Hello! My name is Matt Mersing. I adopted a female jack chi named Marley Mae some months ago and wanted to let the kind folks down at WAHS that she is doing well and I couldn't be happier to have her as a part of my family. Attached is the last photo I snapped of her. She absolutely loves sweaters and wags her tail the fastest I think I've ever seen a dog's tail wagged whenever she sees me taking one out of the drawer for her. Thank you for providing me the opportunity to find companionship in such a sweetheart of a dog.  

It's me Champ! I found my forever home and family this past December! My family had recently lost their dog of 10 years, Shadow, to cancer and something made my new mom stop at the humane society and check out me and my roomies. She said as soon as she saw me she knew I belonged with them. She was right! My buddy Shawn (I always liked that guy) told them all about me and my breed (though they have friends that rescue Pit Bulls like me, and they knew how great my breed can be.)

You remember how charming I can be? Well, my family thinks I'm just about the best dog in the world. They cuddle with me all the time, we go on lots of walks, and dad takes me out for runs with him all the time so I get to stretch my legs. I have a cozy safe place to sleep, a ton of toys and so much love! There are these two little boys in my family that can't get enough of me! Mom and Dad are taking me to some "obedience class" so I can show off and learn some tricks...it is fun and I get lots of treats there. They are even taking me with them to something called the beach this summer! I don't really know what that means, but I'm looking forward to finding out!

I'm so thankful that they rescued me...even though they keep saying I was the one who rescued them. :)

Thank you for taking such good care of me when I was there. Say hi to my old pals for me...and tell them I hope they all find homes like mine real soon too.

Love, Champ, Jamie, Lance, Aidan and Dylan  

This is Jackson Hero, (formerly Hero), who we adopted in August, 2011. Words can barely express the joy and happiness Jackson has brought to our household. He came to us with very little background, and he is practically perfect. Jackson is loving, loyal, fun, sweet, cuddly, teachable, healthy, and cooperative. Thank you for matching us with this little gem. Your friendly staff helped us through our first pet adoption, and we recommend your facility to everyone. Our vet even predicted that he could possibly be younger than the predicted six years of age, due to the great condition of his teeth. WE LOVE JACKSON!

Thanks again, WAHS.  

Hi! My name is Pepper. My mom and dad adopted me in September. When I first came home I was very shy around my dad. He's growing on me although mom still has to be the one to let me out. It took two weeks for me to bark at anything and when I did it's not a normal dog bark. I still don't bark at everything. My vet thinks I have Shepard and Basenji in me. That would explain a lot of things about me. Like the way I bark when I bark and my cat like tendencies. I'm full of energy for a 3 year old dog, more like a puppy. My parents have me spoiled. I have lots a play toys and things to chew on. I have become very content here. My best friend is someone you would know too. His name is Barrett formally Rondo. He was adopted back in February by my human sister and her boyfriend Harry Helen. He's quite a handful. He has a lot of energy to although he's only about a year and a half. I love when he comes to play at my house. We just run around like crazy in my fenced in back yard. Well we are both taken care of very well by our family's and are very happy and spoiled. Thank you to all of you who took care of me while I was there. My mom and dad really love me and don't know what they would do without me. Barrett is quite at home in his new home too and at ours when he visits.

The Thompsons and Huellen  

Here is Hooch and our pug, Smuckers. We adopted Hooch in November and he is such a part of the family. He is such a loving dog, we couldn't be happier!!  

Just wanted to share our own Happy Tails that shows the long time reward of adoption. We adopted Einstein nine years ago from WAHS. He was about four when we got him and he has proven to be "the best dog ever". Everyone who meets Einstein wants to take him home. Adopting a dog is an investment. Be prepared to both train and SOCIALIZE your dog and the rewards are great. Einstein thanks WAHS for the chance to make a forever home for himself.  

Hi - I adopted Baby on the 12th and thought you might like an update since she was a resident there for so long. Baby, now know as Sophie, has been an absolute delight. She has learned her new name quickly and comes well when called. She has two long walks a day with lots of good smells and a big yard to run in to. She passed all her tests at the vets with flying. Thanks for taking such good care of her......we are extra thankful this year.

Courtney Borntraeger 

Hi Network AND Personal Friends,

Bark for JOY! (spread the news) I was adopted last Wednesday by the great guy I just felt was going to be My Companion. Today George and I checked in with Linda who had contacted you about posting my story, telling your friends, and sharing my pictures. Maybe I was worried, but you always knew (didn't you?) that it would work. Yes! It did. A friend of a friend saw your posting, and they told a friend, and they sent my pictures, and a friend called, and another friend told George... and we connected.

