Friends

In September 2013, we adopted our very first family dog, Scarlett. The
whole family fell in love with her and based on her profile, we knew
that she would be the perfect dog for us. When we met her at a event, we
thought she was just so beautiful and so sweet. One of my sons cried
when he saw another person looking at her! The decision to adopt her was
unanimous. She has proved to be a wonderful dog and we are so glad that
we are her forever family. She has been a great source of happiness for
our family.

Since there were just 5 humans in the family and 1 dog, we decided that
we didn't have enough "dog" to go around. Everybody wanted to snuggle
with Scarlett and it wasn't fun waiting for a turn. So, we decided that
we would start looking for a second dog. We knew that we wanted to
adopt, so we let Planned Pethood know that we were looking and then we
found a puppy, Journey, now known as Jax. The minute we saw him on the
website, we fell in love with him and thought he resembled Scarlett. We
thought that they would make a good match, and we were right! They are
best buddies, despite their age and size difference. We couldn't be
happier.

Both Scarlett and Jax were fostered by the same people, Barb and Jeff
Johnson. We were so thankful for their care prior to adoption, so we
decided to become fosters, too. If someone hadn't fostered Scarlett and
Jax, they might not have gotten the chance to find us, their forever
family. This story is definitely a "happily ever after" for all

The Hammermaster Family

I'm glad to tell you the Jake story... it's a good one. He's doing great, still hyper,
but of course slowing down with age. He's lived in Mexico most of his
life now and he (and I) are very happy here. He even knows quite a few
commands in Spanish, he's a bilingual dog!

It is so great that you continue to volunteer! Bless your heart. You
are doing so much good. I really miss it. Here it's almost imposible to
do anything to help the many, many street animals. I've rescued and
found homes for a few, but it's not easy. There are very few
organizations like PP here, the problem is just too big and the
resources so few. But there are a few of us who do what we can. I have a
friend who organizes free spay and neuter clinics in very poor
neighborhoods, and the turnout is overwhelming! The people really want
to do the right thing, they just don't have the money. The vets who
volunteer their time are amazing, and they work in very basic set-ups
with almost no supplies, but they do what they can and it helps.

Say hi to Nikki for me and keep up the great work! You guys are
awesome!!

Take care, kisses from Jake and Canela!

Lorna

"I can't believe it's been five years, but about five years ago I was procrastinating and just browsing on Petfinder when I came across these photos. We weren't looking for a dog, but I saw these photos and immediately fell in love. I thought, "They'll never give me a dog. I'm in college, I'm 20 years old, and I live in an apartment with no yard for a dog to play," so naturally I about jumped out of my seat when I got the message from his foster mama Carol Dunn saying that she thought I would be the perfect person for "Jackaroo" (I remember, I was in my car and actually squealed with excitement. Out loud!)
So Kong toy gift in hand, James and I headed to Toledo to meet the shy, timid pup who was neglected and afraid of people and didn't have much of a chance to be adopted since the pet store adoption environment was so overwhelming for him to be at. Not too long after, James gave me the best Valentine's Day and Anniversary gift ever, and Bandit joined our home ♥
He's come such a long way in these last five years, and we've had so much fun together from tricks classes and agility to swimming and hikes. He really is my best friend, and such a great snuggle bug. We love you so much Bandit Jack, thank you for bringing so much love into our lives ♥"

Iggy- the one-year report

To know the story of Iggy, you first must know the story of Clark and Daisy. Clark was a doberman-something-or-other who was found as a stray and was fostered by Deb Gring. Michelle and I adopted him from PPI on 7-7-2007. Since we married later in life and neither one of us had children, Clark, and later the beagle named Daisy became our fur-kids.

Clark was a very good dog. He passed away in October 2012, too early. I never realized how much I loved him until he was gone. When he left, a big part of my heart went with him.

And even though Miss Daisy Dog was there to fill the void, it was a task she could not perform, and soon, Michelle and I began looking at dogs.

And immediately, I fell in love with a silly-looking little brown-and-black something or other of a pup out of the letter I litter-- the I puppies. His name: Ignatius... Iggy for short. We looked at others, even looked at another rescue, but circumstances worked out that Iggy was available when we needed him. When I held him for the first time, he crawled up my chest to put his head in the nape of my neck, just as Clark had, and well, I was done for. God put the four of us together last November; David, Michelle, Daisy... and now Iggy.

