Hi Jody, Amy & Teresa,

Just thought I'd let you know that Kesuk arrived safely & is already a vital part of our family! He's all that we hoped for … & more. He & Ruffy are becoming buddies – which is a huge relief. It's a bit nerve-wracking to adopt long distance, but the honesty & helpfulness of all parties was incredible. Just as you did, Teresa patiently answered all of my questions & provided all the background she could … you are all angels. I've already sent her photos of Kesuk & will continue to do so – she was really attached to him, too.

Update:
We just got back from the Dr. Powell's (vet) visit … Kesuk is healthy & had his lyme vaccine & booster. He'll be running a heartworm test in March, just to be certain he's still hw free. Kesuk, like our other Mals & Husky, is very tolerant & trusting at these visits .. he's such a good boy! Dr. Powell said, "you've got a great guy!" & we do!!

You may certainly use our story … hopefully, I'll get a good photos of both dogs today – my first attempts have been difficult – Kesuk is so animated they've been a bit blurry! I'll forward the photos as soon as I get them. Anyway, I just wanted you to know how appreciative we are that this worked out … I still can't believe Kesuk is here … & yet I feel as if I've known him forever.

Thank you again,
Marcia

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to give all of the boys friends a quick update on how things are going.

Jed continues to grow into an amazing dog and is doing an awesome job! As you all know, he took and passed his basic obedience class and is now on the his Canine Good Citizen class. We have a couple of weeks left and then need to take a test; his instructor keeps telling me what a wonderful dog he is and that he is doing a great job. He now understands sit, paw (which he came to us knowing), down, stay, come, twirl, leave it and drop it. After completing the class and passing the test, we're going to look into getting connected with one of the local Pet Assisted Therapy Organization. Considering we don't really know what he came from, it's amazing to see how much he's grown. He's also put on some weight, his coat is soft and shiny and we're having no issues with dry skin.

Harvey also is opening up and learning to trust the situation that he's now in; we are enjoying watching him come into his own and also love him very much! He's put on about 15 pounds and continues to gain weight. If you can imagine it, he's also continued to grow taller and his chest is getting broader. His coat is looking better and getting softer. The old coarse fur is gradually going away. He's learned our routine, mostly by watching Jed and copying him. Knowing some information in regards to the neglect/abuse he's come from, it's made us happy that he trusted Jed from the beginning and that they've become best buddies. I think that because of his personality and the fact that he trusted Jed, he's learned to trust us on a basic level and continues to trust us more and more. Harvey is also signed up to start basic obedience class in a couple of weeks, however he's going into it already partially knowing many of the commands that he will need. He clearly understands sit and down and appears to partially understand stay and come. Harvey is also pretty uninterested in our cat Willow which is wonderful, considering Jed would love to play with her all the time.

Both boys continue to go to an amazing Doggie Day Care (The Barking Dog) one to two days a week, so that they can socialize with other dogs and people. The people who work there continually tell us that they are two of the best behaved dogs. There is a color coding system there to help the workers know the different dogs personalities; both Jed and Harvey wear yellow collars which means that they are extremely laid back and have no behavioral problems with other dogs. They are also allowed to be together while at day care, which is pretty uncommon for siblings. The boys take turns when coming to work with me as well as sometimes spending time with Grandma and Grandpa during the work day. We continue to try and bring to dogs with us to different locations like grandparents houses, the doggie park, hiking, and as a special treat to get a doggie ice cream. They also continue to have play dates with Chomper a black lab mix.

Jed and Harvey are best buddies and play together ALL the time, both inside and outside. There is always someone chewing on the others ears, legs, and tails as well as playing tug of war with the stuffed animals (luckily for them, I'm good at sewing). Both of them love their beef bones and periodically steal the others bone. They both love going for walks and are now walking side by side. They also enjoy going for car rides and love sticking their heads out the windows; from some of the looks that I've gotten driving, I'm sure it looks cute having a nose sticking out on each side; Harvey the left and Jed the right. Darryl and I are looking forward to the first snow this year so that Harvey can experience it; knowing how much Jed loves it, we're thinking that Harvey will also. We continue to love these boys more and more everyday and look forward to Harvey specifically learning to trust that we love him and that he's staying with us forever. He's already grown and we know that he will continue too; lord knows that both boys have all their grandmothers wrapped around their paws!

We want to thank Jody and Amy for allowing us to have the opportunity with Jed and then trusting us a second time with Harvey. We also want to thank the boys foster parents for being so willing to help us get to know them boys before coming to us and also being willing to trust that we would love them and give them a wonderful life.

The boys send hugs and kisses!

Love,
Michelle, Darryl, Willow, Jed and Harvey

Hi Jody & Amy,

I just wanted to send you a little note and let you know that Honey (formerly Hope) is settling in just great. She sleeps great in her crate -- she never complained at all and she waits so patiently in the morning for me to come let her out. For being so young, she is remarkably placid and poised; very little flusters her. She did get a little freaked out by our HDTV when I had it on Animal Planet -- she apparently doesn't particularly like the Meerkat Manor commercials. We discovered that she has a very loud, low, slightly braying bark. Any chance she has some hound in her? :-) She hasn't had any accidents; in fact, she whines a little to go out when she needs to go out.