You gotta know how blessed I am to have had you help me through this time at the shelter. To my old friends there: Thank you for keeping me safe even when I was cranky about the confinement. Thank you for feeding me and seeing the terrific girl I could still be again. Thank you for walking me in the grass, (running off a couple of extra pounds with Shaun?), riding me to Mingo Park, and looking me straight in the eye to give me hope. To my new friends: Thank you for the time you spent listening to my plea, evaluating my temperament, and providing guidance to the type of home where I would do best . To my internet friends: Thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping a stranger. It was your final network link (July - Oct.) that brought George and me together.

Guess what? Today, George told Linda, "Bessie is a GEM!" (and I love him.)

Bessie
Here are some jubilant pics of me on adoption day:  

We adopted Jasper in January of 2011. This is one of the best things we have ever done. Jasper has turned out to be a truly amazing dog. He is extremely loyal, loving and fun. He loves to just lounge around the house, chew on his bones, cuddle with his Bo-Bo and run around outside. No matter how you are feeling on any day Jasper will always make you smile. The day that we went to WAHS we kind of went on a whim, to just have a look around. We took one look at Jasper and knew it was meant to be. We are thankful for him every day.

The Eadie's 

Hello WAHS!!

I just wanted to let you know Natasha and Hamlet (a.k.a Sunkist) are doing wonderful! They were the missing puzzle pieces to our lives. Natasha loves playing with Lexy, our other pittie and adores the children. Our daughter, 1 years old, loves to climb on Natasha and lay with her on the couch. She's gentle and kind to both our children. Natasha loves to greet each family member with lots and lots of kisses!! Now, Hamlet. What an handsome little feline! He is extremely playful and loves to tease the dogs :) he loves to cuddle and he is always at my feet or in my lap first thing in the morning and late at night for bed. They are great animals and we love them very much. We adopted our cat and two dogs from the WAHS, and what joys they are. We can't thank you enough for all that you do for these animals. They are more than just "pets" to us. They are our kids.

Best wishes!!
The Kasper Family  

Hi WAHS!

I wanted to give you an update on Sam, our bearded collie that we adopted about a month ago. Sam is one of the sweetest and most lovable dogs in the world. He's our big teddy bear. He's always around to cheer you up on a rainiy day, or just make a good day even better. You couldn't tell by looking that this dog is seven years YOUNG. He loves going for long walks to the park, and his favorite thing to do is play fetch. You could throw a ball to him 20 times and he still would chase it. Some other good news about Sam is that he has gained a few pounds since coming to our house. He gets along great with my family and friends, as well as their dogs. Thank you so much for the great dog!

Alicia Cessar  

Hello -

I just wanted to say thank you for letting me adopt Boo Boo 2. I have now named him Jake and he is already adjusting to my home and doing wonderful. He is a really great dog! I still can't believe that he had been at your shelter since December of 2010. You must have really taken good care of him for him to be able to maintain his friendly and upbeat demeanor. He is very friendly and affectionate. I am very happy that he is now a member of my family.

Thanks again so much!

Edward J. Black Jr.  

I can't believe it, we saddled Promise up today and I got to go for a ride! This is our first time trying anything with her. I am so happy I was literally jumping for joy. Talk about happy endings and good things come to those who wait! She has been a great addition.

Thank you
Camilla  

I wanted to give you an update on Chloe. Chloe was adoped in January 2011, when she came to live with her new family she weighed about 4 lbs, she wasn't really eating, and she was very scared. I am happy to report that Chloe is doing awesome! She weighs about 6 lbs, enjoys camping, Ice cream, sleeping, and walks at the park. Miss Chloe (as we call her) is living high on the hog! She has been a great addition to our family.  

Hello WAHS Friends!

It's me Benji!

