Happy Tails

Well, it's only been almost a year now and I am finally getting around to thanking you for letting me foster/adopt Aiko. I fell in love with him the minute I saw him, and soon after starting as his foster, it became apparent that I couldn't let him go.

Telling my parents I was adopting a Pit Bull made them a bit leery. They said I should be careful when adopting "Damaged Goods", dogs that in their mind, might have been in the pound for a good reason. Not believing that any breed is "created evil" I took the plunge and adopted him. Everywhere I go I get compliments on how gorgeous he is and how well behaved. Aiko is an amazing dog, patient ,happy-go-lucky, and always willing to please. He is changing people's perspectives with every kiss he gives and "paw" he shakes. It is because of his temperament and determination to make me, his owner, happy that he has excelled in Obedience classes and has even earned his AKC Canine Good Citizenship.

He gets along fine with other dogs and cats, as well as kids and strangers. I never thought my first dog would be a Pit Bull, but I am sure glad he was. It's just a shame that the eagerness to please and do whatever the owner wants is this wonderful breed's gift, and curse. Slowly, the world will convert, one blind eye at a time to the wonders of adopting "damaged goods". Your organization is simply amazing and You are changing the world, one happy wagging tail at a time. I thank you from the bottom of All our hearts, Especially Aiko's. ~~Renae

Thank you so much for allowing us to bring Chester (formerly Gizmo) into our home! He is a wonderful dog, and we can barely remember what life was like before him. He a very happy boy and adjusted in no time to his new living arrangements. Some of his favorite things are sunbathing at the lake (but not swimming!), going for long walks, and playing at the dog park with Tina and Karen’s dogs. We also have three rescued cats in our home and while they took a little longer to accept our new canine addition, you can see Chester’s sweet personality even won them over. With Chester being our first dog, we had lots of questions. Everyone at 4 Luv of Dog was extremely helpful and patient to us as new dog “parents.” You all do such an amazing job. We are so grateful you were able to save Chester and let him be a part of our family. THANK YOU again! ~~ Laura

Chewie is an EXCELLENT dog and is so lovable and cuddly. He loves belly rubs!

In the morning he wants his morning hug and will put his paws on my legs so I can give him his morning cuddle while I am getting ready for work. He does the same when I come home from work. He whines when I leave and will check out the door regularly until I return (so my husband tells me). He whines when my daughter goes off to school in the morning as she is the last one to leave the house in the morning.

He will not "potty" in his own yard, and we are trying to get him to do both in his own yard as winter is coming and he will freeze his poor paws (and me!). He loves his rawhide bone! He has hidden his favorite toys already (he loves little squeaky toys) but still loves to chase his ball.

He seems to have recovered from his doggy bronchitis but very possibly has allergies. He is doing great and eats regularly and had gained weight. Thanks you SO much for him! He is a great addition to our family and gets LOTS of love and attention.

Here are some pictures of Charlie's newfound hobby and his best kitty friend. Though not really built to be a swimming dog, he refuses to be left behind if the boat heads "out to sea" with his favorite buddy Steve on board. He has been swimming a lot lately, trying to keep everybody safe and herded into the shallow lake waters. He also throws all caution to the wind and jumps right off the end of our dock with anybody willing to jump with him.

This week while camping, we introduced Charlie to some family dogs and he really had a blast chasing and rough-housing a bit. There were so many sticks to fetch and smells to investigate, Charlie was living like a king. He tolerated a lot of love from the younger children in my family who all wanted to be with our new "puppy". The dogs and children would run around like crazy, tire themselves out, and then have a good roll in the dirt just to finish the day off right! Of course then another jump in the water was in order so everyone could be allowed back into the trailer without leaving a dirt trail.

Charlie's stamina and pep continue to make me believe he's a younger dog than appearances suggest. He is quite the runner and doesn't want to be left out of any adventure. We are all very happy he is here to stay. It seems funny to think that Charlie was only meant to be a foster dog, since it feels like he was supposed to come here to us.

