Lucky

Letter from Home

I just wanted to send another update on Lucky. He is getting over his cough quite well, and we can’t wait until he can be around other dogs. This morning around 6 am I woke up to a face full of kisses. It was such a blessing waking up to such a sweet companion — we definitely have a strong bond between us even though it has only been two days. I have attached a picture of when Scott got home. All Lucky wanted to do was hang out on the couch and watch a movie with Scott, it was very sweet.

Thanks again, I just wanted to update you on his wonderful progress. Now that it’s cooling down outside we are off for another walk. I’ve been having Scott hold his leash since he hasn’t formed a strong bond with him yet. Lucky has a tendency to bark and growl when Scott get’s home from work, but his is making progress and becoming more familiar with his surroundings.

Cheers,
Chelsea

Charlie & Sammy (formerly Keller)

To: Columbia Humane Society

Charlie-girl and Sammy (formerly Keller) want to say thank you for helping be part and the makings of new best friends. Dogs to kiss and cuddle with; mice to chase + tuna to eat. Life is good!

P.S Did you notice that we match!

Bella

Dear Staff,

We wanted to update you on Belle (Bella to us) who we adopted last April. What a prefect fit for us! Jackson had been so lonely after we lost Henry and now to have a younger buddy, same size and energy level, was a dream come through. She clicked right into place. She loves our morning walks. Her biggest decision of the day is which bed or couch she’ll sleep on. We’re entertained daily with rounds of "Friday Night Lab Wrestling."

Our family just can’t imagine not having her here now. Thank you for all the work you do for these special creatures!

All our best,
The Wooster Family

Ricky

A CHS Cat Adoption Success Story:

Hi — My name is Ricky and I was adopted by a loving family in April, 2011 after having been at CHS for 8 long months. I am now in a very happy & loving home and I also have another kitty to play with. I have lots of room to play and comfy blankets to sleep on. My new family loves me so much and I give them kisses every day to show them how much I love them too. I hope every cat here will get adopted to a nice new home very soon!

Ricky

Sierra

New home — letter from Sierra! (Sierra came to us through OFOSA (Oregon Friends of Shelter Animals) all the way up from California where she was pulled — just in time — out of a high-kill shelter.

Hi Everybody,

I wanted to thank all of you for taking such good care of me and being so kind. Thank you of letting me have another chance at life. I think I like my new home. I have a big brother now, his name is Griz Bear. He made me a little nervous at first because he’s so big (English Mastiff) but we got to know each other, he’ll even play with me sometimes — He’s old.

He told me he was glad to have a little sister because he’s been so lonely since his brother Kidd got sick and passed away.

I met my other new friends, they are horses. So far we get along okay. I try to help my new mom feed and put them in their stalls and let them out. She keeps telling me to watch their feet so I’m trying real hard. They are so friendly. I think they like me.

I have lots of room to run, there are so many places I have yet to explore.

Thank you,
Sierra
(and my new mom thanks you)

Titus & Astro

I have adopted two dogs from your shelter several years ago — Sampson (now Astro) a Doberman Pinscher in August of 2000 and Titus (he kept his original name) a border collie/Pit mix in July of 2007.

Titus was part of a serious abuse situation from what I remember. He came with a broken leg. When I first brought him home he was terrified if I grabbed him by the collar or touched his back side. He also had other behavior issues, but with a lot of love he has come a long way! He is now great with kids and loves men especially. He is no longer the skittish, terrified dog that would nip if he was scared.

Astro is just shy of his 12th birthday and still going strong. He was about 15 pounds underweight when I adopted him and he looked like he survived the Holocaust. He loves children and is very gentle. He is a real character and the neighborhood kids think he is the best.

So glad I gave these guys a home. I am sure both dogs would have had a hard time being adopted due to the stigma of being a Doberman and part Pit Bull.

I will definitely be coming around again if I want another dog. Here is a pic I took during my parents 50th wedding anniversary.