The puppy who was all feet and teeth came into our home, but it wasn't the easiest. He began sleeping in the crate in our bedroom, but soon that came to an end, and he sleeps in bed with us, which he thinks is the most normal thing in the world. Daisy may choose to sleep on an old blanket on the floor, but he sleeps with the people.

Housebreaking has proved to be a bit of a challenge. We both work odd and long hours, not the best home for a puppy. Like many puppies, he had a busy mouth and despite a preponderance of toys, more than one pair of shoes fell by the wayside.

Then there were the battles with his sister. Just like Daisy bullied Clark, she made it very clear to the young interloper that he was only allowed in the house because she allowed it. On a couple of occasions, she put teeth on him to drive her point home. She did not want to play with him, she did not want to share with him. He should just stay away from her, thank you very much.

But time heals all things. Adjusting his feeding schedule has been a big help with the poop problem, and trying a couple of different foods led to one Mr. Fussy Eater seems to like. A few weeks of maturity helped the problem of going nuts when strangers entered the yard. And now, after a year, Daisy will tolerate him. She will even defend him at day care.

We have always said we could never expect Iggy to be Clark, but we could help him to be the best Iggy he can be. And now the baby dog boy who thought being touched, scratched or petted was an invitation to chew on fingers, will burrow his head into a lap for a good scratching. Dog kisses were taught as an alternative to teeth (or teef, as they are sometimes called), and now it's tough to get him to stop without giving a complete face wash. But honestly, I don't mind that much...

Now that he's probably close to 70 pounds, three of us in the big bed can be a challenge, but it's still kind of nice. While he won't climb up on a lap like Clark used to, he often lays at (on) my feet, just to be close to me. And I like that.

Iggy's antics delight and entertain us. He has the most expressive dog face. We can watch his eyebrows contort in an endless variety of shapes, and swear we know what he's thinking. We watch him go through a pile of toys, picking up each in his mouth and giving it a tentative squeeze, just to decide which one he wants to play with. We smile when he crawls across the bed rather than standing up and walking.

When Iggy meets me at the door, knocking stuff over with his too-long dog tail as he trots up on his too-tall dog legs to slurp me with a big dog kiss, it's certainly worth it.

Iggy won't, and can't make me forget Clark, and I don't want him to.

Despite what some people have said, I choose to believe in Rainbow Bridge, the place where beloved pets wait for us to cross from this world to the next. I choose to believe that a line of dogs wait there for me. I hope that Clark looks down from the pasture around the approach to Rainbow Bridge, and approves of the boy dog who now has the job of being my best friend and of keeping me company.

I am sure he does.

It’s been a long time since we’ve given an update on our little
adopted Basenji, "Wilona" (she was renamed Athena when she came to us)!
She is QUITE an ornery little thing, and is always eager to snatch items
you leave too close to the counter edge…but she is THE MOST SWEET and
cuddly thing ever! Her favorite place is curled-up on our laps, no –
not just on the couch with us, but LITERALLY – ON TOP OF US. J She’s
a doll, super soft, loves to give kisses, and always smells good, just
like she did when she was a puppy!

Her humans love to play a video of she and her "brother" Beau howling,
to get them howling again, and oh how she loves to let out some
rooster-strong howls! She’s not a fan of the cold, but loves to
explore outside, and when she’s chilly, she wants to rush back in.

She is SUPER healthy, active, and what a huge blessing in our home! We adore her J Adopted dogs are the BEST!!!

Thanks!

Renee & Byron Von Gunten

Thank you SO much Planned Pethood for both of our fur babies! Bowser
was adopted by Ryan in January of '11, fostered by Heather and Holly S. He has
been a happy addition to our home since then, but always seemed a little
lonely. We happened upon an adoption event in Ann Arbor and all 3 of us
(Ryan, Bowser, and I) fell in love with Kent (who we've decided to
rename Yoshi). Thank you very much Judy S. for fostering this sweet baby
until he could find his forever home with us! We could not be happier
with our newly enlarged family!

-Amanda

I adopted Autumn (whom was originally called Porsche) from Planned Pethood at PetSmart in September 2012. From day one, she has been nothing but wonderful. She is not skittish and we often think she is a dog reincarnated, the way she comes when called and sits by the table looking for scraps at dinner. Thank you for helping her become a part of our family. :-)

Danielle Hladky

Hello, friends at Planned Pethood. Piper here! - You may remember me as Obi or Bibi. It took me a few days to get used to being called Piper too, but with a little practice, I'm learning to love it! A lot has been going on since I moved in with my new family. I have a sister that I love to play with all the time, I'm learning new commands everyday, and my new mom and dad give me lots of love.

