I wanted to send this pic of Montgomery.. he is a happy cat! He is so perfect for my family and we all love him so much! He was a birthday present for my son. My son now calls him, Monty for short. He also keeps calling Monty his best friend.. it’s too cute. Thanks so much and a big thanks to the woman (forgot her name! ) who was patient and super nice to me at the Satellite location, Pet smart in Biddeford.

I wanted to send an up-dated photo of "Oliver" whom I adopted a couple of months ago. This was his Christmas photo. I have since renamed him to "Walter Thomas Randolph" because of his huge size of almost 17 pounds, I thought he needed a longer name to go with his size.

Walter and I are both extremely happy with each other.... His favorite past time is playing with all his new toys from Santa and friends. It took him 10 seconds to adjust to his new surroundings!

A perfect match. Thank you for all you do at the shelter....you are all unsung heroes!

Please share this email with others. Thank you again. and "Walter " says "hi" as well!

We brought Bella and Holly ( now Ali) home...after having had 2 21 year old cats ( also from your shelter)..these two are like having two toddlers in the house!! We restricted them to just one room the first night..last eve, the room with the wood stove became available ( they LOVED that) and today we opened part of the upstairs...including an unmade bed with great spots to nestle in...

They are adjusting quite well..quite tolerant of each other...just a bit of hissing now and then but nothing major. We think they are loving the space, nurturing,....my husband went out and purchased a little tent like you have, toys etc!! But there is plenty just here to investigate..including sitting on window cushions and looking outdoors.

Thanks for the great girls.
Best wishes, Judith & Paul

We adopted our Jack Russell Chief (aka Carver James at AWS) on October 4, 2008 and every day we are thankful that we are his forever family! My husband is in the Navy, and last summer we were relocated to San Diego, CA. Chief handled the 3,000 mile car ride like a champ. We're positive that he loves being a southern California dog as he hasn't had to wear a coat once since we left Maine!

True to his breed, Chief goes a hundred miles an hour all day long. He keeps us entertained with his antics. He loves his daily walks, trips to the dog park and chasing any furry or feathered critter unfortunate enough to have wandered into "his" yard. His favorite part of the day is when we hop into the car to pick the kids up from school or when my husband comes home from work. He greets everyone with wiggles and kisses, and he's quick to roll over for a belly rub. When the sun goes down he's a different dog and wants nothing more than to cuddle with whomever is sitting on the sofa. When bedtime comes he follows one of the kids to their bedrooms and crawls under the covers with them.

Chief is healthy, happy and loved so very much. Thank you for bringing us together!

Christie

Hi Steve,
I thought that the staff might enjoy seeing Charlie with one of my other cats -Max a persian rescue. They have become buddies - most of the time - haha.
Charlie has quite the personality and adds so much to our family....

Thanks, Elaine

Early last fall an underweight, malnourished black and white cat was brought to AWS as a stray. She as so small that she was put in the nursery thinking she was a kitten. Upon closer examination, staff realized she was an adult in trouble apparently due to near starvation. Being the caring group that they are, the staff fought to keep this little girl going and she soon proved to have a strong will and a sweet personality. Through the Sadie Fund, she received additional health testing and treatments including daily IV fluids. Several times there were doubts she would make it but still the staff did all they could for her.

Eventually, Kirstin, the Shelter Co-manager, asked if we might take the little one since she was trying to eat on her own and just needed some time to gain her strength.. We took her home where she ate and slept and began to thrive! We named her Trixie.

Trixie now lives with other AWS alumni watching birds, napping in the sun, snuggling on laps and pouncing on anyone and everyone, whether they like it or not! She grows brighter and stronger everyday while never failing to make us laugh!

Amy

(Amy Allenwood owns Nature's Gifts, an AWS Satelitte location on Route One in Kennebunk. They host a cat for AWS, caring for it until it gets adopted. In this case, I guess she couldn't bring herself to part with little Trixie.)

I did a little photo shoot with Chloe (AKA Savannah/Vanna) yesterday. She’s a little tricky to work with, as she is deaf and it’s hard to get her attention to look your way. This is my favorite one, in what I call her Sgt. Pepper jacket!

Thanks,
Chris

P.S. The reason I changed her name was because of the canine ophthalmologist. I had an appt. for my original Savannah – the papillon who had the cataract surgery. I also made an appt. for my new Savannah/Vanna. The office in New Hampshire called 3 days in a row to clarify if it was one dog or two! I couldn’t believe it – each time I said, “Savannah is coming for a post-op check-up, while Vanna is coming for an initial consult”. Three days in a row they got it wrong, so I said I would change Vanna’s name to Chloe. This was a name my friend always called my past shih tzu rescue Cleo, by mistake. It seemed to fit, so I changed it. If Chloe still had her hearing, I would not have changed it, but with her being deaf, she can’t hear what I’m calling her. So, it works!

Bubba wants to say "hello, and thank you, to all his friends at AWS. I am still doing wonderfully." Bubba has blossomed into a really wonderful dog and can spend a work day in the home with no issues at all. He loves his home and family and looks forward to his 1/2 mile evening walks with big brother Bear after dinner. And as you can see an occasional lazy weekend out in the yard!

Bubba, Bear, Tara, Russ

The above email was received in September, unfortunately, before it could be posted, in October, we received the following email to tell us that Bubba had passed away. In consideration of his family we did not put it on the website. Now that some time has passed we want to share his story. He is a success story that the staff and volunteers at AWS are very proud of and the perfect reminder that "Saving one animal won't change the world, but the world will change for that one animal." He came to the AWS a victim of neglect and abuse. After two months of care he was in better health and ready for adoption. Tara, Russ and Bear gave him the love, comfort and respect that he deserved at the end of his life.

Dear AWS,
It is with very heavy hearts we have to report that Bubba the wonder dog has died. We had Bubba for 20 wonderful months!
Shortly after this picture was taken ( first week Sept.) we notice he was beginning to loose weight and was less interested than usual in eating.
After a few weeks of watching and trying our best to tempt his appetite, we made an appointment with his Vet and after some blood work we were told Bubba's kidneys were failing.
A few short weeks after that the condition claimed his life, but Bubba was able to get up and out mostly on his own right to the end.
I don't believe he suffered much and if he ever did we never new it. Despite the hardships and handicaps Bubba lived with, he was the sweetest little dog you could ever ask for, he had became a model pet, someone you couldn't help but love!

Nick was adopted on October 30, 2009 and these pictures were taken on November 2, 2009. Myles is a Jack Russell Terrier who is 5 yrs old.

I adopted TicTac from you November of 2008. His name was Phoenix, he was only 3 or 4 months old. I just wanted
everyone at the shelter to see what a beautiful cat he is now. He is 16 months old very smart and clean, he's
an inside cat only. I tell everyone about you and my customers all want a cat just like him, I tell you have to keep checking the shelter.

Hi Gail and Sara:

Daisy, you might remember I adopted in July, after her not being able to find a home for several months, is doing fine. Here are some pictures of her from the summer.

Love John and Daisy

Gypsy- found a new home!

We named her Abigail.
Abigail our little angel we adopted from you is so darn loveable- she plays in three large cat towers climbs in every window and just loves to be held. She is funny and sweet. We love her to pieces.

Thank you for letting us take her home!
Lori & Julie