AWS Success Stories!
"Emma"
 Emma’s year with her new family has FLOWN by! I found Emma on the website and felt a pull to make the hour drive down to meet her. This was our first family dog, and my two teenage daughters were beyond excited to have her. The staff at the shelter was just wonderful to help us select a dog that might “fit” into our very busy life. The staff showed concern that maybe Emma’s past and nervousness might not be a that perfect fit, since we are summer caretakers to a small horse barn, they advised this might be too much for such a sensitive dog. However, I looked at her and felt we could make it work.
 Emma has just spent her first summer with the horses! She thinks they are herplaymates and just loves our Shetland pony (Lily). The horse she is watching in the picture is a big Morgan, in which he thinks he is a dog, and wants to play with Emma and her Jolly ball. She is an outstanding; mouse catcher, squirrel chaser and warns us when the woodland creatures are too close to the bird feeders. She is slowly becoming a great ambassador to her breed, Boxer/Pit.
Emma loves the kids on our block. It is a great feeling to see all the young kids at the bus stop scream, “LOOK ITS EMMA!” as she bounds towards them sniffing each pocket and patting hand, looking for breakfast leftovers.
When she is not loving her time at the barn, Emma loves; eating doggie ice cream, swimming, couch lounging, bed hogging, acting like a goof-ball, trying to make friends with the family cat (who is still not thrilled), and taking her daily strolls around the neighborhood.
We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful, precious and SMART dog.
Very thankful,
Lori, Paige and Faith
Brunswick, Me.
"Lena"
From June:
 Hello Kennebunk Animal Welfare Society!
We wanted to send you a little note to let you know that our girl Lena is absolutely the BEST girl! She has only been with us for a week, but she has adapted well, seems to enjoy her new home, knows her name when called, and is able to run around 12 acres of land without a leash and comes back when called. Lena even likes to show off her "fetch" talents and has become our frisbee dog. She caught it in mid-air just yesterday! She really is the best thing we could have added to our small family. Lena misses her friends at the shelter, but you can rest asure she is well taken care of and a very happy girl. At least that's what her tail says. :)
With Love,
J, K, and Miss Lena
P.S. For those reading this note who are thinking about adopting, I wish you luck and want to tell you that I am so impressed with the way Kennebunk treats their animals. The care, love, and time spent with each animal shows in the animals demenor. Don't be afraid to adopt an older dog or cat - they don't always come with "other people's problems". Lena is a perfect example. They just need someone to love them.
From September:
Hi Gail,
We just wanted to send along some updated pictures of Lena. As you can see,she's...um....happy. :) She's gained a little weight since being in her new home, but don't we all gain just a little weight when we are happy? We learned that she likes to run after frisbees and wild turkeys, so we had to get a runner for the yard. But, it's long enough to still play frisbee. And now we just watch the turkeys from the front room.
Lena misses her friends at the Shelter, so if you could pass along the pictures to show how well she's doing. It will be 4 months on October 4th since we made her ours.
Thanks again!
Kristen
"Duke and Lucy"
Hi there,
 I just had to share my story because I'm such an advocate for shelter animals! We just adopted Duke, a Walker Hound puppy, a few weeks ago and he is absolutely loving life! But I also had to mention Lucy, our kitty. I picked her out eleven years ago with my parents from your shelter and talk about 'love of my life!' She came with me to my new home once I got married and is doing fantastic, still sleeping with me every single night after all these years. You'd never think she's as old as she is...she still very much acts like a kitten and even looks that way too. And I give her a lot of credit, she tolerates BOTH of the dogs! Duke is doing great as well and is such a fast learner! He's already sitting on command, giving his paw and laying down, as well as doing extremely well with his housebreaking. He loves our other dog, Amy, a rat terrier, and they just have a ball together, chasing each other around and playing tug of war. He won't leave her side and she's adoring the attention! Our home just feels so full of love thanks to our 'babies!'
Thank you for the opportunity to share!
Shana
"Liza Jane and Dorie"
Although I have no pictures of the 2 sisters I adopted (Penny and Kelly, cats) I wanted to share with you the joy these two cuties have brought into my life.
Upon visiting the shelter with my neighbor I had requested that I wanted to adopt 2 cats that were familiar with each other, and after looking at a few of them Penny and Kelly caught my eye. I thought they were kittens, but were 3 years old. They are very petite and shy. Well I was hooked!
I have since changed their names Kelly is now Liza Jane and Penny is now Dorie. They are very comfortable in their new home and spend hours watching the squirrels and birds, as I have feeders in the front and back. They are very playful and bring many laughs. They are also nursemaids, as I am recovering from bronchitis and pneumonia and even though I coughed continuously Liza and Dorie never left my side, I mean they never left my side! In bed they each took up a position on each side, when up and sitting both would be there, and even the bathroom got a little crowded!
I am no longer lonely and the sadness over losing my husband to cancer in January has been easier to bear thanks to my little girls. My life has hope once again.
Thanks for all you do for the love of animals, and I will continue to support you as often as I can!