They have been learning a lot about me, such as the thing I love doing the most (aside from giving kisses to mom and dad and playing with my sister Lola of course), soaking up the sun through the patio door. Sometimes the blinds aren't open for me to enjoy it, so I occasionally have to stick my head in between the blinds to spread them apart so I can see outside and make beautiful doggy art. Lola and I both use our noses to make pretty pictures on the window. Mom and dad just LOVE when we make pretty doggy art for them.

Another one of my favorite things to do with my new family is to go on walks. Lola and I decided to go on walks separately for a while, until we get really good at them, so we can impress mom and dad with our awesome walking skills together. We didn't want to stress them out or make them frustrated by not walking well together yet, so I usually go with mom and Lola usually goes with dad. This way, it's enjoyable for all of us and nobody gets anxious or frustrated. I have a feeling that soon we'll all be able to go together though!

Oh! Guess what else? I have my very own room. That's what they call it here. It's a really nice big cage with a nice soft comfy bed and a yummy bone all to myself. At night, that's where I sleep. All they have to say is "Ok girls, go to your rooms" and Lola and I both know exactly what to do! Mom and dad are really impressed with how fast I'm picking up on my new commands.

I love it here, but we are still all learning a lot about each other. One thing they are working on me with right now is my fear of women. Mom and dad had some family over and I was a little unsure of how I felt about some of them; women mostly. I did fine with all of the men, but one of my grandmas just didn't sit very well with me. When she came in, I was a little scared and barked at her, so she decided to ignore me. She wouldn’t look at me or try to pet me or anything and that made me a little more comfortable. My other grandma came and I had no problem with her, so it's not all women. One of my aunt's came with her husband and two kids and the same thing happened again. I barked at her a little, but as soon as she ignored me and didn't make eye contact or anything, I felt safe again and decided to give her some kisses to let her know it wasn't her fault.

Mom and dad never get mad at me when this happens, they do their best to try and make me feel safe. Good news though, I am very good with children! My cousins are 4 and 2 years old and I just loved them. I think my favorite part about kids is that they are the perfect height to give kisses to, right on their faces! Boy, do I love to give kisses. I give my mom and dad an extra bath every day when they get home from work, just to show them how much I love and appreciate them!

Another thing we are still working on is my love for trash. I like to sneak into the trash cans when they are not looking and get out used tissues, chew them up and leave them all over the floor. Most of the time, they catch me and tell me it's a “no-no”, but sometimes I just can't resist. We have also been working on my whining. They say that whining won't get me attention, but sometimes I try really hard. Mom and dad both ignore me when I whine, then when I stop, they praise me and see what they can do to make me happy. Sometimes I just want some extra love, I'm bored or I have to go potty. They said whining is sometimes ok when I have to potty really bad, but my first choice should be to sit by the patio door, like my sister does, to let them know. These are all things that are taking time for me to catch on to. They say that's ok and that I'm doing really well with all of the stuff we're working on all at once.

Mom wanted me to attach some pictures for you to show you how well I am fitting in to my new life. She said to tell you we’re sorry we don't have a family photo yet. (Lola and I may have been too squirmy to sit in the picture when it was on a timer...whoops. I'm sure we'll have better luck when someone is behind the camera to take it.) I hope you enjoy the pictures of us. We try really hard to be cute for pictures. :)

Hope to hear from you soon! Mom says I'll be writing again for another update once we get a family photo, but it might be a couple weeks.

Thanks for all of your help getting me to my wonderful new family. I'm loving every moment I'm here!

Love,

Piper, Lola, Brittney and Todd

Hi everyone,

This is Lennox and Sadie’s mom, Cheryl, writing to give an update on how they are doing. We adopted Lennox in September 2012 and then adopted Sadie 2 weeks later. Both are doing well and they have fast become sister and brother. They are both becoming very spoiled from all the attention they get. They both love to sit on mom or dad’s lap and cuddle. (Yes, they think they are lap dogs).

