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Jasper (Formerly known as Brewster) (October 2009)
I wanted to give you an update on Jasper. He is still one of the best dogs I've ever had. All of the neighbors are crazy about him and he loves life!!!
I still walk him up to the pond at the top of my street for a swim at least 4 times a week. I take him to the dog park in Southern Village often and he's still best buds with our Boston.
I'm still spreading the word about C.A.R.E. and what a great job you all do.
Thank you again for sharing him with us. He truly is a part of this family.
Debbie
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Mikey's Happy Ending (October 2009)
I know it's been a long while but I wanted to give you a little update on Mikey. He is doing wonderful and he truly brings me so much happiness and laughter in my life. I don't know what I would do without him. He is so well behaved, and has learned how to sit, shake, and lay down. He has also learned the command 'lay in your bed' haha because he likes to try to jump on the bed to sleep in my bed with me at night, so I had to teach him to lay in his doggy bed f. He is doing so well. I brought him to the vet about a month ago to have his nails trimmed and the vet just looked him over while we were there. She said his coat looks great (it is so soft) and he is 14 pounds, which she said is a perfect weight for his size. He is still on Frontline Plus and also on his Interceptor heart worm pills (once a month). I have him eating Wellness food now because he seems to get bored with his food every now and then. I have switched between Nutro and Wellness. I have heard good things from the vet about the science diet and I may look into that as well eventually, but for now he is doing well. He seems to be a finicky eater. When I'm home he likes to be my little shadow and follow me around room to room, while I'm doing things around the house. So when he is following me, he tends to forget about his food. But I often find that while I sit down to eat dinner, he eats his food. He also eats later on in the night sometimes, which makes me laugh (my little late night eater). He loves to play with any dog we see. He absolutely loves my parents golden retrievers and does well with them. I often say he has little man syndrome because he steals their toys from them and always seems to win tug of war with the goldens every time (he is pretty tough for being so small). I take pics of him all the time because he is so cute and is always making me laugh. I took him on his first road trip this past weekend to rhode island and he did great (never even got car sick). In Rhode Island I was able to let him off his leash most of the time we were there because where we stayed was out in the middle of nowhere really, so there was lots to keep him entertained. He's funny because when he is off his leash, he will explore, but will always check back in with me to see where I am and make sure I am still there (like a little toddler almost). So Mikey is doing very well and everyone who meets him absolutely falls in love with him. I always have people stop me whenever we are out on walks to ask what kind of dog he is. He's so cute because he has these LONG skinny little legs, big floppy ears, LONG LONG tail, beagle smelling nose, and just the BEST personality ever. He is still all tan color with white belly and white little paws.. Soooo cute. I'm attaching pictures of him to the email so you can see how he looks.
Have you heard how any of his brothers and sisters are doing? I always wondered about them and caught myself thinking about whether they were around the same size as mikey. I hope all is well with you and thank you again for giving me the sweetest little dog. I really do love him to pieces !!
Alexandra
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Boone & Pheonix Forever (October 2009)
I just wanted to send you a couple pictures of the boys, Boone and Phoenix, that we adopted earlier this year. They've grown a lot! Almost twice as big as they were when we first met them, and we can't imagine living without them now. While we're gone during the day they enjoy stalking one another, and lounging on my bed... which seems to be the house's hot-spot. They've got a clean bill of health, and two very distinct personalities. Phoenix (or Mr. Pheenie, as we have nicknamed him) tends to be more aggressive; his hobbies include attacking toes under blankets and leaping from high objects onto his brother. Boone likes watching tennis on tv, and napping on my legs while i read in the evenings. We just wanted to show you how much they've grown, we couldn't imagine better family members. I hope you enjoy the pictures!
Charli and family
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Jack (formerly known as Silas) Adopted 7-3-2009 (August 2009)
We adopted Baby Silas, now 'Jack' on 7/3/09, a 9wk chocolate Lab Mix. Our contact w/ CARE was wonderful... professional, caring, and prompt. We now have a fabulous and hysterical addition to our family! He is chewing on everything, getting in to all sorts of mischief, using our 3yo female lab mix as teether and making us all laugh. He loves sticks, frogs, his big sister 'Sadie', hiding under the bed... and snuggling up when he is tired.
