TED E. BEAR (formerly known as Hogan)
Hi from the house of Daisy and Ted. E. Bear (alias Hogan). I wanted to send you a picture of Hogan that we got from Homeward bound a few monthes ago. He is the nicest puppy. We feel so fortunate to have found him. We also had another rescue named Daisy and they just love each other. This is a picture of Ted. E. Bear and Daisy Lee sitting on daddy's lap. We want to thank homeward bound for taking such good care of our boy. He is such a good dog. He loves children, other dogs, rough housing with Daisy, his long walks and sleeping on the couch!!! Oh and bacon treats, we just love him.

UPDATE: I know Hogan was one of your special rescues so I thought you guys might enjoy a couple of updated pictures of him with his friend Daisy. Those 2 just love each other, he follows her everywhere, can't wait to take him swimming this summer as Daisy loves to swim but Hogan isn't to sure of the water yet. Ha! I cannot tell you guys what a nice dog he has turned out to be. He loves people, children and going places with us. He is so friendly and calm. He has learned to walk great on a leash and we also take them to a farm a few times a week so they can just run free. He had learned the commands we have taught quite quickly too, such as staying, come, sit, down and so on. One too funny thing though, when we go somewhere in the truck and we get home, Hogan or Ted as I call him, will not get out of the truck until you give him a Hug, only then will he get out, he is so sweet. Hope you guys enjoy the new pics.

VAL (formerly known as Lipps) (Image Coming Soon!)
We adopted a Little terrier mutt named Lipps in February of '06... She has since been renamed Val, she was my valentine present from my husband. She was one of the heartworm positive dogs... She has long since been heartworm free and healthy. She has been such a wonderful addition to our family, we have had no problems with her... She has only had 2 accidents in the house in the last 9 months and has a great personality, once we earned her trust she is all our now, and we love it. We also had a little terrier mutt who is Vals "sister" and they have gotten along great right from the beginning...Since Val first came whenever she is scared she hides behind Weasel and Weasel "protects" her!! They make a really great pair!!

-Liz

TAFFY
"We have to adopt her." is what I said about Taffy in March of 2004. I began reading her profile under the Special Needs category on the web site and right then I knew she was what we were looking for. Taffy was under the Special Needs category because she was said to be shy around males. I was so about certain adopting her that my husband, Sean, and I showed up to the Maple Grove Petco before any of the Homeward Bound volunteers arrived. After taking her on a short walk, I knew that we found a good fit for our home.

The transition was tough at first because she was nervous and has some separation anxiety. However, she was a quick learner, well behaved (most of the time), and giving of her love. Her grandparents adore her as much as her parents. Also, when we go on our daily walks Taffy always has at least one person that says to her, "You are such a pretty dog." (Honestly, I think she is getting a big head over it, but she deserves it.) Taffy is gentle with children, plays well with the other dogs at the dog park, and is such an important part of our lives. She is a true success story.

Thank you Homeward Bound Rescue for all your work and bringing Taffy into our lives

-Kathy and Sean Clennon

SEAMUS (formerly known as Pablo)
We were on the search for the perfect puppy for our home, and just by chance happened to walk into a Homeward Bound adoption on St. Patrick's Day. I don't remember much other than bee-lining for the most darling Rat Terrier I have ever seen. I had my heart set on a fluffy, girly, froo froo dog, but from the minute I saw Seamus, I knew we were supposed to have him. I started to cry (my boyfriend thinks it was because I was trying to guilt him into taking him home, but I knew it was because my heart was beaming - I just found our little companion.) He is the best dog anyone could ask for - he was the runt of the litter, and a very picky eater, but he is filling out nicely and the vet says he's in perfect health!

He could not have brought more joy to us - we take him for walks every day, he goes practically every where with us, ad we have big plans for camping trips this summer that he will just love! He gets along great with his "sister", a 1 year old bunny, and they just love to play together! He is super spoiled, and for sure runs our home! J

I am very grateful to Homeward Bound for helping us find our little best friend!