Sally

Lucky

LUCKY GIRL!
A beautiful flame point Siamese, Lucky came to the shelter as an 8-week-old kitten. The people who found her realized that something was wrong with her leg, so they brought her to the shelter. A local vet diagnosed a broken front leg and splinted it; if that did not work, we were told, amputation was the next step. With help from an amazingly generous donor, we took her to an orthopedic specialist who was able to repair the bone with a metal plate. She spent six weeks in a foster home having to stay quiet — no running, jumping, or playing — and the bone healed beautifully.

The surgeon says her leg is now as good as new. Soon after her final visit to the vet a wonderful woman named Rosemary came to meet her and adopted her. Rosemary also adopted a male Siamese kitten, so now Lucky has a new home and a new brother.

She is truly one "lucky" girl!

Maggie Mae and Blondie

Maggie Mae and Blondie travelled across the country to their new forever home after being adopted by Ron and Pat Gainier in November of 2009. Here is an update from Fairview, Pennsylvania.

“The girls have adjusted wonderfully and they are a blessing to us, as I think we are to them. I’m sending some pictures of the girls so you may visually see them, where they live and get some idea of the flavor of how they are being loved and taken care of (or should I say spoiled).”
March 2010: “Girls are doing fine. Most of all they are learning (slowly) to have some fun in a secure environment. The abuse that they, especially Blondie, suffered is evident but they both are learning to trust.”

Harvey

New Home — New Life

Harvey is a Great Pyrenees that came to the shelter with his brother. Both dogs were lucky to be adopted to new homes quickly, but not together. At his previous home, Harvey and his brother spent their days outside. Now Harvey’s day is very different. He has new dog and cat friends to share a home with. He walks on a leash down the street and rides in the car to go places. All these new lifestyle changes make Harvey very nervous. His new family is active and wants him to be more comfortable in his new life.

To help Harvey move along he goes to dog day care, which includes socialization in a new place and play time with appropriate dogs. He grows more comfortable with himself and new people every day. His family is seeing a great improvement is his behavior and he is a wonderful addition to a loving forever home.

Best wishes to his new owner, Renee Flint, a long-time CHS supporter.

Paisley

When Paisley was relinquished by her owners, she had two strikes against her from the time she walked through the front door of CHS. She was black and she was a pit bull mix. After a year of being in the shelter with all its stresses, Paisley had picked up a few bad habits and CHS recognized that she needed some help…so they called me. I went to the shelter to meet Paisley, the “problem dog,” and fell in love with her.

After working with her a few times at the shelter I decided to foster her (I already had 3 dogs of my own, so adoption was not a choice). I am the first to admit that Paisley does have a few issues, but as a dog trainer I know that most dogs have a few issues. After bringing Paisley home and out of the stressful shelter environment, I realized that her issues were quickly diminished by her great personality and house manners.

Paisley lived with me for months and was seen by a few families, all of which had some reason for not wanting her; she was too big, not big enough, looked too much like a pit bull. . . I could go on, but none of the excuses were Paisley’s fault. Each time someone would call or come visit I would get my hopes up, only to be let down time and time again. I would ask myself why I was the only one who could see just how GREAT Paisley was.
So when I got a call from the CHS that they had someone who wanted to adopt Paisley (as long as she got along with their other dog), I did not get my hopes up. The new family showed up with their current dog to meet Paisley, and after a few bites of hot dog and then some sniffs they were best friends.

The new family went to CHS to officially adopt Paisley to find that she had been sponsored, so her adoption fee was only $10. They paid the $10 and in turn sponsored another pit mix at CHS. I have seen Paisley multiple times since she was adopted, and she and her new family are doing GREAT. She gets three walks a day, plus all the treats and love she deserves.

Finally someone else saw what I saw in Paisley! Thanks to all of you who helped find her a home in every way, from hanging flyers, to donating money, to just telling your friends about her.

Paisley and I THANK YOU!

Nahla & Kiera

Nahla and Kiera are such sweet, loving kittens and I’m so glad I adopted both of them. They love each other and are great company for each other when I am away from the house. Nahla is the dominant one. She’s very active and loves to chase and wrestle with Kiera. Kiera is very quiet and calm and puts up with her sister’s wildness. Nahla loves to lick and clean Kiera. Kiera loves to sit on my lap and snuggle, but Nahla is not a lap cat. Several times on really nice days I have taken them outside in my backyard. Kiera loves to explore, but Nahla is afraid to leave the patio! (Kind of a role reversal...) They love to sit by the French doors and watch the birds in the backyard birdbath. They get so excited and make all kinds of funny noises. They think they are great hunters! So far they have caught several spiders and de-legged them.