We are so happy to have Jack and we're so very glad that everything worked to bring him into our home. We would definitely adopt from CARE again. Thank you so much for saving him for us! :)
Elizabeth & Bill |
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Taz (formerly known as Blaze) Adopted 3-2009 (August 2009)
Being a cat person and having 3 house cats, I never really thought that adding a dog to the mix would work. Our girls really wanted a dog so we thought we would look into it and see...We discovered the CARE organization and soon met up with Laura and Sandy with a couple of dogs needing a home. Love at first sight, Taz aka Blaze joined our family in the middle of March...just at the exact time that I got the flu and was home sick for a week. Needless to say, Taz and I bonded.
We immediately enrolled Taz in dog obedience classes which I highly recommend, especially for those like me that are new to dogs. It was so helpful to learn right from the start the right way. Taz is definitely happiest either at home by my feet, sleeping in my daughter's bed (we did the crate for the first few months; but soon realized he really just wants to be with us) or in the car en route to either the dog park or a hiking trail.
We cannot imagine life without him. He has learned which cat to hang out with and which one to avoid. He protects us from lawn mowers, garbage trucks and delivery trucks. He is still fairly shy and we need to work on outings with him so that he will relax while we hang at outdoor cafes, but he is such a sweet boy. He was around 2 - 3 years old when we adopted him and definitely an easy transition. He was completely house trained, sleeps and hangs out with the family, doesn't chew stuff, doesn't bark, still playful. Totally would recommend an older dog over a puppy.
CARE is a great organization with such caring and dedicated volunteers that are so knowledgeable and a great resource when you have questions. We look forward bringing Taz to Woofapalooza in the fall.
Heather, Steve, Camille, Holly
Joolz, Bingo, Snickers
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Fiesty Fufu (August 2009)
Thank you CARE & foster mommy Melissa, We adopted Feisty aka Fufu August 15 our family is now complete. We couldn't ask for a better girl she is so smart and lovable. Her mommy,daddy, big human brothers Austin(9) and Robbie(5) love her so much and love taking care of her. The cutest thing she does is when she is sleeping she sticks her little toung out and when she wakes up it stays like that for a while, its adorable!
Jen, Will, Austin, Robbie and Fiesty Fufu
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Miley and Ozzy...a happy ending for all! (August 2009)
Our Adoption Story - The Dickson's Holly Springs, NC
Making the decision to adopt a dog was harder than our decision to have our first child over 15 years ago. Babies we were ready to take on, dogs, we didn't know about, as both my husband and I never owned one as children. It was our own 15 year old son and 9 year old daughter that spent a lot of time begging us for a dog; relentlessly coming up with reasons why they needed one, and why we should consider it.
After getting me 'on board', we left the final decision up to my husband. In the spring of 08 at the dinner table my husband announced, 'Okay, we can get a dog, with conditions. It has to be small, it has to be trained when we get it, and it's not allowed to go upstairs, and everyone in the family had to participate in the care, training and feeding.'
As a family, we all agreed to the terms and then set out to find that perfect match for our family. That search proved to be most enlightening and somewhat frustrating as we were going through it. I went on Petfinder and put in the criteria, young, small, female dog. We came across many, but all were adopted quickly as small dogs are sought after. Numerous searches, visits to the SPCA and local area shelters all were heartbreaking for us, as we saw how many animals needed homes, but remained realistic in what we could take care of in our own home. I came across a small Jack Russell mix on the CARE website and submitted a detailed application. What we got in return was an email saying that this dog was not for us and that the organization would be in touch. Needless to say, we were flabbergasted that a loving home would be 'turned away.' It was a few weeks later that we got an email from CARE volunteer, Frances, saying, in essence, that a dog that would work with our family was available and we should come and meet her ASAP. The next day, my children and I rode to Pittsboro from Holly Springs to meet the young two month old pups Frances was caring for. Little 'Elouise', a unique Dachshund/Border Collie/ Pekingese mix was a sweet little black dog that shyly took her time to come over and greet us, while her bigger and 'wide open' sister, Millie came bounding over to check us out. Another, shyer sister, Gretel, stood behind the crate just poking a slightly curious head out to the visitors. My children were overwhelmed. My daughter immediately welled up with tears out of sheer excitement. My son sat down in on the barn stall floor and accepted all the kisses from the wildly excited Millie. Eventually little 'Elouise' made her way over to cautiously check us out and then engaged the children in play and warmed up to them. My children wanted all the pups! Frances explained they were all available, but her selection of Elouise was based on the criteria we listed on our application. We needed a smaller pup (and Elouise was the smallest of the three sisters with an estimated 25lb full growth weight and short little Dauchshund legs) and she was not too hyper, (like her overzealous leader of a sister) and not too shy (like the other sister who seemed pained to have to see visitors).