TUCKER BOOGER BEAN (formerly known as Wyatt)
I can't believe that it has been almost 3 years since I adopted one of the loves of my life. I was looking for a small female dog, preferably a beagle, to live with me in my apartment. I went to the adoption fair at the Fridley Petco where I had heard Hoemwardboudn was going to have some beagle puppies. The puppies were not ready for adoption, but I looked anyway, and there in this little cage was the utest tri-colored dog. It was small. It was calm. It was friendly. Everything I wanted. I quickly got him release from his cage and took him for a tour of the store. We stopped by the treat aisle, knelt down to him and he jumped into my arms. We have been nearly inseperable since. I don't know much about Tucker's history. When I adopted him I was told that he might have been a farm dog, or just allowed to run. If anyone out there remembers my sweet baby boy, I would love to hear what you know about his past! He was also VERY sick when I got him, due to the medications that he was given to rid him of worms and skin ailments and a cold he gets every spring (thus the nick name booger bean). Arriving in my home at a light and lethargic 18 pounds, he is now a hefty 22 pound ball of muscle and engergy.

His favorite toys are a frisbee and anything soft that squeaks. He has learned so many things so quickly and is VERY obedient. He loves people, especially senior citizens and men, and is great with other dogs as long as he is not on a leash. And Tucker's two favorite things are swimming in the lake during the summer (although waves and wakes from boats do still scare him) and napping in the sun after strategically rearranging his favorite down blanket into a nest. I never knew what a rat terrier was, but now I can't wait to save up and adopt a brother or sister for Tucker!

JOEY
My family adopted Joey The Beagle (on the right) at the Eagan Petco adoption in May 2006. I had been watching Joey on the Homeward Bound site for over a month and fell in love with his sweet eyes! I convinced my husband to go "look" but I knew he would become part of our family. Just as I had hoped, we brought Joey home with us that day. (We kept his name because it fits his playful/sweet personality!) He was the perfect addition to our family. In November of 2006, my husband (the one that was hesitant about the canine addition to our family to begin with) decided that Joey needed a brother. We then adopted Jersey (on the left). Joey took about a week to decide he was happy with his new sibling and now the two are inseparable. They play together all the time and lay side by side whenever they are idle (which isn't always too often). They are both amazing with our little girl (now age 4) and even allow her to parade them around the house in her princess dresses for play time. They are much more than dogs to us. They are part of our family and we absolutely adore them! Jackie and the rest of the staff at Homeward Bound were a joy to work with. It was obvious Joey meant a lot to them and we want you to know that he is doing great and is loved by our entire family!

Thanks for the wonderful addition to our family!!
Joey and Family

SPIRIT & GRIFFEN
Dear Homeward Bound,

I saw Spirit several months before we bought our first home. I knew she was the perfect dog for me. And she waited for me! We adopted her two weeks before our closing date on our house and would come and visit with her during pet adoption days at local Petcos until we moved in on Halloween night, 1999. She's been a great addition to our family and everyone loves her. She LOVES attention and is very good at pouting when she doesn't get her way, which is not very often!

She LOVES to dig which makes her not so white at times lol and pouts when u brush her :P it's very cute!

We adopted Griffen the following summer. He was very skiddish and actually had buckshot pellets in his rear leg. He has improved immensely over the years. He is a wonderful dog too and they love to play and protect their yard! As you can see from the last picture though, we rarely get room on the couch :P Two very spoiled dogs!

Thank you! And keep up the great work!

BUDDY (formerly known as Lander and Woody)
My husband and I adopted Buddy in July of 2006 after deciding our extremely social and friendly dog Tucker would probably benefit from having a playmate around. Buddy was very thin when I first brought him home, around 14 pounds, had hardly any hair left on his ears from all the fly bites, had numerous scabs on his body from where all the ticks had latched on, and was very shy and timid. He spent a lot of time the first few days hiding in corners and underneath end tables. His ears were always down and although he soaked up any attention you gave him, he would never venture out of his corner to come to you, you had to go to him. He has been sweet from the start (it was when he climbed in my lap and licked my nose when I took him outside of Petco for some one on one time that sealed the deal for me) but definitely had some reservations about his new surroundings.

