Alumni Stories Continued...

Neo and Eddie - March 29, 2008

It has been just over a month now that both Eddie and Neo joined our family. Needless to say, it has not been dull. Neo, who it was thought to be an active pup, has turned out to be a big couch potato; while Eddie morphed from a supposed docile hound to a rambunctious, drooly mutt who loves to seek out trouble. It's difficult to say who might be a favorite because they have both wormed themselves into our hearts. Including our "Lucy" who thinks dog slobber is yuck!

Though Neo and Eddie had never met before joining our household, they took to each other as if they had been litter mates, and are inseparable. Our 12 year old female Dobie "Liesl" took them both under her direction as mom, and loves to play and order them around. She and Eddie occassionally discuss who will be Alpha. But, Liesl remains "Top Dog".

Neo is very quiet; he does not bark or whine with the exception of a slight yap once or twice when playing in the yard. Neo's one vice at the moment is that he can destroy anything he sets his teeth too. While the yard has been cleaned many times, Neo continues to find things to chew, such as the deck and a newly unopened Toaster Oven box, promptly detaching the cord from the oven. Well, we weren't using it yet anyway.

Eddie, now there's a challenge. Eddie loves to spring 4 to 5 feet in the air from a stand still as if he is spring loaded. Although, he's not yet into catching a Frisbee. He has also made the hot tub cover his sun bathing mat. It's good we keep this covered or he would be taking swimming lessons, as well. I have no doubt he would love the water. But, we'll refrain from this at the moment. Eddie also likes to chew your feet or anything else when playing. I have to remind him that I don't have extra fur and skin to tug on, and that his nips leave bruises. But, after a few weeks, he is getting much better remembering this. Eddie is a true hound. He sneaks off to hunt toys or clothes. Both he and Neo are still learning to not eat the toys. Our grandson has begun to tell them "no" in a resounding yell whenever they trespass into his territory.

As for the grandson, he and Liesl have had a game of running a circle around the connecting rooms in the evening. He has now indoctrinated all three dogs into this ritual. They take turns chasing each other. Again, as it turns out, Eddie is the livelier adventurer of the two. So, he and the grandson seem to play more. Neo is still rather shy from noises and chaos. Just plain and simple, Neo likes his couch. Which, between the three of them, there is no longer any room for humans to share a seat.

I'm certain we will have more stories to tell as time passes. But, the overall message here is that these two were a perfect addition to our home. It's definitely more work, but, with so much reward. I thank the dedicated volunteers at H.A.R.T. for putting their effort and time into saving these two loving spirits, and also thank them for taking a chance on our family. Neo and Eddie seem to love it here, and it's as if they've always been with us. Thank you all!

Theresa

Shelby (formerly Edie) - March 26, 2008

Shelby's (Edie's new name) first weekend was great!! Shelby seems to be adjusting really well to her new surroundings and siblings. She almost made it home without getting sick but the poor thing did have an upset tummy within a mile of the house.

I took your advice and introduced her to her new siblings in the back yard and after they all finished sniffing one another we went inside. Maggie and her love to chase and wrestle both inside and out. And Marley participates from the sidelines, barking and wagging his tail. As for Truman (cat) they have been in the same room but Shelby seems to have little interest.

Shelby enjoys walking on a leash when we walk her with Maggie. So, that is what we are doing now. She also likes to play in the backyard with Maggie and Marley so we take them out a few times per day.

She is a good girl at night. No crying, no accidents. She's had a few accidents in the house but most of the time she goes outside. We have identified a pattern of when she goes in the house (after a hard play with her sister and after a nap) so we try to bring her outside right after these "triggers."

She's eating well and has found her "spot" when we all sit down as a family for dinner.

Again, so far, Shelby is doing wonderful!! We love her dearly.

Pat

Sam (formerly Otis) - March 26, 2008

We are calling him Sam and he's definitely started responding to the name, so I think he likes it :) We've also been working with him on stay and sit and he's doing very well! We definitely almost have "sit" down--especially if we use treats! Sam and Bailey also seem to becoming close friends and I think they enjoy having each other's company during the day.

Sam's been a great little walker and we even took him to the monthly Shirlington pug meet-up this past Saturday, which he seemed to enjoy. He really is great with other dogs and people.

We truly are thrilled with him and love him dearly. He's been a great addition to our family! Thank you again for thinking of us and introducing him to us!