They love running and playing in the yard and absolutely love the snow. Being the overprotective mom I am, they both have doggie coats to wear outside on cold, rainy days. Lennox loves his, and Sadie is starting to be more at ease with hers, but would rather go without. We go for walks on nice days to the park down the street and are working on stopping the leash pulling.

James and I would like to thank Planned Pethood for all they do for animals who need help and home until they find a family. We are very happy with our 2 furbabies.

Thanks so much,
James and Cheryl Binienda

This is our “baby”, Ruby, adopted from Planned Pethood on 4-21-01. She is our baby, and where we go, she goes! She is a traveler and has visited many states. As you might expect, she is “spoiled rotten”.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all at Planned Pethood.

Larry and Sandra Rock & Ruby

Dear Foster Mom Judy,

I just wanted you to know that these pictures were...... NOT my idea!!! I played along, but these 2 women you left me with just LOVE to dress me up. I've been a Mariachi Dancer (Cinco de Mayo), Willhorn Leghorn (chicken outfit - Halloween) and now Willdolph The Red Nosed Pick-Pocket.

I just returned from a trip to see mommy Becky's family in Illinois for Christmas. My Aunt Georgia just LOVES me and she and my Uncle Dave think I'm quite well behaved and handsome. I was invited back....anytime! They live out in the country and I had lots of room to run....and run. I have a cousin, Chief (GIANT Schnauzer), and he thinks he's the boss of me. I play along, but......it is his forever home. I'm the boss of my forever home too, so I get it.

I just wanted to let you know that I'm 3 now and I reflect back on my past. Please tell the nice woman that saved me from Death Row...Thank You!! I still have "tissue issues", but they hide the bathroom trash can from me and that seems to work for all of us (out of sight, out of mind). And, thank you for spotting mommas' Marci and Becky....they love me so much!! I LOVE them too.

Merry Christmas and.....I REALLY apologize about your sister's $50 bill. I was just a kid back then.....

Best Wishes,

Willie

I wanted to send you a quick update on Daisy (aka Lulu) now/forever Georgia – she is doing so great! As you may remember, we took her in mid-September of last year and Barb D did our home visit.

Weighing in at 65 lbs. now, she’s really happy, super loving, and so funny - she keeps us laughing daily. Georgia loves ALL dogs and kids and gets to visit the Karnik playground once a week. A few times, David has had to help her from the car because she’s so worn out! Also, she’s very good at getting into bed with us at night to snuggle without us knowing…we wake up and there she is.

Our chocolate lab, Henry, has finally learned to love her (thank goodness) and they are quite a pair. Henry looks hysterical with his eyes closed. They made the trip all the way to Florida together.

Thanks again for being a great Foster Mom, Jill – we absolutely love her!

Kelly Dimmer

In May of 2011, we were lucky enough to have Kane come into our lives! For me, it was love at first sight. He was and is a wonderful dog. In November 2011, we got another dog, Memphis. They are both black and tan. Kane is part Chow and Belgian Shepherd; Memphis is part Yorkie and part Maltese. Kane weights 60 pounds and Memphis about 13. They are the best of friends and, of course, Memphis rules the house! We got Kane from Planned Pethood and Memphis from the local Humane Society. Both have been picked to be in next year’s Humane Society calendar. Needless to say, they were both very excited and, as it turns out, they’re very photogenic. Both my wife and I really appreciate what your organization is doing to help rescue and find forever homes for these poor animals. I hope you have continued success and give our appreciation to all of your staff and supporters.

Sincerely,
Dale and Gloria Devol

Thank you to Planned Pethood for their dedication to all of their animals that need forever homes! Your dedication and love shows in all of the animals, especially Ziggi, our new family member. He makes us smile (and he smiles back) everyday! Everyone who gets to know him just loves him. If anyone is hesitant on adopting a "Bully Breed", please don't be. All they want to do is love you and be loved. Ziggi has been an awesome addition to our family!

(Ziggi pictured on the right with Tank)

Hi! Just wanted you to know how much we love Clevie! Seen here on his
way to Florida with his "sister", Rosie. He's been with us for 3 ½ months now, but it seems like he's lived with us forever! He was super on the long car ride to Florida and he liked the trip I think. He loves to ride in the boat at our lake house and is my constant companion. I call him my “Mommas boy”. He sleeps with me every night and follows me everywhere I go. He cries when I have to leave him. Usually, I take him everywhere I can. He loves to visit his Grandma's house. He's very protective of my daughter and even growls when his "dad" tries to take him from us. We're so happy to have our little labeagle!