Kiera has had some digestive issues and is a lot smaller than Nahla. The veterinarian has them on a new food and it seems to be helping her digestion. Hopefully she will start growing more and catch up to Nahla. When I leave the house for several hours I leave a TV on with the Animal Planet show for them and they really seem to enjoy it.

I’m having so much fun with them. They are truly a joy!
Margie

Tuffy

We adopted Tuffy, a Great Pyrenees, in September 2009. He has been a wonderful addition to the family, and has adapted very well to his new home. He gets along well with our other two dogs, a black lab and a pointer mix. Our cats aren’t worried about being near him; when he’s lying on the living room floor, they willingly walk past him within inches of his face.

He thoroughly enjoys our daily walks, and meeting new admirers. Any people he encounters are friends, as far as he’s concerned. To our pleasure he has been a calming influence on our pointer mix — she’s given up her position as defender of the pack, and is much calmer on our walks.

He also enjoys being an indoor dog. He’s allowed on the furniture and on the bed. He barks at horses he hears on television. He now knows that the sound of a can opener means dinner, and that the mixer being taken out means cookies will be forthcoming.

TOUCH OUR HEARTS

Time to get a new Puppy!!
Getting to the shelter was an exciting event. It was time for a new friend and Columbia Humane Society had three Australian Shepherd mix puppies. The black and brown kept running up to our 9-year-old daughter. She kept pushing her away, saying she wanted the merle. She couldn’t help herself; that puppy had picked her and they were best friends for 13 years.

At the same time, my husband was bonding with a wavy-haired female with big brown eyes. She was just lying there looking up like her light had almost gone out. She was 5 or 6 years old and 60 pounds of dull, black fur. It took about a year before it really sunk in for her that this was home forever. The tears run down my face, not for her sadness that day, but for missing her still, after many wonderful years blessing us with all her heart and soul.

Diamond

I wanted to write you all and thank you again for the last eight years.

My husband, Dale and I arrived at your shelter to adopt a dog for his birthday a little over eight years ago. I was so totally against getting a rottweiler...

So we loaded up a three year old female rottie named Diamond to bring home. I was aprehensive, but Diamond won me over. Now I would rather own a rott (or rather, have a rott own me; if you’ve ever lived with one, you’d understand!) than any other breed.
I could write volumes of all our adventures together. She was an amazing dog in so many ways. She easily stepped over the threshold of my fear and became this family’s bestest dog ever. She has been to schools, senior centers and adoption events. She has comforted the weary, sad and sick. She has brought hope to the lost and fearful. she has infused each day with her own personal brand of joy.

Diamond passed away this past October 30th. She was 11 years old. She went from an unwanted product of divorce, left alone with a st. bernard in a back yard, to the shelter with you, to our oldest son’s bed. There was never a more spoiled dog. She didn’t have owners, she had staff!

Words cannot express the gratitude we feel at knowing the level of trust you had placed in us, unknowing and uneducated rottweiler parents. You gave us an amazing gift all those years ago.

Please know that each day you DO make a difference in more than just the lives of the animals you serve. Your generosity and kindness stretch far beyond the horizon to touch lives of those whom you’ll never meet. When you have your bad days and sad times, please think of Diamond. Because of your dedication to just that ONE dog, you have changed the lives of SO many!

God Bless each and every one of you EVERY SINGLE DAY!

The Russell Family
Dale, Cori, Kids and Pets
Eagle Point, OR.

Scruffy

DEATH SENTENCE

Scruffy spent many months at our shelter. He had some dental issues and had to have most of his remaining teeth pulled. He developed a horrific ear infection that was resistant to the medications we tried. A special benefactor took him to a specialist in Portland, where they did cultures and started him on a new antibiotic. It did not seem to work and the specialist conferred with our vet. They agreed that Scruffy needed to be put to sleep, as he was very uncomfortable and they could not get the infection under control.

