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My name is Naomi, and I am sweet girl, according to the HSAC staff. I just love attention and to hang out with my people. When I came to the shelter, I had a horrible itchy skin condition, but it has been all cleared up now. I have had some of my shots, and I am heartworm negative. I love to ride in the car and take naps on the couch. Some people say my cropped ears make me look tough, but I am a big sweetie at heart.
Hello. My name is Dr. Pepper and me and my twin brother Mr. Pibb are living here at the shelter. We came in with our mom but she has found her forever home; don't you want to see us find the same thing? We are very friendly and playful and would love to stay together but would still be happy if we couldn't. We find alot of stuff to get into; the staff at the shelter calls us the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." We are very friendly and constantly have the staff in stitches with our antics. Please come see us and give us a new place to climb and play!
Marie is a Maine Coon mix that was adopted from us years ago on the day after Christmas. She had been put in our nightbox on Christmas Eve, and that together with her unique personality lead her owner, Shana Gammon, to write a children's book. The book is titled "Marie's Nine Lives" and is available at Amazon. You can read the review for it at www.thechildrensbookreview.com.
before grooming after grooming
Candy/Grace was picked up by Animal Control running in an abandoned lot near a highway. Her fur was horribly matted, she is blind from cataracts and her teeth were in terrible condition. One of our board members donated her grooming and after seeing the vet and discovering she had several growths and possibly more eye problems, and learning that some teeth would need extraction, we were worried about what might become of her. A plea was sent out over the internet, and we had several people offer to take her immediately to rescue, and others to help with her transport. But before we even had organized her trip, a couple in Rockbridge County saw her picture and knew they needed to offer her a forever home, despite all of her problems. The wonderful folks at GRR sponsored her adoption fee, and Grace's new owners are willing to pay the expense of her surgeries. Good luck to Candy in her new home, and thanks to everyone who stepped up to help a dog that other people may not have thought was worth saving!
Back in 1996, Heather Plank visited our shelter (then housed in our "old" building) and fell in love with a little collie mix pup. Here is her story:
I found my beautiful collie mix at HSAC in September 1996. She was
probably about four months old and had her puppy teeth and was there
with a sibling. Although the shelter was closed for Labor Day
weekend, an HSAC staffer happened to be there and told me the pups had
a purebred collie mom whose owners had failed to notice when she went
into heat, so the mixed breed puppies they could not place had been
left at HSAC. I saw those two pups in their outdoor run and fell in
love. I was in the process of moving to the area, so I told a friend,
“Go back when they open after Labor Day and get whichever one is
calmer. I’ll be back within the week, but I don’t want to miss my
chance.”
I named my pup Corduroy and she is still with me at the ripe old age
of 14. We’ve moved around northern Virginia in the time since her
adoption and she’s gone through a number of serious medical problems
(and shed enough fur to stuff 1000 mattresses!), but she is still full
of love and curiosity and I am deeply grateful for her constant
companionship all these years. We regularly hear comments from
strangers about how beautiful she is and until this past year when
arthritis really slowed her down, she was often mistaken for a much
younger dog. I always make sure to tell people she came from a
shelter and is mixed breed, as I am a big believer in shelter/rescue
adoptions and the long-term healthiness of mixed breeds.
I am so thankful I decided to drop by the shelter that Labor Day
weekend just to see what dogs might be there. She is one of the great
joys in my life. Thank you for all your work on behalf of the animals
– I know some days it really is an uphill battle.