Thanks again for allowing us to share our home with him!
We call him Cleviepoo! <3

Debbie Kime & family

THINK YOU'RE SEEING DOUBLE?

It was July 2010 when we walked into Sylvania Veterinary Clinic and sat down to wait for the start of Planned Pethood's Adopt-a-thon. As we were waiting, in walks this sweet tan & white Spaniel/Pointer mix. She walked up to Steve, sniffed his shoe and then proceeded to give him a kiss on the hand. We were hooked immediately. Even after being told she had some serious "separation anxiety" issues, we knew she was the one we wanted to give a forever home to. We have always had dogs and had been without one for 1 ½ years, after loosing our Katie, a trusted companion of 16 years. We were ready for Lucy (then named Sapphire by Planned Pethood). She has been a TOTAL DELIGHT and a wonderful addition to our home.

In January 2012, I received a text from Wendy (Lucy's foster owner) with a picture of a tan and white Spaniel/Hound mix with a simple text "does Lucy need a sister?" Except for the difference in size, she could have passed as a sister from the same litter. Steve & I talked it over. Neither of us had more than one dog at a time. Steve had some concerns, but after some "coaxing", we decided to try "fostering to adopt" for one week to see if it would be a good fit. Ethyl (known as "Patches" to Planned Pethood) immediately adjusted to her new surroundings. She accepted her sister Lucy with warm affection and within a day, they were out in the yard chasing each other and wrestling each other to the ground. Within 3 days, we were sure we wanted to give our second girl a forever home. She has also been a TOTAL DELIGHT and a wonderful addition to our home.

We are very thankful to Planned Pethood for enabling us to provide a home for "our girls". We hope to be able to enjoy many years of memories and love with Lucy & Ethyl!

Steve & Kathy DeNolf

As the (adoption) birthdays of Obie & Tasha are here, I thought I’d send this picture in. Obie (Oberion, who is black) is our puppy that we adopted when he was 11 weeks old. Tasha was adopted when she was approximately 3 years old. Obie is the best puppy and has lots of energy and is very snuggly. Tasha is a bit high maintenance, but we wouldn’t trade her for the world. Thank you to Planned Pethood for helping us find our puppies!

Denise, Rob, Lauren & Drew Klocinski

Bridgette is just the BEST. Our hearts are just so full with the love and affection she lavishes on us. Tom and I have had dogs before, but have never experienced anything like we have with our "girlie". It is almost beyond words. Sometimes we find it hard to believe she is a dog. She is a wonderful companion and watch dog. Nothing gets by her. She is always on patrol, whether it's in the family room or in "the tower" (upstairs bedroom) watching for rabbits & squirrels. She spends a fair amount of time on the stairs too, watching for passersby in the street. She's got her routine and looks forward to the weekends as much as we do. She starts sulking on Sunday night, knowing that a new work week is beginning and we won't be cuddling up all day!

Anyway, just wanted to let you know the girl is doing great!

Janette Gee

Hi! My name is Sullivan, a.k.a. Sully. I adopted a family in June. They think they adopted me - little do they know. It's great. I have free run of the house, I’m fed great (occasionally McDonald’s), on cold nights I sleep under the covers with my Mom and I'm even learning to play with toys, even though I'd rather chew on bones. My new Mom (Cindy) is in a wheelchair so I had to learn to watch so I didn't get run over. That was easy. When we go for walks, I ride on her lap crossing busy streets or walking the shopping center. Heh, I have little legs so it’s like 3 times as much walking. I have a human big brother named Keith. He was under my spell the first time I got on his lap and licked him. He likes to cuddle with me, play, feed me (he can't resist those puppy dog eyes). I like to sit in his truck or on his motorcycle, but I won't ride the bike - that scares me. I have a big brother named Kalib. He's a service dog. He is a big Newfi/Retriever. He's great, so laid back. We cuddle, sleep, play, eat together and I always take his treats if he turns his head. I even use him for my chew toy. If I bite too hard, he lets me know with a bark or he knocks me over with his paw or just sits on me when I bite his back legs. I get baths in the sink. I like to get dirty. I have 2 friends next door. We bark at each other and run the fence - it's purty cool. All in all, I think I made out ok. All I have to do is look cute and bark when someone comes to the door. I hope others get as lucky as me.

