Marlo and Spencer Hanging Out Together!

Some of you might remember Marlo, the beautiful collie mix, who ended up at the Clinton County Humane Society as a stray last April. Well, boy did she hit the jackpot with her new family! Marlo was adopted at an off-site adoption event at the Carmel PetsMart in May. Here's an update from her Mom:

"Marlo is doing great, we just love her. It is so nice to have a dog that gets along with every other dog she meets. We found she doesn't like storms and likes to chew on things she shouldn't some times, like my favorite pair of shoes. She is learning and the few things she needs improvement on are no comparison to how much joy she brings us and how many things she doesn't need training on. Thank you for helping to make her a part of our lives."

Update on Ellie!

Hi! Just wanted to give you an update on Ellie. We adopted her in April and she is the best dog I have ever had! She is so smart, she has learned many tricks without much effort from me to train her. She can sit, shake, lay, roll over, play dead, high-5, beg, catch, fetch, put her toys away, and much more. She is so eager to learn and to please us. She is great, and we absolutely do not know what we would do if she was not a member of our family. I want to thank you all so much for what you do for these animals, and I hope that our happy story inspires others to help!
Thank You,
Lauren

Click on this link to see the first update we did on Ellie -
http://pawpalsofcchs.blogspot.com/2009/04/ellies-new-home.html

Donnie Earns His Canine Good Citizen Award!

Donnie, a collie/retriever mix, is one shelter dog who has stolen the hearts of everyone he meets. His foster parents, Mick and Kendra, have been working with him on basic obedience commands and manners. This evening Donnie passed the test for a Canine Good Citizen! Donnie looks rather proud of himself in the picture, don't you think? Donnie is still looking for his forever home so please consider this boy for your next four-legged family member.

Sophie's Big Day!

Here is a picture of Sophie and her new family! She was adopted at the Carmel PetSmart today. Sophie came to our shelter as a stray with pups that were less than a week old. A couple of our volunteers, Rob and Tami, took them all in as fosters until the pups were old enough to be adopted. The pups went quickly. Sophie had to wait about a month until these nice people came along! You can't see it all in the picture, but the cart is loaded with new supplies for Sophie! Thanks to Sophie's new family for giving her the home she deserves!

Offsite at the Carmel PetSmart

Here are a few pictures from our offsite adoption at the Carmel PetSmart today. Clockwise from the top left: Jimmie had a nice day out! Sophie with her new mom! Peggy, the wonderful lady who has rescued many cats from our shelter! This is the first time Major was calm all day!

It was a long day, and it looked like we weren't going to have any success until the last hour. Sophie found a home! We still took 7 other dogs back home, but they had a good day out of the shelter or their foster homes, and there was some interest in several of them that may pan out later. It would be nice if we could do these events more often, but they take a lot of work and time. If any of you are interested in helping with future events, let us know. We'd be happy to have you join us!

Madison's Road Trip to Wisconsin!

Some of you may remember Madison. She was brought to the shelter as a stray. She was very scared, but she quickly became a favorite of some of the volunteers. Once she warmed up to you, she was very gentle and loyal. It was obvious that she had been a loved pet, but for some reason, she was never claimed. One of our volunteers, Tracey, searched for rescues that might take her. She found a German Shepherd rescue that wanted her. Just one catch. It was in Wisconsin! Tracey doesn't let things like this phase her and immediately made plans to drive Madison to the rescue. She made an appointment at the vet to make sure Madison had the proper shots to make the trip, and then they were both ready to go. Tracey's dad joined them along the way to keep them company. Tracey spent parts of Friday, Saturday, and early Sunday making the trip to Wisconsin and back. She still managed to show up at the shelter Sunday afternoon to help walk dogs for several hours! Now that's dedication! Thanks Tracey! We appreciate all you do to help our pets at the shelter!

Volunteers Make Dogs More Adoptable

Kendra has been working as a volunteer with several of our dogs at the shelter to make them more adoptable. In just a couple of sessions, she was able to teach Harley several basic commands using the clicker method and a few treats. It's dedication from people like Kendra that help our homeless animals find families to love.

The Starfish Story

Nearly everyone has already heard the Starfish Story in some form. I'm posting it because it sounds a lot like what we're trying to do sometimes. We often think we don't have enough money, time, volunteers, foster homes, etc. and we wonder if we're making a difference. Any time you feel that way, just read the story below and remember, we made a difference for that one!


One day a man was walking along the seashore. He noticed that during the night many seashells and starfish had washed upon the beach. Thoroughly enjoying the morning sun and cool sea air, the man walked for miles.

As he strolled along, he noticed a small figure dancing in the distance. It made him chuckle to think of someone celebrating life in such an uninhibited way. As he drew closer, however, it became apparent that the figure was not dancing. Instead, she seemed to be repeatedly performing some ritual.

He drew nearer still and noticed that the small figure was a child. She was methodically picking up starfish and tossing them into the surf. He paused for a moment, puzzled, then asked, "Why are you throwing these starfish?"

"It's high tide," she replied, "If I leave them on the beach, the sun will soon dry them and they will die. I am throwing them into the ocean so they can live." The man considered her actions, impressed with the child's thoughtfulness. Then he motioned up and down the miles of the beach. "There must be thousands of starfish along here," he said, "you cannot possibly make a difference."

The young girl stopped. Her face darkened. She chewed thoughtfully on her lower lip, "You're probably right," she said softly. She looked down at the sand. Then she leaned over, carefully picked up another starfish, pulled back and arched it gently into the sea.

With a tone of gentle defiance, she said, "But I made a difference for that one."

Foster Spotlight - Dyno! (Now Adopted!)

Some of you may remember Dyno from the shelter a couple of weeks ago. He was surrendered by his owners. He was frightened and confused, and didn't know why he was left there. He was starting to show some aggressive behavior, and some of the staff and volunteers were a little afraid of him. They just didn't understand him. Luckily, a couple of our volunteers who are familiar with Huskies took an interest in him. They visited him a couple of times at the shelter to work with him. Dyno took to them right away. He still wasn't doing too well around anyone else and was in danger of being euthanized, so they offered to take him home as a foster. This was the big break Dyno needed! In this video you can see just how happy he is and how far he has come! He is thriving in his foster home and is waiting for just the right family to adopt him. His next home will need to be forever, so his foster parents are making every effort to make sure any possible adopters understand the needs of a Husky. Thank you to Mick and Kendra for helping this guy out! This is another example of how important fostering can be.

Dyno has now been adopted! We will keep you posted on how he's doing in his new home as we get updates.