Scruffy’s guardian angel must have been working very hard, for overnight the infection began to resolve. The euthanasia was put on hold and Scruffy continued with the antibiotic. He made an amazing recovery and went to a foster home where he received lots of tender loving care and was free to roam the house. He is now best friends with the 91-year-old lady of the house and sleeps on her bed. He is one happy cat.

Obviously, Scruffy is one of the lucky ones. A little extra time and effort spelled the difference between life and death for him. At about 14 years of age he has already had two good years since his commuted “death sentence” and he seems to be holding his own.

Bob

SPECIAL NEEDS

About two years ago an Animal Control employee approached a CHS volunteer about a young kitten, Bob, that he had been fostering. The beautiful brown and black-striped kitten had been relinquished to Animal Control and two employees had been taking turns fostering him. He had been seen by a local vet, who said there might be something neurologically wrong with him. His difficulty controlling his back legs and his tendency to miss the litter box led the employee to fear that the kitten might be euthanized, so he asked if CHS could help him. Of course, the volunteer said yes!

At CHS this little guy was know as Flopsy. With the assistance of a generous donor, Flopsy was seen by a neurologist in Beaverton. His opinion was that there was some neurological damage but that the problem would not get worse and might even improve. That same generous donor took Flopsy to live with her 89-year-old mother in Portland.

Flopsy did very well in his foster home, learning to go up and down stairs and even to run, albeit a little awkwardly. He got around just fine. He had some accidents but mostly was able to use the litter box. The extended family changed Flopsy’s name to Peanut, and that has been his name for over a year.

Even though Peanut was in a good foster home, we put him on PetFinder and distributed flyers about him in the Portland metro area. Lo and behold, a few weeks ago someone called to say they were interested. They met Peanut and he is now living happily in his forever home. It was a rather long road for him but he was always sweet and affectionate and now he has a home of his own.

Cricket

Here is Cricket! A sweet boxer/spaniel mix that we adopted in December. Since arriving in her new home, Cricket has suffered from a variety of skin issues and allergies, but is finally healthy and gorgeous thanks to a special diet and tons of TLC. She is the sweetest, most lovable pup that I have ever met, and we truly love her. She is amazing with our three kids, and is doing a great job with her training. What a gem! Thank you so much for helping us complete our family. We adore Cricket, and I can’t imagine life without her!

Lauren Hildebrandt
Millwaukie, OR.

Chase — the BEST dog ever!

Chase came to the Columbia Humane Society back in February of 2008. He was emaciated and almost all of his hair was missing. He had been chained to his owner’s back yard for the last 2½ years because his kids had grown up and he was no longer fun for them. He quickly became one of Columbia Humane Societies special projects. After three months of good food, lots of baths, medication for severe skin allergies and a whole lot of TLC, Chase was adopted to a wonderful forever home.

Here is what his new family had to say . . .

Hello friends at Columbia Humane Society!

We wanted to update you on Chase. He is, as you well know, the best dog ever. All of our friends, family, neighbors and pretty much anyone who meets him think so. He’s so well behaved and he loves us so much.

Chase gets walks twice a day and he loves to go to the dog park just ½ mile from our house. You would be amazed at his shiny, full and healthy coat. He’s such a handsome guy. Chase loves to go on hikes with us.

These pictures are from Dog Mountain (appropriate, I know) just outside of Stevens, Washington in the gorge. He needed a bath afterward from the dust and especially the poison oak.

Please know that Chase is well loved, well fed, well groomed, and super spoiled. He’s so wonderful! Thank you for taking such great care of him!

Garrett and Lynette Berdan
Portland, OR.

Hector (now Bailey)

Thank you for Hector! He is turning out to be a great dog. I know your staff may wonder how he is? He is very happy, loves his toys, and has learned how to sit stay lay down and speak.

He walks great and loves his yard. He has a dog house with a window. And is getting big. We love him every day. But remain the pack leaders. And brush him every week. He still loves to lick all the time but he is still a puppy. We clean his eyes every day. And we renamed him Bailey. If you want pixs of him, let me know.

Thank you again for this dog. He will all ways be more then a dog to us. It was well worth the drive from Portland.

