|
 Hi -
We recently adopted Oliver and I thought you would like to see some pictures of him. He has adjusted really well to our home, and our other cat is very slowly getting used to him being around.
 We were very impressed with our visit to AWS; the shelter is very well managed and the staff were courteous and professional.
Enjoy the pictures. We're very happy with Oliver, he's a very sweet and lovable boy.
Regards,
Andrea
Hi, Woof,Woof,
We all wanted to write and say hello and Thank you ! This is a much belated but originally planned Christmas greeting from Mischa and Tucker. They asked Mama to write and tell you how they were and all their adventures since being adopted in November, 2007, because their paws were too big to hit the individual keys, so here we go...
We were all very excited when we were adopted...but we weren't sure what was happening....just that these two people came and saw us and then we were leaving the shelter. Tucker saw a chance and escaped just outside the door as he was leaving...Papa hurt his hand when he fell trying to catch him. Well, Mischa, I didn't know, I was just excited...then those two boys found me and brought me back....Mama and Papa were sooo happy!
When we first came they had us sleep in our crates at night....we weren't sure we liked that...Mischa would bark and whine...Well Tucker, you joined in the chorus with your Husky howl...quite a chorus for Mama and Papa to go to sleep!
Mama and Papa got us an outdoor pen so we could play outside but they had to put a floor in it ...Well Mischa that was because you tunneled under it the first day...Don't say anything ,Tucker, you squeezed out and ran away to next door the first week...Hold it you two...you both showed your Husky traits several times through the first year and played "Catch me if you can" but we got better at knowing your tricks !!!
OK Papa...but I still liked seeing you coming down the road with the squeeky toy or a hot dog....it was so much fun!!!
ld be out of the pen when someone was home and we could run and play...it was great !
In March we had our first stay at the Doggie Spa...Mama and Papa went on vacation to Mexico...they said we wouldn't like it because it is HOT...so we stayed at a kennel recommended by our Vet...we liked it because he knows about Huskies and she works with our vet and he treats us with hot dogs !!
April was a sad month...the snow was going away...but we went for more walks and got to know more of our neighbours
...there are alot of dogs in our "Hood" but we are still working on our "Meeting and Greeting " skills but are doing so much better.
May we went to the ball park area because there is a walking trail there...I got to walk into the water up to my belly...Okay Mischa so I only paddled my feet, so what !?!
June it was starting to get warm. We watched Mama and Papa tear down an old shed...what was up ? We went camping for the first time at Cathedral Pines in Eustis. It was great...we loved having time with the gradkids and they love us...we shared a lot of BBQ's together. I liked the food sooo much...Okay Tucker..we know that !!! Well don't say anything Mischa, you followed Mama around without having to be asked when she was cooking !!!
July it was getting Really warm...Mama found a way for us to have a pool in our pen...it was a galvenized tub filled every day with water so we could splash ourselves. But Papa was worried about us being outside in a thunderstorm...so if one was forecasted we stayed inside with the air conditioning going and radio for company when Mama and Papa both had to work. I heard Mama say that the electricity bill was never so high or the air conditioning run so much...and when one storm came up and they hadn't known, Papa left work and came home to make sure we were Okay and bring us in the house ! There was also alot of building going on ...but we weren't sure what it was . Papa got an attachment for the bicycles called a Springer.... it's so we could run alongside....it's GREAT...just meant for Huskies who love to run !!! We also went swimming in the lake...I went right in ...it was great ! Okay, Mischa, so I had to be coaxed in and took the "leap of faith" to learn that I could swim but I did it....Yeah you did Tucker !!!!
August the construction was still going on...we were sooo interested ...Papa put our outside runs out nearby so we could see... I liked digging holes, the biggest one I could put my head , front paws and half my body into ...Okay Tucker, so I liked standing on the picnic table to watch. Mischa you are always so nosey ! The building is getting bigger and Mama and Papa keep talking about "the condo". Who is it for ?