Sully Wolff

Our newest baby is Frank Sinatra - foster mother is Mary Torio. We kept his name the same. He was under weight, had scabs all over his little body from flea bites from being in the woods - we have no idea how long! How anyone could do that to such a bundle of love…may God give them KARMA!

He is loving, fun and full of energy! We found him at Banfield PetSmart in Rossford and fell in love instantly! He may be blind in one eye, but that has not stopped him from anything a normal 2 year old puppy would do, including instigating rough housing with his older "sister", Sassie. At adoption, he weighed 11 pounds. Now he weighs in at 14 1/2 pounds! No ribs showing now!

Thank you for finding our new little angel!

Oh, and he has now received his Wood County Dog License and loves to sit in the window and play in the snow. Wow, thank you Planned Pethood and
Mary Torio. He is a gift from Heaven!

Gloria & Frank Sinatra

Just thought we would give you a quick update on Aki (previously "Ruthie"), who we adopted about a year ago this month. She is such a great cat…and SMART! There was a specific mouse toy (unfortunately that she has lost now) that she would actually play fetch with. I would throw the thing all the way across the apartment and she would bring it back every time. She loves to watch TV, being petted and talks to us (constantly), but is not the biggest fan of being picked up or brushed, most likely due to a bit of Siamese in her. She has definitely developed a brother-sister relationship with our older cat, Oz. One second they are grooming each other and the next chewing on each other's ears and kicking each other (kind of like human siblings - haha!)

Needless to say, she has more than bounced back from spraining her little paw when she was 9 weeks old! She and Oz moved with us in January to a much bigger apartment in Perrysburg. They are loving it, especially with the cat tree Jordan got for them. We found a great companion in Aki and have been recommending anyone looking for a new pet to look into Planned Pethood!

Thanks and take care,

Allyson Feasel & Jordan Harris

Our story is one that can be best described by that old saying, ‘if you love something, let it go. If it comes back, it was meant to be.' I had to regrettably give up this wonderful treasure due to complications with work. My mother was caring for her in my absence. She became ill and couldn’t handle doing it anymore. I never stopped thinking about her and every dog show that I saw brought me to tears. Has anyone seen Marley and me? Yeah, that was the worst. When I saw her come back up for adoption, I was ecstatic. Thanks to the wonderful people at Planned Pethood, I was able to get her back. Now she is back where she belongs and has finally gotten the yard that a good girl like her deserves. She and her sister, Freya, go on walks to Oak Openings on the weekend, when the weather allows. She still quite enjoys chewing up pop and water bottles. At her new place, she even has a cat for a roommate! It’s not ours, but the landlady asked that we keep him up here - so Zorro is her new buddy and she just couldn’t be happier. I love having my baby back and would never let her go again in a million years. She’s my heart and my world and there’s nothing I wouldn't do for those pretty orange eyes of hers.

Thank you so much, Planned Pethood, and all those who helped me. You made my life just that much brighter
:)
Here’s to many more good years and successful adoptions for you!

Jami, Joe, Tequila, Freya and Zorro

Hi Planned Pethood! My husband and I adopted Princess in December 2010. Her foster parent was Mike. We've changed her name to Lily. She is very precious! When we first brought her home, she was very scared. She hid from us a lot for the first month. We are very happy with her. She is a not scared like she used to be. She loves to sit on our lap and sleeps in our bedroom now. Thank you, Planned Pethood, for helping Lily and I find each other!

Jennifer Lajti

Happy New Year to you and yours! We had a wonderful Christmas and Sammy seemed to be pretty amused with the sight of the tree, lights and presents. He was a very good boy and just sniffed at his presents. He waited until our daughter opened them for him. I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful he has been. He is fully housebroken, completed two courses of obedience training and has stopped thinking shoes are his biggest treat. He has added years to our dog Bruce and often is curled up on the other side of the couch with him. The major contribution he has made to our family is the bond he and Naomi have made. He sleeps under her bed (she has a loft bed) and is never very far from where she is. She hugs him, lays on him and generally always has something touching him. This makes Sammy have that wonderful doggy grin on his face. He is the most wonderful, cutest, kindest dog I have met in years. I can't imagine life without him.

Thank you so much for finding us the perfect match. How you knew he was the one for us and us for him, I will never know, but I will always be grateful.

:)
Deb

Hello Everyone!

