Westmoreland Purebreds in
their New Homes!
In the dark years before Petfinder,
the Westmoreland County Animal Shelter would take in 800-900 dogs and puppies
each year, about 600-700 of whom would be euthanized due to lack of homes in
our poor rural county. Now the euthanasia rate is down to about 35-40%, with a
certain number of dogs not eligible for placement due to behavioral problems
(history of dog bites), injury, or disease. We can't possibly share all the
hundreds of success stories with you, but we will post some of the experiences
adoptive families have shared with us. We hope you will enjoy them as much as
we do. And if you have adopted a new family member from the Westmoreland
Shelter, please do send an update! We love knowing how our Westmoreland
"purebreds" are doing.
June – Aug – Dec 2003
Kathy in New Jersey has adopted
two dogs from the Westmoreland Shelter. One was #R106, a male yellow lab, who
is now named Cody. Kathy’s family knew Cody had heartworm, still adopted him,
and paid for his treatment, his neutering, and all his follow-up vet care! The other was
#504, a teeny tiny female mixed breed whom they adopted at the end of
August [now happily known as Blue]. In December 2003, Kathy and her family
generously donated emergency funds to test dogs at the shelter who may have
been exposed to parvovirus and saved their lives as a result. Not only has
Kathy’s family provided the best possible homes for two wonderful Westmoreland
purebreds, she has continued to support the shelter’s work to save pound
puppies and specifically saved lives yet again this year. All of us at the
shelter – staff, volunteers, and canine residents – cannot thank Kathy and her
family enough for their incredible generosity!
23
November 2002
We had been planning to
rescue a dog for quite some time. We actually found "Wick" through the
petfinder site, and decided to travel from Ontario Canada to Virginia to get
her. Something about her picture just clicked with us, and the fact she was
running out of time sealed the deal!
When
we first met Wick, she was a little thin, very shy and afraid, and remained so
for much of our journey home. It didn't take her long to settle in though, and
she has become a truly funny, eager to please and happy dog! She has learned
how to give her paw, sit, stay.... and her favorite words to hear are "Wick,
is it dinner time?" She also loves to clean our cat Mr. Bones, much to his
dismay at times!
Thank
you for all you did for us, you all truly extended a tremendous effort in
helping us get Wicket and bring her home!
23
November 2001
We adopted Dazzle and Coco
on July 17th. Dazzle is the one you had listed as Groenandahl mix and, Coco was
one of the Coonhound puppies. They are both turning out to be great dogs!
Dazzle has adjusted beautifully and is a very well mannered, extremely
brilliant dog. She learned all the basic obedience commands in one session, one
afternoon, and we are moving on to more advanced obedience training with her.
We call her my Velcro dog, as she is with me constantly.
Coco is...well...amusing, to
say the least. We had NO idea what we were getting into with a coonhound mix!
She is the most affectionate dog you have ever seen, bright, but stubborn
beyond belief. She is acrobatic in her constant playfulness. She keeps us
laughing constantly and is so darn cute, she is very hard not to spoil. But
fortunately for us, Dazzle has taken it on as her life mission to make sure
that Coco follows all of the house rules and is a well mannered dog. Dazzle has
the best maternal instincts.
We
have never had 2 dogs at the same time, and I cannot imagine why anyone would
want only one at this point! Not a day goes by when I am not laughing
hysterically at their antics. Dazzle is 8 months in the picture and we think is
close to full grown at 40 lbs. Coco is 5 months in the picture and is about 25
lb. Thank you so very much for having such a wonderful website where people can
go to find such great pets!
9
May 2001
Just
wanting to let you know that HONEY had her annual checkup with the Vet. To
quote the Vet, "She's in perfect health." Honey is 21" tall and 42
lb.
On April 30, 2001 Honey and
I celebrate one full year together! I love her. She is fun and funny.
On
May 5th, Honey and I took the AKC CGC test and the TDI, Inc test. We passed!
Now HONEY and I are a licensed Therapy Dog team. HONEY would succeed at
anything she would try -- agility, flyball etc. We may do further training as a
service dog before I am totally unable to walk. Right now I walk with two canes
and she does wonderfully walking with me. I'd love to be able to have her fetch
for me.
Thanks
again for all that you gals did to make it possible for HONEY and me to get
together!
12
January 2001
Dear
Doggie Caretakers at Westmoreland,
I
was in on Wednesday and after much deliberation and careful consideration I
adopted Whisper's brown and black girl puppy. First of all the gentleman, Tommy
maybe, was as patient as could be in my need to spend time with the pup as well
as many other dogs and puppies. My goal was to choose a dog that would be a
perfect match for me and my family. Well, I am happy to report that I feel like
we were successful. The puppy's new name is Lacey. We went to the vet and got a
clean bill of health, and a great lesson on puppy parenthood.
On encouragement from the vet,
we bought a crate for her. My husband thought they were cruel, but agreed to
give it a try. Well, she loves it. We put her bed in it and leave the door
open. So on the 2nd night with us she slept in her crate without a peep.