Steven Harmon
Portland, OR.

Annie

My husband and I would like to thank you for all of your generous and kind work with homeless animals. Your work allowed us to adopt our beautiful, Annie dog, on 3/2/2002 from you.

Annie was found to have inoperable cancer in Sept. 2007, and we had someone come to our home on 9/21/2007 and help her pass on. Annie was about 12 1/2 years old.

She was the sweetest dog we have ever had the pleasure of loving. We gave her a good life. She had love, attention, good food, was never was left alone, and always enjoyed her car rides. Without your kindness to Annie, we would not have had the joy of loving her and being her people family.

With warmest regards and respect,
Jim and Sheliah Mosley

Max

On Saturday, April 14, I had the sad task of putting my buddy, Max down. For the last few weeks, Max had been having problems standing or walking. This week, he stopped eating his food. Last night, he wouldn’t take a drink. When I woke up today, I knew it was time.

I found Max a little over 3 years ago at a your shelter. He was part of a collector’s 65 dogs. He was one of the last dogs taken. He was severely malnourished, hair completely matted and infested with fleas. You spent 3 months getting back to good health.

 

When I met Max, I was looking at another dog that could have cared less I was there. I had them bring Max out to take a look. He walked up to me; put his big paw on my leg. Then he turned around, sat and leaned into me, then looked up as if to say "Okay, are we going home or what?"

For three years he was with me for walks, road trips to see the family, etc. People would always come up with their kids and ask to pet him. He was always patient and loved the attention. He occasionally made a great pillow.

 

My favorite moment with him was the first time I took him to the ocean. He was splashing in the water and loving life. Then he decided to take a drink of water. The look on his face was priceless. I cannot remember laughing that hard. I also called him the “Zen master” as other dogs would treat him with such respect. They could be barking at one another. Then as soon as Max walked nearby, they would stop until he passed. Then they’d bark again.

Recently, it was apparent that Max was having problems. He stopped eating for the most part. He couldn’t stand on his own. When he did, he had problems walking. His breathing was labored. My girlfriend, her kids and I took him with us for one more trip to the beach. He had so much fun. The highlight was him walking up to a young woman with serious physical deformities. Max didn’t care. He walked up to be petted. Her face lit up when she would stop and he would nudge her to continue. That was just the way it was.

 

I wanted to say thank you to everyone at the shelter. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have met my buddy. He was my balance for the times when I didn’t feel balance. He was the sentinel watching over me until he felt I would be okay with my new family. As sad as I am that he is gone, I feel better knowing he is no longer in pain.

Bless you all.
John Richards
Portland, OR.

 

Cheech

Hi, this is Cheech.

I’m doing really great, have gained weight so my ribs aren’t showing anymore and I LOVE my new family, including the cats.

I have a big yard to play in and my Mom just spoils me a lot. You might want to take me off the Humane Society website as the featured pet. I think its someone elses turn! Thanks for taking such great care of me while I was waiting for my new home and please be sure to tell all the people that loved me I’m thankful for them!

Sincerely,
Cheech Reed (with some help from Deb)
Deer Island, OR.

Sadie

Sadie is the perfect dog for us — we have had several Chesepekes in the past and know just what they need to be happy, successful pets. She is so classic Ches, we have a hard time finding the chocolate lab in her (maybe a little less dense coat). She really has all of the typical Ches characteristics, and those in good balance.

She learns quickly, is happy to please, loves to go on walks and play in the yard. She’s protective of our family and home, especially protective of our 6 yr old daughter, who has no stranger fear!

We were so impressed with your shelter--the cleanliness, attitude of volunteers, and the condition of the dogs and cats. We couldn’t believe how clean Sadie was--nails even kept clipped and ears totally clean. Thanks for the really great service that you provide!

David & Lynne Shinen
Beaverton, OR.

Trek

We have a busy family but the kids and I wanted a dog. With 3 young children to raise, I don’t have a lot of spare time so a puppy was out of the question. I had my doubts that we would find an adult dog that would not require a TON of work and be good with kids AND cats AND not be terribly demanding for exercise.