We live on a lake and tonite I was on the dock fishing.. Harley and Maisy were with me. Harley kept jumping off the dock to try to catch the little fish he could see in the water. Somebody forgot to tell him that Shih Tzu dogs don't like water. It was pretty funny!

Just wanted to let you know that Harley is truly a wonderful dog and is already a part of the family. He loves the big yard and chasing after the squirrels but they are way to fast for him. He sits at the tree for a long time waiting for them to come down..we sure enjoy watching his antics. We want to make sure you have no doubts about your decision to let Harley come to live with us. He and Maisy get along well and we love him to bits. He follows my husband around the yard and he loves being in the garage with him. Thanks again for choosing us to give a home to Harley. We are so grateful. We think what you all do is very important and we love Harley so much already.   ~~Linda

Since coming to us almost a year and half ago, Howie has certainly come into his own. He has added another dimension to our household, one we truly love. He has the most gentle spirit and we are in love with him! His favorites include long sessions of tug-of-war, belly rubs, kids, trapping and hunting rabbits underneath the storage shed in our backyard and most importantly saying hello to EVERYONE he meets. He is a wonderful brother to our other beagle and on rainy days you might find them cuddling together on the bed. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for rescuing Howie. He is invaluable to our family. We encourage anyone who can lovingly care for a pet to ADOPT! Howie has given us more unconditional love than we could ever have imagined and our lives will never be the same. Your rescue will always mean the world to us. Thank you for all you do!       ~~ Eddy and Maria Roesch

Matilda update - It is hard to believe that it is almost a year since Matilda came into our lives. She is the most loyal and friendly dog. She loves going to the lake with us, however, we have found out she is not a water dog. I have attached pictures of the snowstorm in April, Matilda may not be a water dog, but she sure loves playing in the snow with "her kids"! Her favorite things to do in the snow is bound like a deer, roll in the snow, and play keep away with Andrew's glove! Thanks for rescuing our Matilda last year! She is the best dog 3 kids could ask for.

Dooley (was Ben) - Dooley is doing great. Our next door neighbors have a 6 month old German Wirehair Pointer and a 3 month old Yorkie/Bichon cross that he loves to play with whenever he gets a chance. We've gone into Grand Forks to the dog park a couple times, where he runs runs runs! I hope you enjoy the pictures!  ~~ Erin

 

 

SAMPSON - Sampson joined our family as a foster dog and it soon became apparent that he was just too wonderful to let go! We are very grateful to have him in our family. He adds so much joy and adventure to our lives. Our other dog, Maggie and he have become the best of friends and offer each other constant companionship. He enjoys playing fetch, running in the yard, learning new tricks for treats and going on car rides. Thank you so much Kish for rescuing him so we were able to complete our family. ~~Sonya, Sampson and Maggie

Daisy - Good Morning Kish! I just wanted to give you an update on Daisy. She was spayed last week and everything went GREAT!! I picked her up on Friday expecting her to still be groggy and sluggish, she was anything but! The hardest part has been restricting her activity! Attched you will find one picture of her snugglying with Sarg, they are truly becoming the best of friends. (Daisy is resting her head on Sarg, a boxer mix we rescued! Daisy gets to spend her days with Sarg and Luka, a rescued St. Bernard. This is truly an "ADOPT A RESCUED DOG" family!)

 

JOSIE - Thanks Kish and Kitra! I just wanted to say thank you so much for letting my husband and I adopt one of the sweetest dogs in the world!! We adopted Josie in October and she is still amazing us with her surprises!! She is such a smart dog!! We did obedience training with her last winter and she did awesome!! She is so much fun to have around. She quickly became a very loved member of our family. We can barely remember what life was like without her. We are very blessed to have her in our life. Anyone thinking of getting a dog should definitely consider adoption!