Within five minutes we knew 'Elouise' would be a perfect fit for our family. It was during this visit that I asked Frances why we were turned down for the Jack Russell and she explained to us that CARE workers carefully review applications and want to make the best fit for the animals and the adoptive families. Because we never owned a dog before, the other puppy would have been a lot of work for first time dog owners, and she felt we would get overwhelmed and frustrated. Little 'Elouise' was the one for our family. And, boy was Frances on the money!
We adopted Elouise on June 30, 2008. My daughter was allowed to pick the name for our new addition and she settled on 'Miley Elouise'. So, little Miley joined our pack and our hearts exploded with a new found love and compassion that we never knew existed within us. My husband immediately bonded with the little bundle and even broke down on his first 'rule' of 'no upstairs' within the first 48 hours when he found the kids had put the puppy on their beds to snuggle with them while they did their homework.
After Miley healed from her neutering surgery, she was ready for puppy school where her collie instincts and intelligence became very evident. The smallest dog in the class , she was not intimidated by the big dogs and was eager to please her new family. She quickly learned all the basic commands, and within days of living with us, we taught her to ring a bell on the back door when she had to go out and potty.
Although a little overwhelmed and shy at first, Miley's personality changed as she became more comfortable in our home. She became much more outgoing and a little celebrity in town as people who knew us could not believe that after so many years we finally got a dog - and such a friendly one at that! Miley's favorite daily activity became walking my daughter to school and greeting the school buses as they pulled into the lot. It was like she had the 'job' everyday of herding the kids off the bus and into the school. She became the unofficial school 'mascot' garnering the admiration of hundreds of school children who greeted her each morning with, 'Hi Miley!'
As the months went by, we could see how much Miley not only enjoyed our company, plus the visitors and friends that came to our home, but also the company of the many dogs that live in our neighborhood. Her favorites were two Shih Tzu's that live on the street. In the spring of 2009, we sat down and discussed the possibility of adding a second dog to our family to keep Miley company and of course, for us to love as well. This time around, I requested of our family that we consider a very small dog (under 20 lbs) and I wanted it to have part Pekingese in it since Miley's mom had Peke in her. Narrowing down your criteria like that in an adoption does limit you, as it is difficult to find small dogs like that. I knew that, and set off to find it anyway.
I first let Frances at CARE know we were looking for a second dog to add to our family and what our specifics were. I searched Petfinder and again, because of the small dog and the breed, whatever was available was adopted almost as soon as the listing went up, or they were located too far away to pursue adoption.
After about three or four times of hearing how we were just a little late getting in applications, and just missed out, we figured it would be quite a while before we found the perfect match. Then, along came a message from CARE. A male Peke was available, but did have special medical needs. Knowing that we wanted a playmate for Miley, we felt that he would not be a good fit. It was about a month later another CARE volunteer, Laura, became our second CARE angel.
Through what we consider great luck, Laura found another Peke that had made his way to the Chatham Animal Shelter. She called me to tell me she had taken him into her care and asked if we would be interested in the two year old little guy who seemed to be a spirited fella greatly in need of some TLC, not to mention a day of beauty as his luxurious coat was nothing more than a tangled matted mess.
Laura fostered the Peke rescued from the 'mean streets of Pittsboro' until he was cleared for adoption. My son got to name the new addition this time and because of his wildly disheveled look and kooky personality we affectionately named him 'Ozzy'. Yes, as in Osborne. He has a tongue that hangs way out of his mouth, and we thought about naming him Genie (after Gene Simmons from Kiss), but we figured Gene would track us down and demand royalties. LOL.