September it's a bit cooler...whew!! We aren't meant for the hot weather ! This a bit more comfortable...we love going for drives with Mama and Papa....they run the air conditioning for us...I like to sit up on the seat and watch everything ! Yah well that's because you are so nosey Mischa ! I like to laydown on the back seat and occasionally look out..That's because you are too big to sit on one seat Tucker !
October was a big month. We went on our first trailer trip. Mama and Papa bought a camper trailer. We went on the first trip with them to Bar Harbor. It was great. The days were nice and we went on the carraige roads. Mama and Papa bicycling and we ran beside...ssooo much fun !!! We even had our own backpacks to carry our food and treats. What was really great was that the nights were really cool and Mama and Papa hadn' t had the furnace hooked up so they let us sleep on the bed with them That's when we really became a pack ! We BBQ'd, biked and had a great time. When we came home Papa let us still come up on the bed with them !!!
In November, Papa and Mama put the roof on the "condo". It is 8 ft by 10 ft with 7 ft walls. The floor is a raised platform with mesh over and lattice ( to allow the pee to go thru but the poop stays on top to be able to be picked up) . It has 2 windows on each side 4'x4' and a 3'x4' window in the back. There is a window in the door too. This is OUR condo !!! Mama says we are Yuppie puppies ! Papa says that now he won't have to worry when we're outside if there is thunder and lightening ! Next year we're getting our "doggie" door and our outside patio. Can you belive it's been a year since we came home Mischa ? Yeah, it's taken awhile to get them trained Tucker !!!
December was a good month. It's snowed again !!! It's Husky weather again ! YEAH !!! We love this time of year. We've been to the vet and all is well. Tucker is 65 lbs and Mischa is 58 lbs !!! Very healthy and happy "yuppie" puppies.While they may be a "bit" spoiled they spoil us every day with their love and affection and devotion. Their Duma ( grandmother ) made a point that the first Christmas cooking she did was to make their homemade doggie biscuits which were in their stocking. They usually snuggle with their Mama and Papa some time each night...Tucker likes it when he can get in early and get a pillow...Mischa tends to prefer to snuggle in the morning.
January already...how time flies !!! What will the New Year bring ??? Papa is watching videos on skijoring...where dogs run ahead on leads and the humans are pulled behind on skis....sounds like fun to us !!! He's bought two sleds to give us a chance to get used to us pulling something behind us - I'm not too sure of this ?! Tucker,you are always sooo cautious. Well you try it Mischa !!!
February is here already...we are all very happy together... the Valente pack. When they are awake Tucker and Mischa tend to always want to be where we are...they look at us with love, lick us with care and talk to us whenever they like. Mischa seems to have a wider range in vocal modulation ( perhaps needed to tell puppies more things ) but Tucker has developed a voice too which tells us very succinctly what he wants. ( Our boy when he first came wouldn' t say anything - when he needed Papa to wake up to take him out in the morning he would either lick his Papa's hand if it was available or if it wasn't he'd breathe on his Papa's back to wake him up ) Tucker bonded almost immediately with us, especially with his Papa. Mischa was much more cautious...it wasn't until about March that there was a real softening to her eyes that said " I might be able to trust you " . But that was OK because they were and still are very individual. Now she is much more the mischief-maker. However, we were so fortunate to be able to adopt two Huskies at the same time because they have kept each other company, learned from each other and been doggie companions through the transitions. While they both have their very individual personalities they have each other for companionship when we have to work, and they know when that is ...and each vies for the first place to go out to their doggie "condo". We are very blessed to have these two very beautiful puppies as companions and youngsters in our lives. Yeah alright enough, Mama, did you tell them that you and Papa have ordered our outside pool with the the lounging pool and seperate water station from Cabela's for our outside patio ? No, Mischa, not yet. Well how about that you're building us an outside patio , including the pool , with a welded frame off our condo...Yes I did Tucker ! We plan on it being 10'x10' via the doggie door off of your "condo" . And NO you are not getting a big screen TV !!! Awww, Mama and Papa.... NO, and that's final! However, we did plan that with the roof being high enough we might be able to have a fan in the ceiling in the summer to keep air moving in your "condo" to help with the humidity. YEAH !!!