Kita came to live with us on December 29, 2007. I couldn't think of a better way to start a new year. When Kita came to us, she was somewhat shy and intimidated. Unbeknownst to her, she just moved into a very busy home! We have 5 children and two cats. I am elated to say that in just three and a half months, she has become a full fledged member of our family. She has her routine - and it goes something like this. Get up around 7 am. Go outside. Come inside and PLAY with favorite toy for 20 minutes. (From the basement it sounds like she'll be coming through the ceiling.) After playing, eat, then RUN downstairs to secure her spot on HER couch. After resting for a bit, RUN back upstairs, get a pet from each child before they leave for school, then RUN back downstairs to secure her spot on HER couch again. This is just her weekday morning routine, but you get the idea. She is loved by all of us in our family, and by every one she meets. She doesn't bark - but does talk ALOT! She knows how to sit, stay and shake. And Play and Play and Play. Kita also is a collector - she will go from room to room "collecting" items and putting them in a pile in the living room. Never chews, just collects. We are so blessed to have Kita in our home. Thank you Kitra and Kish for helping Kita find us - and for all the work you do.

Loki wanted to send you pics of her first trip to Shaggy's. We wanted to go there because I know they were so great at helping in your candy bar fundraiser! First, thank you for approving me to be a foster home. Without that opportunity I wouldn't have been able to foster Loki. I love her so, she, like all your dogs, is so sweet and loving (even knew commands, wow, no training involved!). She is so soft and has such a beautiful coat (being a Chow Chow cross). She loves to go for walks (I told her she sashays instead of walks) and lay near me. When people come over, she goes to them and wants to be petted, it's like she knows, now, that everyone is a friend! She's so happy, she has the cutest face, (and biggest feet) and doesn't shed! Thank you for approving my application to adopt her. I will always take good care of her, you don't have to worry. The unconditional love she gives to me, will always be returned. She can grow old along with me and she'll always have the vet care she needs. I guess I would like people to know how wonderful your dogs are... and being a foster allowed me to see how wonderful you and your volunteers are. I cannot believe how hard all of you work and how many dogs you have helped and will help, with so little money and so few volunteers. I know it's difficult, and I know you can't help every dog, but you can make a difference, one dog at a time and you are! Loki wants to tell you she would like me to try and sponsor one of your dogs now and then (by purchasing food for them at Natural Pet Center), she said if it wasn't for you and you alone, she would have died in the pound. Thank you Kish, please keep up the good work, please don't stop helping the dogs, you work wonders. I know, I adopted one from you.

Champ is on the right, with his new sister, Jewel. Kish, just wanted to let you know that Champ is doing great. Champ and Jewel act like brother and sister, they only go where the other one goes. We are grateful that you choose us to adopt Champ, At Christmas both of our families adored him and didn't want him to leave. He has put on six pounds and looks very healthy. Champ is just a great all around bulldog thank you for making the adoption process easy for us. We attached some new pictures of Champ! Thanks again! ~~Nick and Jill

 

Sabre has been a perfect fit with us since day one when we came to meet him, with our other dog, Kodiak, an Alaskan Malamute. They became instant best friends and they are now TOTALLY inseparable. I cannot go anywhere without comments on how gorgeous he is, and he is a very well mannered, sweet tempered dog. He even gets along well with our three kitties, Angel, Buster, and our newest addition; a 10-wk old kitten named Lt. Dan (he has only 3 legs and half a tail....long story). Anyway, we can never thank you enough for giving us the opportunity to have Sabre in our lives! From all of us here in the Dooley household, ESPECIALLY Kodiak, THANK YOU KISH!

 

Ginger, Kish, just wanted to update you that Ginger is getting comfortable in her new home and things are going smoothly between her, Chief and Mr. Cat. She is a wonderful dog. Just wanted to let you know and to wish you a Merry Christmas and to thank you. She and Chief are upstairs playing like a pair of pups. Thank you for all your efforts on behalf of Ginger. ~~Kate

 

 

Matilda was one of Kish's bigger girls! Matilda found her new family in the summer/fall of 2007. Here are some photos just sent in by her new family, along with a note to Kish that they love Matilda very very much.