And so, Oz Man, as we call him, came to our home and we set our sights on raising two dogs. It was not an easy first two weeks. Through the great advice and constant communication with his foster mom, Laura, we worked through a lot of his personality issues. We continued to give him love, time, obedience, and patience. Within four weeks of coming to our home, Ozzy was as different dog. He put on weight, his skin and fur became healthy and he even stopped doing his frequent bouts of 'reverse' sneezing. He had begun to calm down and work his way into his new pack.
We've now had Ozzy about five months and can't imagine our home without him. He's Miley's buddy, wrestling partner, friend, and our little 'clown' dog that keeps us laughing with his quirky playfulness. He's picked up new 'tricks' like giving us his paw on command and fetching. He has even learned to trust people outside the immediate family and has claimed our friend's little three year old daughter as 'his own' personal little buddy following her from place to place when she visits and giving her his toys.
I know my husband and I feel we missed out not having a dog sooner, but on the flip side, we also know our timing in the adoption of our dogs was perfect. Our children are old enough to help, and share in the responsibilities, and we have a routine that works for our pets. The calming effect the dogs have brought to our home is amazing. We are so grateful to CARE and the wonderful thoughtfulness and friendship we received from Frances and Laura throughout the process of both adoptions. We refer to them as the 'foster parents' that helped complete our family.
'Until one has loved an animal a part of one's soul remains unawakened'
Anatole France
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Spock & Sally, BFF's (August 2009)
We adopted Spock as a companion for our four year old cat who clearly misses her old buddy (whom we lost about two years ago). After two months, Spock and Isis are finally learning how to share ... a little .... but a friendship that we did not expect was formed almost instantly!
Spock and our dog Sally (our first C.A.R.E. adoption) are BFF's. Spock took to Sally on the very first day we brought him home and Sally stresses out when she looses sight of Spock. They sleep together, eat together (sharing the dog food!) and play together.
Whats more is that they are BOTH a Daddy's girl and a Daddy's boy! We have a great little family. Thank you C.A.R.E. for matching us!
Caryn and Mike Anderson
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Fortune AKA Precious (July 2009)
We thought we had something missing in our family. We knew it! We needed to get an animal... So, We started looking around for a female cat. We went to Chatham Animal Shelter, and now we have the joy of our Life; Fortune a.k.a. Precious... the little orange tabby Mix. We thank everyone that we have her now. She is doing great. I am so fortunate that we found her. When I went to look at her at the Shelter... She was so loving and was one of the few cats that seemed interested in me/what was going on. Now she is getting spoiled rotten and is getting what she deserved from the start; A home w/ people who love her. We appreciate what God has given us. She has a Palace, well... More like a big cat house, that she can prance around in!!! Thank you everyone! |
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Macy Gray Saves the Day! (adopted 3-2009) (July 2009)
Macy Gray is doing great. We just LOVE her so much! She is so sweet and just loves attention - especially having her belly rubbed. We have a friend who who has a dachshund named Jack who comes over to play. They chase each other around and wrestle for hours. We want to take a picture of them together but they won't stay still long enough. Anyway, we are very happy and can't thank you enough.
Sarah & Robert |
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Pepper (AKA Lenny) Adopted 3-21-09 (July 2009)
As I write you, Lenny (now Pepper!) is sitting on my lap at work. He comes to work with me every day and loves it. There is a constant stream of volunteers who ooh and aah over him. And he is a natural therapy dog. This morning a little girl came up in her wheelchair and invited him up onto her lap...where he promptly curled up and went to sleep...much to her delight! Pepper plays with his best friend Mabel for much of the day. They are a sight to behold. Mabel is another rescue, who now weighs almost 70 pounds but she is so gentle and they will just lay on the floor and roll around together for hours on end. Pepper's only issue is that he is VERY attached so that if I have to leave the office, he will whine (ever so quietly) until I come back (or until someone lets him past the puppy gate into the main reception area....which is more often the case!) The volunteers LOVE, LOVE, LOVE him!) At home, he and our fox terrier Riley are fast friends...literally ...as they run from room to room taking turns changing one another. Thank you so much for giving us such a wonderful friend!
Shelley |
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Buffy AKA Sweet Pea (July 2009)
Attached please find several pictures of your sweet pea, we call her Buffy. She is growing and she is spoiled, of course. We love her and want to thank you again.