She's made herself quite at home. Our living room is strewn with toys (she loves the squeaky tennis ball, especially when we bounce it off the privacy fence in the backyard). She really hasn't shown any interest in chewing anything other than her toys (although, I'm sure once she's settled in a little more, she'll test the limits). She's doing great with the leash. The first day it freaked her right out, but ever since, she's been tolerating it really well. Yesterday evening, the three of us went for a walk around the neighborhood and she met a Goldendoodle and a Lhasa Apso; she was extremely friendly, although the Goldendoodle seemed a little overwhelmed by her wiggly energy. We went for another walk this morning; she found a stick and carried it for the whole mile.

She and Josh have fallen madly in love. She follows him around the house (usually carrying one of her rope toys), and when he sat at the dining room table yesterday, she laid on his feet the whole time. I think she's going to wind up being primarily his dog, which is great. Since she and I will have evenings together, I"m sure we'll have our own special relationship, too. She met the cat the first day; Honey sniffed at her, but then seemed uninterested. The cat has mainly stayed upstairs, sulking. They seem like they'll be fine together, though.

Well, that's all for now. She had some lunch about half an hour ago (she's been taking a little nap on the living room rug since then), and she's probably ready for a potty run. I've included a couple of pictures (not that she's changed much in the last couple of days, but I thought you might like to see how she's settling in. I'm sure these will only be the first of many). Thank you so much for everything you've done to get this dog to us. She's such a little sweetheart and I think we're going to be so happy together. Amy, I hope that you had a safe trip back to Alabama. Your commitment to this cause is so inspiring; I really appreciate how much care you have clearly put into each and every dog. Thank you so very much.

Sincerely,
Inga, Josh & Honey

Hi Amy,

Just wanted to drop you another note with an update on Vanessa. She's only been with us for 5 weeks but we can't imagine our home without her. She is doing fabulous, hasn't had an accident in the house since week 2. Once we showed her the door she needed to go to for us to let her out it only took her few days to catch on. We have so much fun with her and watching her and Brodie romp around and play is so much fun. They love the pool, Vanessa will jump in after the ball all day long, and she helped Brodie get the courage up to go in. He got tired of sitting on the edge watching. He's still not as brave as her to just jump in, but he will walk down the stairs slowly and go in. I hate to wish the summer away but we can't wait to see her in the snow!!!! We just want to thank you again for doing what you do, so that people like us can find such wonderful dogs to add to our families. I've also attached a few more pictures for you to see.

Thanks,
Lisa

Hi Jody & Amy!

I thought I would send along a little note to let you know how I've been doing since you last saw me.  I had a rough start in life but now I'm happier than ever.  On Memorial Day weekend my brother and I were found in a ditch on the side of the road by a very nice lady who wanted to help us.  She brought me to one of ADAR's foster homes who brought me to Amy where I lived until my new Mom & Dad adopted me!  I had a lot of fun there and very soon I found a forever home in Massachussetts.  I was adopted by Matt & Sara in June and was named "Tobey".  The 3 of us have a lot of fun together.

Every morning I wake up around 5 am to go outside.  My mom tells me how proud she is of me because I rarely have accidents inside the house.  After breakfast, we play for a while and go on a walk around the block.  I still have so much energy so I leap around the house chasing my favorite toy, a quacking duck.  I'm usually ready for a nap after my Mom goes to work and while I wait for my Dad to come home.  I've even gone to visit my Dad at work a few times which is really fun because I got to explore the entire police station.  After my Dad gets home, we play and go for a walk.  He takes me down to the little league field and I run around like crazy.  We usually hang out on our deck for a bit and then walk to the train station to meet my Mom when she gets off the train.  I'm not sure what to think of the train but I love when the people get off because everyone tells me how handsome I am.  Then, after all three of us have dinner, we sit in the living room and watch TV.  I usually fall asleep because I have two very comfortable beds to chose from, but I'll stay up if we watch the "Dog Whisperer".  That's pretty much my average day.

The weekends are especially fun.  I love taking my weekly trip to the pet store because I love riding in the car, everyone wants to meet me, and my parents buy basically every toy in sight.  We practice obedience a lot on the weekends and I love hearing how smart I am.  I've already learned how to sit, lie down, paw, stay, and come. I'm going to go to doggy day camp twice a week in August for basic training.  My favorite camper is an 8 month old Golden Retriever named Bug. For now though, I will go for walks at camp with a pair of 9 year old female Goldens until I'm a little bit bigger.  I am meeting so many new people, including my 3 year old neighbors who love to pet me and buy me new toys.  I have had a few puppy play dates with a Puggle named Oz.  She's fun, we run around until we're both exhausted!