Heather Plank (and Corduroy)
Monty is a collie mix that left our shelter to go to a foster home in New Jersey, where he was later adopted. His new family loves him andhis owner Eric has this story to tell about Monty rescuing an elderly neighbor : "Last month, I was in our office working, and I heard him barking in the house. It was an unusual bark for him, and he would not stop. I ran into the house figuring something was wrong. When I got in, he was at our bay window looking out across the street at our neighbor's house. It turns out, our 83 year old neighbor slipped and fell, hitting his head with nobody around to see except Monty (he is always surveying the street from the couch when he is inside). Anyway, I immediately went outside with Monty to see if our neighbor was O.K. Monty sat next to me quietly while I checked Frank over for any injuries. I called the paramedics just in case (he lives alone) since he said he hit his head. Frank turned out to be fine, but I told him if it wasn't for Monty, he would still be lying there. Needless to say, Monty is Frank's new best friend.
A local woman who was overwhelmed with cats to the point she could no longer care for them had to surrender nearly forty to animal control. One of those cats was Moo, a friendly black and white short haired male. After being in our shelter for several months, a family from Stuart's Draft saw his picture on Petfinder, and began a coorespondance with shelter staff regarding Moo's personality. The family had lost a cat recently, and although they had a new kitten they still missed having a quieter lap cat. There was something about Moo that caught their attention; maybe the look in his eyes or the fact that he was in dire need of a new home. Once meeting him, the family knew he was what they were looking for, and since adopting him, here is what his new mom has to say:
"Since adoption, Moo has settled in with our family wonderfully. He enjoys teasing Gillian (our other cat) just as much as he enjoys lying across our laps soaking up all of the attention that he is getting from us. He is a macho kind of a fellow with a very big heart, making him a fun and special part of our family.
Teddy was a large grey dog that came in when someone found him running in the road. Our shelter staff member Pebble took one look and knew he was an Italian Spinone -- an unusual breed for Amherst County! It took a little while, but before long there was a family as far away as Minnesota interested in Teddy! They paid over $500 to have him flown to them, and he stepped off the plane to meet his new family. The family has two girls age 8 and 10 who were just thrilled to see him after his travels. This was a first for HSAC; it took some work and organization to arrange Teddy's flight but that is just how dedicated we are to finding the right home for our animals!
Thumper was a large adult hound dog living on the Animal Control side of our building. The facility receives many hounds throughout the year and sadly we cannot find homes for all of them. Thumper was a special case because the Animal Warden fell in love with him, but unfortunately his time was still limited. On his last day, Jennifer Sargent of Keswick drove down to meet him, and he was saved. Jennifer had recently lost a Mastiff and was looking for another large dog. She had just discovered Petfinder where Thumper was listed, and when she learned his time was nearly up, she hurried to Amherst to meet him, knowing even if she decided not to adopt she would have to do something to help Thumper. Well, she took him home and the rest is history: Thumper now has a huge yard to romp in and a toddler to play with. Jennifer says they are more than pleased, that he is quieter than her other dogs, and that he was just the big dog they were looking for.
Ghost is a young male pit bull mix who was found living on the side of the road. He had been there for several weeks, as we learned when people who saw him in our shelter recognized him. Many people had stopped to give him food, but no one could catch him. Our shelter manager Sona was one of the many kind-hearted people who hated to see this young guy living the rough life, so one day she just sat down and waited for him. Sure enough, 45 minutes later he came to her and then wanted to play. She got him to the shelter and got some meals into him, but quickly realized that he was completely deaf. Despite his handicap he is a sweet, laid-back dog, very friendly and playful, and very smart. Read on to hear what his new foster mom has said:
"Being deaf does not seem to be a handicap to Ghost...he loves life and does not seem to have any difficulties facing challenges. He is learning sign language and so far he knows "Good Boy," and "Sit."
(Lysa Buehler of Bordentown, NJ is a Pit Bull advocate and has 20+ years of experience working with shelters and rescues.)
Ghost has now been adopted to a family up north. He has been renamed "Duce," and is much loved by his new family. Here's what his new "Dad" says: "He's definitely a handful, but we love him so much that it allows us to be very patient and teach him things. He's very smart and picks up new tricks very fast. So far he's mastered sit, lay down, give paw, stay and crawl" (remember this is a dog that cannot hear!)
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