Courtney and Brian

Kaia (formerly Kya) - March 14, 2008

Sigfried - March 13, 2008

Thank you for saving Sigfried aka Ziggy for us. He has been with us for just 5 days and already is part of our hearts and family. He is a total doll and everyone, both canine and human, who meets him falls in love. Thank you thank you thank you.

Siegfried's new family - Tricia, Fred, Kate, and Kim

Titan - March 12, 2008

Titan is a wonderful puppy! We knew he was the perfect one for us the second we met him. He has been an absolute pleasure to train and is the sweetest, most mellow puppy anyone has ever seen. He is very smart and knows just how to get what he wants. He is spoiled by his many fans especially his Grandma who schedules quality time with him on a weekly basis, if not more often.

Titan is a little angel, too. He hardly ever barks; even our letter carrier is impressed! He doesn't love the car yet, but he's working on it. He likes to go out to the Virginia wineries and visit with other dogs. He's made so many friends! He also loves to play with his plush toys; the squeakier the better! He's a big eater just like the rest of the family. He loves to spend his evenings with Mom and Dad, a yummy bone, American Idol, and a warm blanket. We're a very happy family!

Thanks to the wonderful people at HART, especially Bonnie, Titan was rescued and given a chance to find his forever home with us! We couldn't be more grateful!

Maggie - March 11, 2008

She will sleep tucked into her own bed...

However, she prefers to sleep in the middle of ours!

When I'm on the computer she sits in the chair beside me

Here are a few pictures of Maggie. She is doing great, she had her spay surgery on the 3rd and is doing well. She pretty much slept the first few days but now is pretty much back to her old self. Again, thank you both for everything.

The nosey beagle checking out the camera!

I have yet to find the indestructible toy

She follows me everywhere and if I leave her behind, this is the look I get

The princess in front of the fireplace enjoying her new life of leisure!

Pantera - March 9, 2008

We adopted Pantera in August of 2006. Since then she has watched Kenny and I get married, has moved with us to our new home in Aldie, and is now a "big sister" to our daughter Lilyanne. She has been such a blessing in our lives and wanted to thank HART for making that possible!

Alex - February 15, 2008

We started out fostering Alex back on Labor Day weekend 2007. After 2 weeks we fell in love with him but he received many applications and eventually went to a family mid Sept 2007. After one week the family gave him back and HART asked us to foster him again, and we said NO, because this time, we wanted to make our home his FOREVER home! We adopted Alex at the end of Sept 2007. During his 5 months with us, he has been featured as one of the neighborhood pets. We walk him 2 to 3 times a day and he knows most of the neighborhood

dogs. He's a recent graduate of Old Town School of Dogs in Alexandria. His trainer said that he is an extremely intelligent dog. Alex enjoys playing with our niece and nephew! He's very good with the neighborhood kids and enjoys watching the neighborhood from the front glass door. He enjoys walking to the train station at the end of the day because he gets to see Dave come off the train. He loves to run and jump and will soon start Agility Training in April. Watch for Alex at the Agility Competitions! Thanks HART for such a wonderful family addition!

Lyn and Dave

Alfie - February 4, 2008

I adopted Alfie a little over 8 years ago and it was love at first sight. He has just gotten more loving year after year. He is a Foxhound mix and although we had always had Labs, he was just so beautiful - I decided to adopt him. Alfie and I quickly got into the habit of walking 2 miles around our Reston lake in the mornings before work and on weekends. We met so many great dogs and their people. I had recently moved to Reston when I got Alfie and he helped me to get to know lots of people because he was so friendly and people always wanted to stop and pet him. Thank you HART for giving me such a great dog and many wonderful years (and many more to come-I hope). I have made HART my United Way designee for the past few years and will continue to do so.

Mattie - February 1, 2008

Gale,

I just wanted to give you a status report on Mattie. She is doing well and is now 35 lbs. I believe that we are all well adjusted to one another now. We also have the housebreaking thing down. I wanted to also thank you for all of your assistance during the adoption process. Pam and I greatly appreciate your help.

Rich

Tink - January 30, 2008

Tink is doing great. We are working toward Canine Good Citizen certification, which has been an adventure so far. You know how
strong-willed she is. But she also really enjoys working, so keeping her in classes has been beneficial, I think. She loves to run and we take her as often as we can. And of course she still loves playing catch - she's gotten pretty good at catching tennis balls after the first bounce.