Buddy is a totally different dog these days and a wonderful addition to our family. He has filled out to 23 pounds, all the hair on his ears has grown back, the tick scabs are all gone, and the only time he is under the end table is when he is running through the living room chasing (or being chased by) Tucker. He is a complete love sponge and has no qualms about running and jumping on your lap. No more hiding in corners for this guy. His ears are always perked up and he is just a happy-go-lucky dog who is now completely comfortable in his new home. Perhaps a little too comfortable as just the other day he stole a cookie off the cooling rack on the kitchen island. Silly me thought the island was way out of reach for such a short dog but I forgot about Buddy's impressive vertical leap. Cookie thieving aside, Buddy is wonderful dog to have and I would like to thank Homeward Bound for rescuing him from what was obviously not a good situation. We are grateful to have him as part of our lives.

Here a couple of photos to show just how much he as changed. The first is from about 3 weeks after we adopted him in July and the second is around Thanksgiving.

Sincerely,
Dan and Lindsay (Tucker and Buddy too)

MAGGIE
October 1, 2005 is a day we will never forget. It was time for another dog to come into our lives. For over 12 years we had two dogs in our home. Just prior to our move from New Hampshire, we lost our oldest dog, Bandit to cancer. After moving to Minnesota our then 9 year old BJ was having a difficult adjustment to her new surroundings. She was not dog-friendly and became destructive in our home. After months of working with a trainer, BJ finally settled down. We are now ready to bring another dog into our lives again.

Looking at the Homeward Bound web site, we found numerous dogs that fit our family and headed out to pick out our newest dog. With BJ in tow, we were confident that one of the dogs would be our new addition. We went from dog to dog and couldn't find one that fit us. We were almost ready to go home, when my husband turned around and saw "Maggie" curled up quietly in her crate. Maggie was a 6 month old female Dalmatian mix - just what we were advised not to get, but it was love at first kiss.

Maggie immediately proved to us that she was the right choice. A darling of the neighborhood and us, she become a constant playmate for BJ and helped BJ lose much needed weight. Maggie has a quiet way about her, and her love for people is apparent. Having working in nursing homes and assisted living communities as an Activity Director, I set my eye on Pet Therapy training for Maggie's future.

Maggie's first school was Puppy Socialization where she learned to love other dogs and people. Boy does she love people! Just as we finished that class, I had a serious fall and broke my arm, preventing us from attending additional training classes. Once I healed, we headed into Obedience I quickly followed by Obedience II. I was so proud of Maggie the day she passed her test for Canine Good Citizen just a year after coming home with us.

A few weeks ago, Maggie and I become official Pet Partners from the Delta Society. Maggie is now a part time employee at Lighthouse at Waconia where she visits the assisted living and memory care residents every Thursday. Her calm behavior, love for people, willingness to be petted and just adorable looks makes her a perfect employee! Maggie seems to understand who likes dogs and who doesn't, who she can give kisses to and who she can't. Although she still hasn't figured out the elevator, she gets real excited when Thursday morning comes around and I say "Let's go to work."

Maggie is special. Part of what makes her special is the wonderful care she received from her foster family while at Homeward Bound. Being brought up for the first few months of her life in a foster family with love allowed her to become a "people" pet.

Thanks to Homeward Bound, Maggie is now returning the favor by bringing happiness into the lives of senior citizens in Waconia, her older sister BJ, and the entire neighborhood. She loves to swim in our pond, chase bunny rabbits, play with tennis balls and her neighborhood friends, run in the snow and chew anything that is in sight. But most of all, when Maggie is ready to go to sleep, it is on our bed that she falls asleep with a contented sigh knowing that life is good and will stay that way.

-Ruth, Tom and BJ

ARCHIE (formerly known as Spicer)
Woof!

My name is "Archie"...formerly known as "Spicer". I walked into my new home on February 4, 2007. I also walked into mom and dad's hearts! I was a stray doggie out of Missouri, and Homeward Bound [I miss you, Robin] was nice enough to give me another chance at life...and what a life I have! I now have a mom and dad and I even have a kitty to play with. Mom bought me a new bed, and a toy basket filled with toys, and rawhide bones and chews, and treats, and some really good food, my own personalized name tag to go with my harness, and a new jacket, and even a pair of BOOTS! I have a huge variety of fleece throws to snuggle in...but my favorite place is in my mom's lap! I melt like a stick of butter when I can cuddle with anyone! I like to lay upside down with my feet sticking straight up in the air. I have been the BEST boy. I haven't had any accidents on the carpet and I'm even learning to walk really well on the leash (with my spiffy new harness...did I mention my new harness? huh? huh?). Mom and dad tell me they love me all the time (and so do their friends and other family members). I get more kisses than I can handle...but I just suck it up. Mom and dad have a friend who has a dog, too..."Bandee" has just become my best buddy. We play "chase-me" and we wrestle the entire night on our visits. Do you know he is bigger than me, and *I* always win? [I think I forgot to mention how CUTE I am] I have learned a few things that I wanna share with you!