Although we are being diligent about taking her out to relieve herself, if she
wakes up and has to go she just marches over to her "pee pad" and
back to her bed. So she is well on the way to being house trained, after a day
and a half. Pretty impressive, huh? She also calmly walks on a leash. My two
cats (who are known for being neurotic) are doing remarkably well, I believe
because Lacey is so small and mild mannered.
I
tell you all this because I think this in an example of having the space and
time to get to know an animal enough to create a good match. I live near D.C.
where there are more people looking to adopt nice pets than there are desirable
pets. As a result, I think people are forced, because of the feeling that if
they don't act quickly they will lose another animal, to choose animals too
quickly. They agree to take them home before they have spent enough time to
insure a proper match. I think you guys gave me the time to insure that proper
match.
I
think the web site you have created is a great service to your animals. The two
hours I drove to get to you was a wonderful investment of my time, and I would
not have known about you had it not been for the web site. Thanks for the
service you all provide - I'll keep you updated.
9
March 2001
The
girls really are doing so well. Taja is definitely the more 'clingy' one, but
she's not a cuddler. But whatever room we're in - Taja is there too. Choctaw -
just loves our couch. The springs on 'her' seat are sagging! Oh well - I guess
we could use a new couch soon, anyway.
Can you believe
we've had them for 8 months already? Seems like yesterday - and it seems like
we've known them all our lives. The best part is - we have such a routine with
them. They know this is their home and that we're not going anywhere and
neither are they. They LOVE going to the park. Taja does this 'song' thing when
we get there. Not barking - not whining - more like singing! And they LOVE the
snow - tastes so yummy! They're 160+ pounds of love!
Thanks
again for everything!!!
30
April 2001
I just want you to know that
I found the perfect puppy through your Internet site. I adopted Karma on April
11, 2001. Your picture and description were most accurate! She is a lovable,
sensitive dog that I hope to use as a pet therapy dog through Pets on Wheels or
a similar organization to visit shut-ins, adult day care and nursing
facilities. She is wonderful and tolerant with children. She seems to sense the
need to be careful around older folks using canes and wheelchairs.
She
is scheduled to be spayed using laser surgery on May 7, 2001 and begins basic
obedience classes on May 20th. She already sits and comes and heels a little. I
hope to have her certified as a therapy dog through Pets on Wheels.
Thanks
for a wonderful pet!
30
October 2001
Good morning!! I just thought
I'd send you and update on these two. In one word or less, they are doing
GREAT!! Leyla has had no problem since her heartworm treatment, and is a real
lover girl. She is so long-legged, and tall when she stands up on her back
legs, I call her my "Long Dog". She is always happy and
"talks" to you when you rub her tummy. Plus, she is absolutely one of
the most gorgeous, beautiful dogs I have ever seen.
And then there's Charley.
What a neat guy he has turned out to be. He makes a terrible watchdog, because
he very rarely barks, and just loves everybody. I thought I was special the
first time I met him, when he came running across the lobby at the shelter and
jumped up to lick me. Now I find that everyone he meets gets the same
treatment! No complaints, though - we are VERY glad we adopted him.
Holly,
Leyla and Charley (we call them the triplets) have all truly bonded so well.
They stay out just about all day playing together, and rarely have a cross word
for each other, no matter how excited they get. We really do know now that with
6, we are at the limit of what we can manage. Hope things are going well at the
shelter, and you are getting some great dogs adopted out. Have a great day -
and thanks again for your inspiring us to get Leyla and Charley - they are real
treasures.
7
August 2001
I
just wanted to let you know how things are going with Snuggles, who I renamed
Tess on the ride home from the shelter--I have no idea why, but she just seemed
like a Tess to me. (I almost named her Tarheel because she was practically
stuck to my shoes the first few days after I brought her home, but nobody else
really like the name except for my North-Carolina-fan neighbor, so...)
If you saw her now you
wouldn't even think she was the same dog. I was pleasantly surprised at how
much she perked up the day after the trip back from the shelter. Since her
first day home was a Sunday, we were able to hang out together, walk the
neighborhood a bit and get better acquainted. Tess is amazingly friendly and
gentle, and she wants to make friends with literally every person and animal
she meets, no matter how large or small, including my sister's cat.
Tess is truly an adorable and companionable dog, and I think I
made a great choice. Thank you again for introducing me to Tess.
11
February 2002
I
occasionally used to look on petfinder.org just to see the cats. One day I saw
the most precious picture of a Russian Blue mix named "Lady". I had
to go see her. I drove the 3+ hours to the most amazing home I have ever seen!
A true humanitarian, Wendy, shared her home with several cats in the area. We
were concerned about Lady coming home with me because I live in an apartment
and she had spent the majority of the time outside.
Wendy assured me if there
were any problems, I could bring her back. As we were leaving, this cute little
kitten insisted on following. He sat atop the carrier, crawled on our shoulders
and was just determined to come along. we took him too! His name is Jello now
("There's always room for Jell-O").
As it turned out, Lady loves
aparment living! Her name is Anya now and she is the single most wonderful cat
in the world! She's beautiful, well-mannered, affectionate, and just purrfect!
Jello is still the sweetest little kitten that ever was! He keeps us constantly
entertained and continues to be inquisitive, adorable, and cuddly. I love my
cats so much!! Thanks Petfinder and Wendy! You're gems!
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