My in-laws visited in December and brought their Cockapoo puppy, Taffy. Those two had an absolute blast. The attached photo shows them during a rare restful moment! I'm also attaching one from the snow storm in December. She seems confused. :)

Are you fostering any dogs these days? We are still thinking about another dog. We check HART frequently... and I think when we find the right dog, we'll definitely adopt again. I think it would make Tink very happy to have a playmate - she so enjoys hanging out with other dogs (particularly herding dogs) at the park and doggy daycare.

Pinky - January 28, 2008

Pinky's such a joy! She loves our male greyhound and follows him everywhere! She's stolen all of his toys from him and keeps them upstairs where he can't get to them, but he doesn't seem to mind, although he tries to curl up in her little dog bed, which is hysterical (he's 70 pounds compared to her 20!) She enjoys her daily walks and is eating well and sleeps with us at night. She's only had a few accidents in the house, but she's doing great on the house training. She's such a cutie pie - thanks so much!

Alisa and Steve

Kaia (formerly Kya) - January 20, 2008

Hello Dick,

Not sure if you remember Kaia (formerly Kya) but we wanted to send you an update and some photos. She is doing great and so very spoiled! She seems to have completely settled into the house and has made friends with the neighborhood dogs and cats. She's very active with walks, hikes and running with us. We took her to the beach this summer and she ran for miles. All in all, a perfect fit for all of us. We love her to death and can't imagine not having her in our lives.

Thanks for everything you and the HART staff did and continue to do for these pets.

Norma, Cindy & Kaia

Frankie - January 15, 2008

Frankie can't wait to play with his new toy!

Sandy,

Great hearing from you. Things are going great with Frankie. As much as I love him I must admit it doesn't even begin to compare with how much he loves me. He follows me into every room and remains by me at all times. He is incredibly obedient, intelligent, and loving. He has done a GREAT job at changing peoples minds about Pit Bulls. Specifically my mother. On Christmas Eve Frankie and I spent the night at my parents house so we could be with them in the morning for coffee (just me) and gifts (both of us). Our Christmas morning tradition is to have coffee and cinnamon rolls. It's easy, relaxing, and delicious. Well, my Mom wakes up in the morning and after we were all getting out coffee, she proceeds to go into the kitchen and fixes Frankie a HUGE t-bone steak. Needless to say he loved it and demolished it bone and all.

I have attached a recent photo of Frankie in his winter sweater. Ha! I never thought I would ever put one on my dog but it's funny how you get really soft when you start loving a pet. Frankie is truly a great pet.

I hope you and everyone at H.A.R.T are doing great and had a great New Year!

Charlie (formerly Obie) - January 2, 2008

It has been almost 5 years since we took Charlie into our home after an adoption day at a Petco in Fairfax. He was just a sick little puppy at the time but he has grown into an amazing and healthy dog. He is beloved by so many friends and family in his forever home. We can't thank HART enough!

Charlie has been leading quite the life (www.dogster.com). He's covered the East Coast of the USA from a lakehouse in Maine down to a catamaran trip in the FL Keys, always arriving at his destination by car because we are afraid to let him fly.

His passions in life are chasing balls, keeping the mail/UPS/FedEx reps honest, swimming at the dog beach in Annapolis, and boating with his family.

We recently did a doggie DNA test on Charlie to finally put to rest our ongoing discussion of his breed mix. We discovered Charlie is mostly lab, and part beagle and doberman - link attached if anyone wants to try it (www.mmigenomics.com/CHBTKits/order.php).

We look forward to many more years with Charlie, and hopefully seeing our friends at HART at the next Art Auction.

Love,
Eric & Renee

Tess - January 1, 2008

We first adopted Tess back in April 2006. She was 3 1/2 years old at the time. Tess was with foster parents for about 4 months when we spotted her at a HART adoption day at Petsmart in Lewisville. She took to my husband and I instantly, much to the surprise of the foster parents. True to her Terrier/Chihuahua breed, she likes to think she's the alpha dog and takes awhile to warm up to people. Tess was welcomed by our 5 year old bearded collie, Peggy Lee, and their lives have been enriched since. Tess likes to cuddle up in bed and on the couch and is an affectionate and a very well-behaved little lady. She shadows me everyday like my personal watch dog.

About 6 months ago, we also adopted a Yorkie/Schnauzer mix named Opie. He's our first male dog. Opie has been fixed as a condition of his adoption, but that hasn't put a crimp in his boyish rambunction and charm. Opie is just about two. All three dogs love to play, but since Opie is more Tess's size, the two of them get along especially well, always play fighting and having fun chasing each other around the house and our yard.

Tess is our little girl and we can't imagine our lives without her. We just wanted to share our joy.

Alumni Stories Continued...

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