While we were on a shopping trip way out to St. Helens, OR (a fair distance from the Portland metro area) we stopped in at the shelter where I had previously adopted a cat a few years ago. I had done some prelim research on the internet through Petfinder and had some ideas of the dogs they had there.

We did not anticipate adopting a dog but wanted to get a weekend "dog fix". We all love to visit with dogs we meet and pet them and cuddle them. My oldest daughter (6 years) and I went in first. My husband stayed in the car with our sleeping 2 1/2 year old son and youngest daughter. We walked through the kennels and read the descriptions on the doors, looking for a candidate for our household. I kept thinking to myself, "this dream-dog probably doesn’t exist and if it did, its owner would probably be keeping it".

I inquired about a particular dog I saw in a kennel but was told she was not good with cats at all. I asked if they could point me toward a dog that would be good with kids AND cats. The lady said they didn’t have any. A head popped out from behind a computer and said "how about Trek?".

This woman was a volunteer and a Board member at the shelter. She had taken one of the dogs at the shelter under her wing and had been working with him on the days she was there. He had been an insecure, needy dog that cried when left alone. He was in the office with her.

We took Trek into the cattery to see how he behaved around the cats. He had no interest. He knew how to sit, lay down, shake, roll over. I asked if he was housebroken and was informed that he never messed in his kennel. He was gentle with the kids (eventually the whole family came in).

The nice lady asked if we wanted to take him on a 5 day home visit. My husband and I agreed to, with some trepidation. We figured surely he would revert to his insecure self once removed from his current environment.

We loaded Trek in the car. We secured his leash for fear he might try to jump into the back seat and land on one of our children. He sat in the back and whined a little bit but was ultimately fine.

It took a little effort but we introduced him to our resident cats, on leash of course, and he was actually kind of scared of them. It took a while but he warmed up to them and now is fine with them walking under his belly or jumping over him while he’s laying down. He doesn’t even care if they eat out of his bowl.

We ended up extending our home visit to be sure we wanted to officially adopt him. We changed his name to "Jake" because our children had difficulty with the name Trek. He comes to it beautifully. He thrived in our home environment. He acted like he had been here for years. He did not rip up the house, potty in the house or cry or bark. He just followed us around everywhere. When we left to run errands or whatever, he laid on his bed quietly.

We officially adopted him after a week and a half. He is such a treasured friend now. Since we adopted him, we have learned that he knows how to "speak" and "sing". He has obviously had training. I wonder how he ended up in the shelter. Such a good dog shouldn’t end up at a shelter. Yet, there he was. I believe he was once loved and lived with a family because once he was in our home, he behaved like he had just been away for a visit somewhere. He even barked when someone came to the door.

We wish we could teach him to talk or at least to write so we could hear his life story. He is such a soulful spirit and a joy to be around. I love having him around. He watches over us when my husband is gone to work late. He loves cuddling and enjoys hugs best of all. He is what I would have to call a "plug & play" dog!

I can’t say enough good things about our dog. I am so glad that we went into the shelter and expressed our wants/needs to the staff there. We bypassed the puppy stage and came home with a dog who had lost his way in life and needed a home and love. We are one big happy family!

Oh by the way, he is a lab/shepherd/border collie mix with probably a lot of other stuff too. He is about 55 pounds, black sable in color and has the softest velvety ears that can’t decide whether they want to stand up or stay down. Either way, he is perfect.

Stephanie Dodson
Portland, OR.

JinShing

Hi,
I would just like to share a success story with you all. I adopted JinShing back in April of 2005. After her first introduction to my kitties, all is well. On her first venture into the backyard she chased them full boar out of the yard, and it had me wondering oh, no, this won’t work. But she is wonderful, smart, and loves to learn and please. She now knows those are her kitties, and although she loves to tease them and play with them, they are the best of friends.

Shortly after adopting JinShing, we attended obedience training at PetSmart. She loved it. She did so well that our trainer asked me if she could use her on an appearance on AM Northwest. Of course I said yes, so JinShing got her moment of fame on the show. She demonstrated how to sit, stay, and several other tricks. Our trainer made sure to mention also, that she was a shelter dog from the Columbia County Humane Society....nice plug!

