and I hope all is well with you. See you later.

Mimi

Dear HART,

Thank you so very much for bringing Bailey and Bagel into our lives! We can't imagine life without them. We adopted Bailey (formerly Buckshot) from HART in August 2003 and adopted Bagel (Bagel 2) in February 2008.

Bailey loves to take naps, have yummy treats - one of his favorites is carrots - snuggle up on the couch, hide under clothes in the closet, lie in a sunspot, and play with his squeaky toys. Bailey is a very special little guy. He is like a live teddy bear.

Bagel loves sleeping in her doggie bed, belly rubs, peanut butter in her kong, and going for long walks. She is such a sweet girl. We call her Sleeping Beauty because sleeping is her favorite thing.

We are so very grateful for our sweet pups. Thanks HART!

- Erin and Dan Gresham

Toby, formerly Billy, is doing wonderful. I've had him since mid-May and he was born in February. Hopefully his brother Willy is doing well in his new home too. We just completed 7 weeks of obedience training and he's not even 6 months old. He brings me great joy! He's growing quickly and makes me laugh quite a bit. He enjoys licking everything which is annoying but part of being a puppy. Thanks for all the rescues you all do!

Shannon Kennedy

Hi Nancy!

I can't believe it's already been 6 weeks since little Nala came home with me. I wanted to let you know that at our last vet visit, I was happy to learn that she weighed 30 lbs! I'm attaching some pictures from our last weekend adventure. She is really a fast learner and although we had problems for a long time with peeing in the house, she picked up everything so quickly! She sits and stays and even high fives!! I had her first lesson with the trainer today and she did very well!! Thank you again for all you did to help her heal and become well adjusted while with HART. She really is the love of my life and I'm very thankful we found each other. She's so sweet and personable that once we get better with obedience classes, I'm going to get her certified to be a therapy dog so she can give back and help others. Thank you for all you and all the volunteers do with HART - that's a really tough job and you all do such honerable work saving these cats and dogs from abusive situations and putting them into good homes!

Sincerely,
Nicole and Nala

Hi Dick -

Biscay is the ideal dog - very smart, loving, and protective - an excellent watch dog - something I did not expect but appreciate nonetheless. She is improving on the leash and a bit "growly" toward the neighborhood dogs, but we're working on that as well. She does not get on the furniture or the counters and seems to be setting a good example for my golden. She gets along great with my cat now as well. Thanks so much again for your help with her - I am very fortunate indeed!

Karen

Deanna:

Hi! It been a month since we adopted Scout and I thought I'd let you know how things are going. He is doing really well. He still has some peeing issues but its mostly when he is being told to get off the furniture. We put his leash on him on the outside path so he doesn't pee in the house much anymore.

He is doing well with other dogs and children. When I walk him on the trail he meets many other dogs and is very nice and polite. He does like to rest his front paws on humans but only if he likes you. Since he is small most people think it's cute. When I take him to doggie training in the Fall, I'm hoping to learn how to stop that. Anyway, he has met some girl dogs that try to play and get his attention and he kind of tolerates them. If they start to be jumpy, he comes to me. He plays hard to get. Hee Hee He doesn't roll into his submissive position with other dogs...mostly just us? When I try to pet him and he rolls into submissive posture, I ignore him and he'll roll to a sitting position.

He was in the neighborhood July 4th parade. He had a cute patriotic bandana on and almost every kid in the neighborhood petted him. He is very good about allowing children around him. He has never growled. I try to limit the number of kids. But he is a kid magnet. He slept on the cool concrete in the shade while the band played. He was a bit nervous at first but later settled down.

Now I'm going to gush about him. Scout is like having another child ....but I can't imagine not having him with us. He gives us all so much love. He is so cute when he howls and barks. He seems to be so happy....he could pee! He loves to get on the girls bed with them and he tolerates them dressing him in clothes and whatever else they can think of. Since I walk and care for him the most and spend the most time at home, he is very attached to me. He moves with me from room to room. He is so so sweet and we are all so in love with our boy. He has a lot of nicknames....Piddle Pants and Squirt and Scoutie Boy! Okay. That's about it. Here are some pictures..finally!

Nancy Wann
(aka Scout's mommy)

Just thought I would send you an update on Clyde!

He's doing wonderful! He's a lot more playful then he showed when cooped up in that little cage! He loves catnip and chasing anything he can! He adores watching the birds and squirrels outside, and has a great time playing with his new big brother, Artemis!

He's such a wonderful cat and I love him to pieces! I'm so glad to have him as a part of my life, and he seems pretty happy too! He's very well behaved and his favorite thing by far is to be loved on!

Thanks again for letting me bring such a wonderful kitty into my life!

Sincerely,
Melissa

Hello Bonnie!

This is Sarah and Scott, we adopted Marcy (we know call her Molly) from you and wanted to write to let you know how well she is doing!

We seemed to some-how lost your email address, so hopefully this will get to you!

Molly is a beagle mix (roughly 7/8 months - when we adopted her back on March 1st) and doing just great! She is the love of our lives and are so happy with her. She is so well behaved and fits into our lifestyle just perfectly.

Her favorite things entail playing with the other dogs at the Shirlington Dog Park and taking walks downtown around the monuments.(Not to mention the occasional bone!)

We also wanted to thank you for her and let you know how great things are going for us all!

Thank you again for everything!
- Sarah Weiner and Scott Porwick