As you might be able to tell we are like many growing families. There will be so much more we will experience and all share together, which we all are looking forward to with hope and anticipation. As this has been a synopsis of a little over a year, who knows what the future will bring...except we all know that it will be better than our past before we were together and a whole lot more fun and adventure in the future. Thanking you all for your caring and making it possible for us to share this wonderful adventure together. Okay, Mama, is it time for our treats, you know that we like our "piggie ears" and our marrow bones...we did our part and put in to the letter ...how about our treat? Yes, Tucker and Mischa it's time, you've been very good .
Thanking you all again soooo much,
The Valente Pack,
Brian, Tina, Tucker, Mischa
( How come Tucker always comes before me ? Because he's older Mischa, okay )
Dear AWS,
On December 20th, 2008 we waited 2 hours to adopt a puppy from Louisiana. It was worth the wait!
We ended up getting Dancer and surprising my little brother with an early Christmas present. We told him to look under the tree cause Santa brought him something early. he looked under and said " Where I don't see anything."
He turned around and Toby(Dancer) trotted up to him and licked his face. Tyler was confused, I could tell, he said " A puppy for me? Really? Is this a joke?"
 I said no and he was thanking my mom and I over and over again. I'd like to say that Toby's a smart dog. Within 3 days he was doing his business on a pee-pee pad and he had learned to sit.
Now that spring is here I have started training him for agility in hopes that we can and will one day compete at an Agility Competion.
My family and I would like to thank you for giving us this bundle of joy. P.S. Toby is now about 30 pounds and still growing. He loves to hog the bed and fool around with Cowboy, my chihuahua. Halo our Maltese is the oldest dog in the house, she puts Toby in his place. Toby may one day be able to run the beach with me, my friend, and our horses along with another dog.
Thanks sooooooo much, Jessica, Melissa, Tyler, Halo, Cowboy, Toby, and Soloman
Hello Steve:
Just want to tell everyone that Tabitha and I are doing great! My beloved cat of nearly 20 years passed away this last fall and I missed him dearly. I knew that I could never replace that cat and the many years we spent together. I wondered if I could ever feel the same way towards another kitty. My cat had been a stray kitten when I adopted him.
Well, I went to Pet Smart last Saturday to take a look and Tabitha and I hit it off just like that! She is very affectionate and loving and playful as well. She has moved right in with me and sleeps surrounded with her toys (that she keeps a paw on). The first night she was so worried about being left that she slept on top of me until she realized I wasn’t going anywhere. Now, she sleeps hanging off the couch, has claimed the guest bed and wants more toys (I will be buying one today).
I will be taking her to the vet on Thursday for her free checkup (thank you). Just want to say thank you to all of you and what you do and for making my life complete again.
Sincerely,
Linda (Tabitha’s Mom)
Drucilla is a sweet cat and doing well.
Hello
My family adopted "Sparticus" the Chihuahua Mix into our home in February. His new name is Cooper.  He is a joy to all of us and gets along extremely well with his new friend, Chloe, our 15 lb Jack Russell. They are the best of friends. They play tug a war together, play chase, and even sleep together.
 He has been to the vet for his updated shots and weighed in at a whopping 8.2 lbs. He is extremely lovable to all of us however is very timid in general when visitors come to our home, mostly male visitors.
We have attached some pictures and have thoroughly enjoyed having Cooper as a part of our family. Thank you for the opportunity.