Overall, I lead a very happy life.  I want to thank Jody & Amy so much for all the work they did to find me such a loving home.  My Mom & Dad tell me everyday what a good puppy I am and are constantly, and I mean constantly, giving me hugs & kisses!

Love,
Tobey

Hi Jody,

I just wanted to tell you that I'm happy in my new home with Becky, Dennis, and Robin. The food is great - all organic puppy chow, plus canned mackerel and cooked frozen liver as treats and all the raspberries I can steal from Becky's patch. I found the wild strawberries as soon as I got here. Becky took me swimming the other day with a great older guy, Ringo, who is a chocolate lab. He showed me the joys of swimming in the lake. He has three little girls in his family and they liked me a lot too. My mom's friend Brownie came over yesterday and he showed me the long walking loop here. He walked that loop with Becky's other dog for many years. I had to take a nap afterwards. He's old and doesn't play my way, but he was nice. They think I'm part hound since I'm so laid back (chow hound more like it - you can see how much I've grown). They also think I'm part alligator because I like to chomp like one. Pass my note on to Amy and tell her that I still remember mama kisses and give them to Becky and Robin when they ask. Thank you for everything.

Love,
Miss Molly

Hi Jody & Amy,

I thought you might like to see a picture of Cooper (we still call him our miracle puppy since he survived Parvo) and a column I wrote for my paper (I write for a few local papers). I put ADAR's name in the column as some free publicity for you.

We are still madly in love with our little boy!
Paula Vogler

We have a dog.  While I understand that may not be newsworthy information to most reading this column, it is for those who know I swore off of ever owning a dog again after we put our last one to sleep in 2000 and my oldest daughter became allergic to them.

Cooper came into our lives on March 1.  His ignominious beginning started when his very pregnant and emaciated black lab mother was found chained in a backyard in Alabama.  After the good folks at ADAR Animal Rescue/Alabama and New England took over, Cooper and his siblings were born into a blissful life free from worry.

All black lab looking pups, the siblings were quickly adopted.  And then there was Cooper.  To look at him is to gaze in wonder at what sits in front of you.

The four-inch wide unruly swath of reddish hair down his back (yes, those are cowlicks and yes, we do try to brush them, to no avail), the crimped wavy hairdo on top of his head (it is natural, we do not waste our time styling it), and the cow-like spots on his belly, roof of his mouth, and even pads on his feet make us wonder how he came from the same litter.

To be sure his other black fluff ball of a sister that we also took at least was black in keeping with her lineage but our tri-color little boy came complete with the white side of his face having white whiskers and the black side having black ones.

He is hypoallergenic and is partial to eating pansies, dandelions, or fiddlehead ferns; in a word, he is a mutt.

Cooper, as well as our family, had a life changing experience when he arrived as a wiggly 9-week-old.  Ten days after we got him and his sister, Chloe, Chloe died while spending half her short life with us at the hospital fighting Parvo.

Cooper seemed lost without his sister whom he constantly played with and snuggled with to sleep. A stuffed bunny helped to soothe him at night.

Then came the day shortly after Chloe’s death that Cooper also got Parvo.  It was another sad, tear-filled moment dropping him off at the vet’s thinking we would not see him again.

Even after he miraculously came home we were still waiting for what we thought was the inevitable.  He slept a lot-did that mean he was sick again?

He stayed close by-he must not feel well because whoever heard of a 12-week old puppy running off his leash and coming when called?

He snuggled and cuddled with whoever would hold him and there were plenty of willing arms.

We have finally relaxed and realized there is something about Cooper that makes him different, something people find very endearing when they see him even without knowing his background.

It most likely is not his intellect; the dog never makes a sound so the only way we ever knew he had to go out was when viewing the aftermath of a full bladder.

We ended up installing a bell for him to ring to let us know when he is at the door.  Of course he also rings it when he wants to play or just to see us come running; it makes you wonder who has actually trained whom.

It is not that he totally and excitedly loves all people although now that he understands how to work his tail, greetings to newcomers are a little better.  He is more apt to sit and stare at you when he meets you or worse, ignore you.

It is not his laid-back ways (you can find him sleeping on his back in any number of places) although his gentleness extends to all things furry and human.

With a little Chihuahua he rolls on his back and tries to calmly play while with a curious toddler, he quietly lays down to try to lick his new playmate and accept whatever poking or prodding comes his way.

His playtime with his best friend Eddie, a little Yorkshire Terrier, has gone from Cooper staring as Eddie runs circles around him to actually being able to outrun his friend now that he is starting to grow into his long legs.

I think Cooper is just grateful for what he has, a family that loves him, friends to play with, a roof over his head, and food in his bowl.  His contentment and love shine through and people are attracted to that.

Perhaps Cooper has a lesson to teach us all.

Paula Vogler is an Easton resident and correspondent who continues to be amazed at the blessings and lessons a little fur ball can teach her.

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