Sincerely,
Sue and Bart |
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Jake (formerly known as Pepper) Adopted 12-2008 (July 2009)
Pepper, now known as Jake is doing great. He has managed to steal our hearts away. We love him dearly. He is full of life and always knows how to make our family smile. He is a huge cuddle bug who always needs to be touching someone. His favorite toys are bedroom slippers and balloons. He is very fond of his 2 big sisters, and tries everyday to be more like them. Thank you so much for letting him become a part of our family.
Love
The Buchanan Family |
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Riley formerly Levi (adopted April 2009) (June 2009)
Just thought I'd give you a quick update on Riley! He's now about 18 inches at the withers and weighs 35 pounds! His bark is even starting to sound more 'grown up'. When I took him to the vet last month, they said he might get around 80 pounds, but if he keeps growing at this rate, who knows! He's definitely giving Bella a run for her money during playtime though!
He's been taking training classes at Petsmart on Sundays and is the top of his class. (Not that I'm biased or anything....) He is eating four cups of a food a day and is nice and healthy looking with a beautiful glossy coat. He's also learned how to ride in the back of the SUV (behind the dog barrier) with Bella like a 'big boy'. He such a good little boy and as sweet as the day we got him.
Regards,
Alexis
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Happy Henna (adopted 3-2009) (June 2009)
I fought the idea of having a dog for a long time because I never grew up with dogs and wasn't sure I wanted to have one in my house! Henna came to our family a few months ago. She has changed our lives completely! I never knew you could love a pet so much. Nothing makes me happier than when I see my kids laughing as they play with Henna....their new best friend. My 7 year old said to me the other day, 'Mom, you don't need to have another baby now. I am a big brother to Henna!' To me, Henna is our little angel who has brought more love to our family that we could have ever imagined. We will be forever grateful to you and your organization.
Kim & Family |
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Syra aka Shadow (adopted 4-2009) (June 2009)
Syra aka 'Shadow' arrived at our house on Easter Sunday. It has been a wonderful experience having her in our lives.
She is a great dog with lots of love for the whole family even Reuben our 11 year old cat.
She is happy and healthy and it feels like she has been with us for years!
Thank you C.A.R.E for everything we our so lucky to have Syra be a part of our family.
Thanks, Jim, Terri, Jake and Meg
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Sherman's Happy Beginning (adopted 2-2009) (June 2009)
Sherman is doing fantastic! I love him, as does everyone who meets him. He's so much fun to watch when he meets someone new (dog or human), because he gets so excited and happy... and then of course loses all muscle control and flops over to have his belly rubbed! Aside from inevitable moments of frustration, I am continually impressed with what a great dog he is!
I've attached a couple of my favorite pictures of him (not great quality, since they were taken from my phone, but I just got a new camera and antipate using it lots to capture his amusing moments!). The third photo was from a day when I got out of the shower to find that 'prince Sherman' had decided to take the matter of his comfort into his own hands. And the others are just a couple of typical Sherman.
Shirley |
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Oreo's Happy Ending (adopted 5-2008) (June 2009)
We adopted Oreo a year ago from CARE. We met her while having breakfast at Panera, and she just walks by with an 'Adopt Me' bandana on. She was adorable!
She is our first dog (we have 7 adopted house rabbits) and I can't believe we ever had a home without her! She is the sweetest, smartest dog we could ask for. She learns quickly, loves attention, and adores her play time.
Thanks to CARE for providing her with such a great foster home and for helping us find the perfect addition to our family!
Kim
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Hounds Rock! (Huck adopted 11-2007) (June 2009)
When we met Huck it was love at first sight! When we went to leave after visiting Huck's foster parents, he ran to the door with us and looked back and forth almost as if to say, 'Well, are you gonna take me home?' Huck has fit in wonderfully in our household and is very easy going. He gets along great with kids, cats, and other dogs. He's always up for a walk or a ride in the car--we have to spell the word `walk' if we're not planning on going on one because he gets so excited! Here he is taking it easy with his brother Drake, also a rescue.
Sonia & Keith |
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Tarot in his New Home (May 2009)
Hi, Karen. I thought you might enjoy seeing Tarot in his new home. We can't imagine life w/o him! He is happiest when we're all home and he can go from person to person. At night, he sleeps on one bed and then another, and he's adopted some of the children's stuffed animals as his own. We feel so lucky to have him as part of our family!! Hope all is well with you!
Lori
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