Thank you
The Legere Family
Hi Gail, I am sendind you an e-mail to update you on a cat we adopted on 12-29-08 her name was Noel since then we changed it to Cati, I don't have an updated picture but I will send you one when I do. I just wanted you to know that she is the most beautiful,lovable girl I've had, she loves her new home and loves to explore it also! Thank you so much for bring a lot of love to our home. Shirley
Hi Gail,
I thought you would like to know how Ollie, formerly Nutter (with Fluff and Nutter) is doing. He is doing great and adjusted with in a few weeks. He sleeps like a human with his head on my pillow and body under the covers. Unlike any cat I have ever had, who would just go all the way under the covers!
He loves my dogs and other cat, and is very vocal and tells everyone what he wants, and when he needs something. He plays fetch and brings it right back, and he is such a sweetie boy. He is around 5 months now.
Hope all is going well!
Thanks Jennie
Wells, Maine
 Well, we're about at the 1 year mark so I wanted to tell you how great Ringo is doing with Alysia and me. No worries, we're keeping him for good and the only time he'll be back at the AWS again is if we visit.
He was adopted at 97lbs, now down to what the vet calls the perfect weight at 76lbs. As long as there's no snow and ice on the ground, we go for at least 1-2 walks per day. When it snows, Ringo is pretty wimpy. He has a fleecy coat to keep him warm and it covers his tummy too, but he still gets cold easily. I've tried to take him for a walk on a few very cold mornings, and he starts holding his feet up and limping after less than 5 minutes, and we have to turn around and jog back. It's really quite pathetic. I have no idea how he survived 5 years in Maine, if he gets this cold on Cape Cod. Luckily for him, the snow down here tends to melt before the next snowfall so we don't get much accumulation.
 When we went to the beach for the first time (with a 30ft leash), Ringo had probably never seen the ocean before. He went in even though it was cold, and tried to catch the algae bits in the waves. Instead, he only got mouthfuls of seawater, which made him thirsty so he drank more. He peed a lot the next day. At that time, he still was interested in chewing rocks and really enjoyed the sea-flavored rocks on the beach - we had to keep him moving so he stopped. Speaking of the rock chewing, that has completely stopped. He used to immediately scan new areas for rocks, grab one and lay down chewing it. If they weren't readily available (usually because Alysia and I picked them up), he'd dig and find one to chew. We kept preventing him and keeping him busy so he didn't get the opportunity. It took a while, but now he no longer searches for them or seems to pay any attention.
His house manners have improved greatly - he now knows "off," and though he still counter surfs and watches people with food with great interest, he no longer actually begs. He doesn't get into anything around the house, unless it has food in it - even left the christmas tree alone and was gentle around it. Initially, he would bark and lunge at the window when anyone walked by on the sidewalk. He's gotten much better in that regard and only really tries to go after bikers and joggers now - even with them, we can tell him "off" and he'll actually pay attention to us and leave them alone. He has a great down/stay and sit/stay, and I can make his breakfast, put it down, walk out of the room, and come back while he stays put. He only eats out of the bowl on work day mornings though - the rest of the time he gets his food in all sorts of different toys to keep him busy. I particularly like Premier's "Squirrel Dude" and their plastic bottle with the rope, as they're quiet and take a while for him to get everything out. Ringo doesn't seem to have a preference, as long as it has food in it.
We've had fun learning what random words Ringo knows. He knows things like cookie, dinner, out, potty/pee, and rawhide. He also seems to get excited over the word snowflake, we haven't figured out yet what he thinks that sounds like. His favorite thing to do aside from eating is giving licks. He gives them with nibbles if he has his way. He also loves going out for walks through the woods, and stealing food. He's very quick with that last one, we have to watch him like a hawk.