Cynthia
AWS Legacy Society Member
"Melody"
 I just wanted to forward a picture of our "Miss Melody" living the good
life at our camp in Acton. She has come so far from the scared little
Puggle that we fell in love with that Sunday in December. She is doing
so good and the people at our campground say they see a difference
every week with her. She is sooooo awesome and quite the snuggler. We
will be stopping by the Alfred Festival to visit and also support our
favorite place, the AWS.
You guys do great work,
Nanette
"Lilly"
 On Friday July 17, 2009 this starving underweight stray ran up on my deck and clung to me for dear life. She was so hungry she was inhaling food and not even chewing it.
I kept her inside on my porch for two days until I could get her to your shelter.
In the meantime however, she aborted some kittens on my porch and one of my friends (Amy) a volunteer, brought her to AWS right away for care before infection set in.
She was brought to the vet within hours. was spayed and had a severe infection and would have died within 24-48 hrs. if AWS hadn't stepped in.
I could NOT stop thinking of this little girl, and how she found her way to my home.
Before she even stepped foot back to AWS, I decided to adopt her and she has been with me now for almost a year. We love LILLY and she is a wonderful girl. Thanks for all you do.
Dolly
Wells, Maine
"Sophie"
 We adopted a female kitten named Greer last July and wanted to share with you her photos and the absolute happiness she has brought into our lives. My youngest son renamed her Sophie and she is one of a kind. Sophie enjoys the water and on two occasions she has gone into the bathtub with my son. She loves anything cool, we find her lying on the window next to the air conditioner vent.  Anyhow, we have sent some photos and hope you can share these with all. She loves to sit in a large bowl and our chinese vase, and on occasion has even gone into my son's backpack. She is a wonderful addition to our family.
Best,
Nina
"Malcolm"
 Hi,
Just wanted to send you an update on Malcolm. He a beautiful "brown tiger" (not gray) w/ white markings. He's the most wonderful and sweet cat and so docile, he almost listens like a dog! We've changed his name to Charlie and he's quite a charmer! We adopted him on March 5 and the papers were saying about 13 months old, so we decided his birthday would be on Feb. 5th from now on. Thank you again for all the good work you do.
Note: By the way, Charlie also adopted a little mouse and he brings it to sleep in bed with us every night !
"Rikku"
 It's been two years since I brought Rikku home (Queenie at the shelter) and she's been nothing but a joy! Rikku is fun, loving, mischievous and full of energy. Rikku's favorite thing to do is hunt and she manages (even in the winter) to bring something home from the out doors! 
Thanks again for letting me take her home!
Sincerely,
Andrea
"Marlo"
To the Animal Welfare Society,
 On August 2, 2009 my boyfriend and I drove to Maine, from Tewksbury, MA to adopt our kitten, Marlo (at the time he was known as Harbar). Marlo is about 9 months old now and as happy and healthy as a kitten can be! He loves to cuddle, give kisses, and of course get belly rubs, but even more he loves to play with his brother (Ecco) and sister (Emma). He also loves to take care of Alex, our guinnea pig, like he was his own. It's not a surprise anymore to find Marlo in Alex's cage curled up next to him in the morning. We are so thankful to have Marlo as a part of our family and everyday he finds a new way to make us laugh and put a smile on our faces. Nothing can compare to the love and happiness that he gives to us. Thank you for helping make our family complete!
Love,
Kristina, John, Ecco, Emma, Marlo & Alex
"Tenny"
 Hi, I wanted to send along a picure of Tenny (his name with you was Axel) to let you know he has adapted well to his new home. He is the king cat! He has made himself at home here and as you can see, he has taken over the counter. The other place you will find him is in one of our beds! He loves to sleep during the day and play all night, but in the morning, he is there to greet me the moment I get up from bed. He fits so well in our family - I feel he has been here forever. Tenny was adopted 12/31/09 - thus his name Tenny - after the year 2010. Thank you for the opportunity of having him become a part of our family. He is well loved.Marilyn
"Hunter"
Dear AWS friends,
 It’s been 2 years since I left your shelter (for the second time) with Erin and Josh and it’s been awesome! I really love having a forever family and to say I am spoiled is an understatement! I have a new found love for the outdoors and can often be found running in the snow or grass, taking long walks on the beach or on the trails in the White Mountains. I also really love spending time in my grandma’s pool. I always wear my life jacket because I’m not a strong swimmer and as Erin says, “Safety First”!
 Other than being outside, one of my most favorite things to do is wrestle with Erin and Josh. It is so much fun and we all get to laughing real loud and hard. Can’t you just see how much fun I have with them!
Of course, life isn’t all fun and games and you always have to give back to others. So, each fall we make it a point to participate in the Strut Your Mutt. It was a hot day this past year but I walked the entire way all by myself. Aren’t you proud of me?!?
And then comes Christmas. Being a little white dog isn’t always easy – sometimes you have to put on a silly costume or sweater and smile for the camera! But then again, isn’t it worth it when you end up in a loving family like mine.
Noselicks and Tail Wags,
Hunter
"Venus"
I adopted Avis who is now called Venus in November '09. She is getting bigger and is very much loved. My 2 girls who are now 2 1/2 years and 10 months old love the cat so much and have fun playing with her. She fits into our house nicely and we all love her. She is happy and healthy!
Cyra and Family.
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