Anyway, just wanted to let you know that yet another of your efforts has resulted in one very happy dog, and very happy family.

Here she is at the beach:
 

And then of course with one of her stuffed furry victims
 

Thanks All!
Susan Reid
Scappoose, OR.

Daisy

When I first met Daisy I swear I fell in love with her the second I saw her!   She is such a good dog and we are best buds now.   It took me a couple days to convince my dad but everything ended up working out.   Daisy is extremely happy to be apart of this family and im glad she is too.   We have two cats and they deal with her and she always trys to play wiht them.

Daisy has made LOTS of friends around the neighborhood!!!

David Leadham
Scappoose, OR.

One of Columbia Humane Society’s long time residents has Finally found a home! That’s right, after staying here at our humble shelter for over a year, Nanny is home at last.

Nanny

Nanny has moved to a country type setting where she and her new owner love to run together daily. They are very pleased to have found Nanny after their family pet of many years had passed away just a short 6 months ago.
Congratulations Nanny!!!

Kodi, a female German shepherd mix, was adopted by Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael, California.

After many attempts at finding that forever home, Kodi finally found her place in this world. Becoming a very needed companion and loyal friend to a member of our Blind community.

Yeah Kodi!!! We’re so proud of you!!!

Kodi (now Kokie)

Hello, I just wanted you to know that "Kokie" is doing well and is going into a puppy home in April.
KATU news was here this morning filming segments for this morning’s news and she was in one of the shots! She was in one of our fenced areas running with other dogs during "recess".
We continue to be pleased with her progress. I’ll let you know when she gets close to being matched with a blind person.
Thanks for letting us have her!

Margie McMahan, Training Supervisor
Guide Dogs for the Blind

   

Reece

Hi all. I just wanted to give a quick update on Reece. We had a long ride home but Reece was quite great in the car--slept a fair amount of the ride and leaned into me giving me kisses for a good part of the remainder. What a sweetheart! We took a long walk when we got home and he was admired by a good part of Seattle’s dog-loving citizenry!

He’s doing well at home and has been quite the gentleman. I’ve gotta say, I love the guy.

Thank you so much for helping me adopt him -- know that he will be well loved and well taken care of, as no doubt, will I.

Mary Kernic, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Seattle, WA.

Gadget

We just wanted to send you a quick note to let you know how pleased we are with our adoption of Gadget. She is turning out to be a wonderful addition, full of the kind of energy that only a kitten possesses, yet "demanding" plenty of lap and love time.

She adjusted to our home in the first hour and has been going non-stop since. Our border collie Bailey may not share the same level of enthusiasm, but is tolerating the presence of competition surprisingly well.

She’s already had her check up and is putting on weight steadily. She is going to be a gorgeous cat.

Thank you for making her available to us.

Brent, Michele & Kaitlyn Horn

Mayhem

You may remember me, Dirk (D-2), that sweet tabby who was all alone in my cage? Well, now I am known as Mayhem, or Hammy / Hampstead / Ham Bone for short and I live with a wonderful family in St Helens, Oregon.

I have a new Mum called Kylie and a Dad called Tyler and most importantly I have a sister kitten called Mischief, or Missy. She’s about the same age as me.

Missy and I didn’t really get along at first, it was a hard couple of days because she was already at the house when I arrived. I spent alot of time hiding under the couch and the desk in the office, but now Missy and I get along great. We love to play together and we curl up and sleep together when we have exhausted ourselves running up and down the stairs.

My Mum & Dad really look after us. We get a yummy breakfast of a morning and crunchies during the day and we get fresh water twice a day - they even use the filtered kind!! They also make sure we have plenty of clean litter. And when we are really good or take our medicine for worms they give us a really yummy treat - but sometimes Mum gives us a treat just because she loves us, but don’t tell Dad!!!

Mum & Dad are sometimes strict on us if we climb the curtains or scratch up the couch. If they catch us, we get a squirt with the spray bottle of water. That normally pulls us back into line. For the rest of the time though they give us lots of love and attention.

We have plenty of toys to play with and a nice bed to sleep in, though Missy and I usually curl up together on the office chair or the couch to sleep.