We completed an obedience class back in May and then moved on to an agility class. Ringo loved both classes, and does all the agility obstacles well. However, he doesn't stay with me well enough off leash to keep going in that type of setting. We still like to go to the playgrounds around the area and practice some of the obstacles using available playground equipment. He's learning to come when called, and will do it pretty consistently in fenced in areas. I don't think he'll ever be an off-leash dog though. He knows what "come" means, but ignores it if he's more interested in something else. We tried for a few weeks in the very beginning to work on his leash manners without a gentle leader, but it was so tiring. After he pulled me off my feet after a biker, we decided to use the gentle leader. He's been improving steadily. His leash manners without one are now reasonable, as long as he knows that he can't get away with pulling. Ringo no longer really lunges and jumps at things that go by (like bikers and squirrels), as he's learned that it never works anymore. He still gets excited and jumps and tugs, but without the shoulder wrenching force that he used before. We now only use the gentle leader when we're going in stores or walking around lots of other dogs, just for the extra control.
 Ringo never had any kind of dominance issues after one mounting attempt while one of us was laying on the floor, so we decided after several months that he is allowed on the couch. He thinks that's great, snuggles up between us and sleeps, usually with his head on one of our laps. He is a Dale Earnhardt Jr. fan and watches the races with Alysia. He isn't much interested in most toys - the only toys he'll play with are stuffed animals, with an average life expectancy of about 2 minutes, or toys with food in them. Once or twice he's played with a tennis ball, but he's not much for fetch. He does like to play tug, but we don't really allow it since he doesn't know "drop it." We tried to teach him that command, without much success. He'll drop the toy for a treat, but then won't pick it back up or take it back from you since he's too interested in more treats.
Alysia is looking for a dog of her own to be his buddy. Ringo has done well in playgroups with a few dogs, as long as they don't try to play too roughly with him. He's quite a wimp, especially for a pitbull. He gets scared when they're too exuberant and tries to get away from them. Hopefully we can find him a buddy who will play tug with him.
Enjoy the pictures, sorry the note is so long.
~Becky
Hi ,
Wanted you to see how happy I am in my new home! My owner, C, is just terrific as she pats me all the time and feeds me Fancy Feast! 
Hope you enjoy my pictures, I love this spot in sun in my new kitchen!
Love, Selina :)
Hello Gail,
Well Walter finally found one of our couches and as you can see is enjoying it immensely. He has turned out to be a real ladies man! We love, love, love him!
The University of Maine Dressage Team, comprised of eight young ladies, has adopted Walter as their mascot for all away competitions. They would of adopted him for all competitions but Caddy, short for Cadillac, the goat at the barn where all the girls keep their horses, holds that position and Walter is not up to wrestling him for the title. Our daughter is co-captain of the team and has been riding since she was five years old so it was natural for her to continue that love of riding and competing at the university level. Which is what lead the team to spend a night at our home this past Saturday night.
The second competition of the year was being held at UNH on Sunday with teams coming from Johnson & Wales in Rhode Island, Bridgewater State from Connecticut, UNH, of course, and us. It seems that to be a member of the University of Maine team you have to have a love for all creatures, great and small and let me tell you they didn't disappoint. After the team arrived Saturday night, had dinner, and got settled in they started to prepare for the next days competition. With a lot of lively chatter, the blue and white nail polish came out and the girls all gathered in the great room where Walter's favorite couch is. Now, on a normal day, Walter is not too fond of sharing what is now his couch with just any body but those girls just surrounded him armed with their nail polish and oh so much love and we watched as he shared his couch and loved each and every girl like there was no tomorrow.
It is Monday morning now and after a successful day of competing the girls are all back at university and the house is quiet but I swear there is a lingering smile on Walter's face that only those that love him can see. He doesn't know it yet but that smile will come around full circle again when the University of Maine Dressage Team is back this coming weekend bearing that unconditional love for all creatures great and small but especially bearing that love for the great creature that is in our life right now whose name just happens to be Walter.
All our love,
Terri, John & Eileen Stirling and the UMO Dressage Team
Thanks again and all our love,
Walter, Terri, John, Eileen, Maisie, and Roscoe
More stories...
|