I am snuggled into my new home with owners, Hanna and her fiance, Chris. And,... their 6 year old beautiful, white, female jack russell terrier, Bailey. Hanna and Chris volunteer at the Russell Refuge in Rhinebeck, NY . They were not looking for another jack russell, but you know how love strikes. A month ago,they were hiking with me in the Parks and Estates in the Hudson River Valley and" voi la" they just could not resist my cute face and attitude. Bailey, their adorable, pushy vamp, and I snuggle up all the time. She is agility trained, and promised to take me to her agility class too. I have already learned to sit, down, stay, & wait for permission to go through the door (Hey! I know, I know, ... that really shocks Emily and the rest of you that had to chase me at WAHS.) I'm so happy here, I don't even try to push my way around. (Well, I do try to pretend I don't hear the initial "recall" command.) I get lots of love, and exercise ( 2 hour hikes in the woods). A vet even lives next door!

Thank you, friends at WAHS, for sticking by me. Your patience and confidence in me made all the difference in my life. I still love you too and will always remember how you nursed me back from life threatening parvo & pneumonia as a pup. You saved me (over and over again). Oh, and thank you, Bob and Linda, for transporting me to Dale's NY Russell Refuge where I found my forever family.

I've attached a couple of pics to show you MY Happy Family. (I'm the one with the black face.)  

Fats, named by my three year old daughter formally known as "Miss Kitty" was adopted January 24th 2011. I adopted her through the Pets4Vets Program. She gets along with our two dogs and one cat. Adores my 3 and 6 year old kids. Fats was a wonderful addition to our family and very therapeutic for my recovery with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. She is very attached to me. Thank you for allowing such a great adoption to happen for people who are serving and trying to adjust once back home! It is honestly one of the best programs that could help us vets. Fats is almost like my lap dog. She goes everywhere in the house with me and sleeps with me and waits for me when to come home from work. Adopting her was a blessing in disguise to be honest. Thank you so much for everything!

Thanks,
William L Brewer  

Here is another update - this one is on Bonnie and Clyde. These dogs went national last fall after they were brought here to the shelter together as strays. We have them on our website already but these photos were taken Thursday, June 2nd at the shelter when the adopters brought the 2 dogs in for a visit!

Bonnie and Clyde look wonderful and are so happy. Mom states that the dogs are absolutely great with her 5 year old son too. What a happy ending for these two. 

Dear William and all of my good friends at WAHS,

 I wanted to  let you know how well I've been doing since I left the shelter last month.  Mom and Dad changed my name to Caleb because they thought I seemed like I wanted to press onward and explore the Promised Land on the other side of the cat room door.  Right now I'm still exploring my new house. I lived in an upstairs bedroom for a few days, and at first I hid under the armoire. But Mom coaxed me out with some food and I started getting to know the family as some of their seven grown children stopped by to meet me.  I had a little trouble adjusting to my new cat box, but Mom was calm about it and told me that the dog had already destroyed the carpet so I couldn't make it any worse.  Now I've got the cat box down to an art, and don't even track litter on the floor.

Although I can be timid - Mom and Dad have noticed that I'm scared of ceiling fans - everyone was so impressed when they brought the big dog in to meet me. I just sat calmly in Mom's lap and didn't even flinch when Titus sniffed me. I still prefer to avoid him, but we get along all right. For someone who's six times my size but doesn't feed me, he's okay.

After they opened the bedroom door to let me into the rest of the house, I was still pretty hesitant. Mom had to coax me down the stairs with food. But now I come down on my own and sit in Mom's lap when she's watching TV. I am pulling for Hines Ward on Dancing with the Stars.  I still don't like to be held, but Mom says I'm a fabulous lap cat. I'm curled up next to her now because she's got a computer in her lap. But when that lap is available, I'm there.  Mom sings to me and tells me that this is my home.  She says she's very grateful that I let her sleep through the night and don't wake her up to play or demand food. We take good care of each other.

On Tuesday Mom took me to see. Dr. Volz, the vet who removed the terrible growth that I had on my mouth when I arrived at WAHS. He was very impressed at how healthy I was and said my weight was perfect at 13 pounds.     

Say hello to Kobe, Nay-Nay and all of the other cats for me.  Thank you for taking such good care of me. I miss you, but I love having my own home.

With love,

Caleb  (formerly Punk)

Hi!  My name is Wiz formerly Aladdin.  I was adopted from your shelter as a Christmas gift for my Mom in December 2009. I've been having so much fun with my Mom, Dad, two sisters, and my dog friend Winston that I forgot to let you know how I'm doing.

Everyone loves me I have a great personality.  I'm actually quite a clown.  My favorite things to do are eat, cuddle, tease my dog friend Winston, play with paper bags, and charge through the house. 

Me and my family just wanted to say thanks for finding me such a great home!

Love,  Wiz