We are having a great time and I hope you are all finding wonderful families like ours to go home to. I will come and visit you soon, I promise.

I have to go as Mum has just got home and I get in trouble if I use her computer too much. In the meantime, stay well. I will write again soon.

Love to all of you,
Mayhem & Mischief Stansbury

PS - Check our me and my sis, Missy in the attached pix!!

Sabbath

Last year in March I adopted a black male cat named Sabbath. I call him Sabby for short. He is polydactyl. What a joy he has been to me and my other cat Annie. He jumps from one object to another on command. (He is sooo smart.) He waits patiently by the mail slot for the mail to come and goes crazy and runs around when it arrives. He knows when the mailman comes so he is ready and waiting!
Just wanted to let you know that I am very happy with my sweetie cat.
Sharon Dibble

Kodee (a.k.a. Chinook)

My husband and I adopted Kodee (known as Chinook while at CHS) back in August of 2002. Back then he was a shaved and skinny Samoyed – now he’s a fluffy, robust Samoyed who loves "cookies" and dinnertime. He is the apple of our eyes and is the sweetest and most gentle dog in the world. He has the typical temperament of Samoyed and can be stubborn sometimes but it’s all worth it when he looks at you with his blue eyes and Samoyed "smile". He is an absolute joy and loves his "brother" that we adopted from a rescue shelter in Spokane, WA. They get along extremely well and are best buddies.
THANK YOU CHS FOR ALLOWING US TO ADOPT SUCH A WONDERFUL DOG.
Regards,
Joe and Maureen Malek
Hillsboro, OR.

Sugar

I adopted a Yellow Lab/Golden Retriever on 02-15-2005 named Sugar. She has added lot to our family and is exactly what I was looking for in a dog.
She is very good with my 3 year old grandson. They play until she is tired. Sugar is a very loving dog and quite a character. She seems to love being a "house" dog.
Thank you for having such a great dog available.
Sharon Naylor
St. Helens OR

Antares (or Aries)

Hello -
I was in there last Saturday and adopted Antares or Aries (there was some confusion on which name applioed to which cat). Anyway, he’s the one with more white on him. I just wanted to say that he is doing just fine. I bathed him the other day, which he took to wonderfully. His coat is beautifully shiny and soft. We named him "Miso" since I am half Japanese and he seems to like it. My little girl just loves him and he enjoys being stroked by her and even likes our five-month old little boy, Miso crawled onto Joseph’s feet while he sat in his bouncy seat, My husband and I talked it over and if you’ve not yet adopted out Miso’s brother, we may be interested in him as well. If he melts someone else’s heart, that’s fantastic, but we are open to the idea of keeping the two brothers together, Thank you so much for your assistance while we were at your shelter and for taking care of such lovely, sonderful kitties while they’re waiting for forever homes.
Stephanie Dodson
Portland, OR

Odette (a.k.a. Keara)

Odette (named Keara when she was with you) has been with me for three years now. She is a beautiful, gentle cat who gets along well with two dogs and one other cat.
Valerie Schuyler
Portland, OR

Posie (a.k.a. Ruth)

Hi Columbia Humane Society,
We adopted Ruth on Nov 29, 2003. I just wanted to let you know she is doing well and has a wonderful, happy home with us. We renamed her Posie. She is very active and wants to play all the time. Our other cat, Parker, was grumpy for a month but he gets along with her now. I think he enjoys having another cat around. We really enjoy having Posie in our lives, and thank you so much for taking care of her those 7 months she was at your shelter. We hope to come out and visit again someday, and walk some of the dogs for you. Here are some pictures of her in her new home.
Sorry I didn’t get this to you sooner.
Sandra and Alex

Olivia Deville (a.k.a. Guinevere)

We thought you might like to see some pictures of Olivia Deville, a.k.a. Guinevere. She was my 16 year old daughter’s Christmas present. She has become quite a large member of our household. The "Deville" comes from the fact that she has terrorized our Greyhound and Chihuahua, they however are getting used to taking orders from a kitty. She is currently "helping" me type this e-mail. It will be a miracle if I can actually send it. We thought you might like to know how well she is fitting in our family.
The Hanks Family,
Mike, Renee, Alex, and Madison