My name is Harley and I am almost 3 years old. I was born in May of 2008. Jean, Maddie and Sierra Keating were my loving foster family before I was adopted by Rob, Bernadine, Bob, Tim and Emily Zirker. I am lucky because I still get to see Maddie every week. (I can tell she loves me!!) I am a very happy and loving dog and my family is crazy about me. I love to chase squirrels and run around in the backyard. I also love to go on walks with my family. I get sooo excited when I see my leash! My family and I were definitely made for each other! I was featured on Planned Pet hood’s “Happily Ever After” page before I turned one. Now that I am all grown up, I would like you to see some new pictures of me. I am very photogenic!!

Sincerely,

Harley Zirker
(The Zirker Family)

Scotty is such a wonderful addition to our lives. We adopted him in the fall of 2010 and he has given us so much joy! He is like a son to us. He follows us everywhere around the house and greets us at the door when we come home. He loves to talk and be held like a baby and get tummy rubs. We watch TV and take naps together. He dips his paws in the water bowl when he drinks water, so he leaves paw prints all over the house. He is so cute! Thank you, PPI, for making us so happy! We appreciate everything.

Sincerely,
Allison and Mike Nam

Hi, my name is Joey.
I am a 10 year old Boxer/Hound mix.
I was adopted two years ago.
After several years of hard luck, I have finally hit the jackpot.
What a life I have now - A loving family, food, and my own sofa.
I like to be lazy and sleep all day. Oh, I forgot to mention the snacks!!!
My mom says I am the “best boy ever”. Dad says I am just spoiled.
P.S. To all the girls at PPI: Thanks for not giving up on an old man like me.

Joey

(The Gilreath Family)

Hello. I would like to share our ‘happily ever after’. My husband and I adopted a German Shepherd named Squeaker/Starr (whose name is now Remmi) in November of 2010. We absolutely love her. She is such a big baby that entertains us daily and adds much needed laughter to our stressful lives.

Starr's foster mom, Kathy, was great. She did our house inspection and gave us some suggestions about German Shepherds that she has learned from fostering and owning them for many years. She also recommended a vet and trainer for Starr that was great and we have all learned a lot. She also did a great job of keeping in touch with us after our adoption and kept us informed of Planned Pethood events that were coming up.

We truly had a great experience with adopting Starr and she is a great addition to our family. Thank you!

Nikki Denman

The last thing in the world I needed was another dog. My two at home did a very fine job of keeping me company, but when I saw Bella in a cage, tucked away in the rear corner of all the animals up for adoption, I immediately wanted to adopt her. I’ve passed through many of these adoption displays. I’ve seen dozens of adorable dogs that I wanted to bring home over the years, but my heart immediately went out to Bella. Maybe it was the fact that she only had one eye. It certainly made her look pathetic and unwanted. I’d prefer to think it was simply destiny. I asked if I could hold her. She gave me a kiss on the cheek. It wasn’t long before I got home and contacted Planned Pethood. While I didn’t need another dog at the time, it was apparent that this dog needed me.

Bella has been a terrific addition to the family. It did not take her too long to adjust. Certainly, getting her fully potty trained took some time, but the dog has found more love than she knows what to do with. During a recent bout with the flu, two figures remained fixed on the couch for three straight days - me and Bella. She has a knack for finding the person in the house who most needs a friend at the moment, whether it is me, my wife, one of our teenaged sons, or one of the other dogs. Rarely does a lap go unoccupied in our house for more than a few minutes. When she isn’t there, she likes to curl up in her bed or snuggle by the fire. Like everyone who enters our house, Bella has gained a few pounds. We got her shortly after her recovery from the removal of her eye and her spaying. She was only 8 pounds and had difficulty eating solid food. Not anymore. She is now incredibly spoiled and is north of 10 pounds.

While we did not need a third dog, it is hard to imagine life without Bella. Next time though, I am avoiding those adaption events.

Dan Compora

Hello! We adopted Sarah (now known to us as Cady) just about a month ago. Cady has definitely become a much loved part of our family! Our two boys like to give her hugs and treats and she is incredibly patient and gentle with them. Cady is such a love bug. She seems to think she is a lap dog. Cady has such a sweet disposition and we already can't imagine life without her.

Many thanks to her foster, Sally, and the whole group for taking such good care of Cady. She is truly a blessing to us.

The Aelker Family