I don't have to gobble my food down now cuz nobody else is gonna eat it.
I don't have to hide my toys any more cuz they'll be there tomorrow.
I don't have to do possessive little growls cuz nobody's gonna leave me.
My vet offers a wide variety of doggie treats [he thinks I'm cute, too].
Baths are sooo worth the goodies you get afterwards!
When I'm brushed, I am even MORE cute [if that is possible]
Cats may look funny, but they make great friends.
[you know, the cute one] Archie

DIGGER (formerly known as Red Bow)
Hello: My name is Harry Christensen and my wife (Dr. Kim Wilcox) adopted a dog on October 14, 2006 at the Petco store in Fridley, MN. He was then named Red Bow and his age was estimated at approximately one year old. We re-named him "Digger" and he is the greatest joy in our lives. The first night home, he pulled on my hand while I was sleeping and woke me up so that he could go outside to the bathroom. He has been very easy to train and knows several tricks. He sleeps with us every night, likes to ride in the car and go for long walks.

My thanks to your organization for saving these valuable pets that become members of our families.

BAILEY (formerly known as Emerson)
Hello everyone

Thank you so much for saving Bailey (Emerson). He has turned into such a sweet dog. He spent months at his Brooklyn Center foster home. He was adopted once and returned to Homeward bound. Then we adopted him. We were morning the loss of our little Lhasa when we went to petco to just look at the dogs. We saw Bailey sitting in his cage obviosly withdraw and spent to much of his life in a cage. We were told how he had come from a puppy mill and was at least 5yrs, maybe older. He didn't trust people and had housebreaking issues and the list went on and on. But all were behavioral issues. We couldn't take another sick dog, but we didn't care about behavioral issues. For every problem Bailey had, we have had other dogs in the past with similar problems. Bailey needed us as much as we needed him. He allowed us to bathe him and hug him within the first week. We eventually got another Lhasa pup. He became the big brother. He would show off how brave he was by intimidating the vaccum, but he wouldn't let the pup anywhere near it. I think the pup, Cody, is very impressed with Baileys courage. Cody will lunge after cars, but always on a leash, and Bailey will push him back, puting himself between Cody and the car, and growl at Cody. The message is clear, "Cody stop that." When we first got Bailey he would sit in the corner staring suspiciously into the room, watching everyone. He wouldn't bark or move for that matter. Now he is the first to run to the door to greet us, he dances on his hind legs in excitement, he loves to go up to strangers for attention. He plays with some toys. He still has the strange habit of pushing his food around with the top of his head. Now Cody has learned that one. I think he is trying to hide it, because after he pushes it into the corner with his head, he will try to pack it down with his chin. I have never seen that behavior before in other dog, puppy mill food protective behavior, I guess. And he barks quite often now, more than we would like sometimes. He has turned into a "normal" dog. If getting along with cats is normal. Thank yo again for Bailey, Jo Ann Rowell (please let his foster mom know that he is doing fine).

MAGGIE (aka Mags, formerly known as Charmin)
Hello Homeward Bound! We adopted this lovable beagle mix on October 1, 2006. You called her Charmin, and she is squeezably soft, but we changed her name to Maggie. She is a wonderful dog. She makes us laugh all the time. Maggie and our other dog (Abby) got along just fine, although they didn't exactly jump for joy when they were with each other!!! While Maggie was getting trained and couldn't get it right, Abby (who had a very large vocabulary) would step in and show her the ropes! Unfortunatly, Abby has recenlty passed away, and while we mourn for her, Maggie was always there to cheer us up! When she knows she's done something bad she gives us the cutest eyes that we just can't resist! Her vocabulary is now increasing, she knows sit, down, come, no, off, and is working on out. There might be times when we're furious at her but we will always love her! She is enjoying her time with us and is happy to be with people!!!!!!

PUPPY (formerly known as Starla) and PRINCE
A friend of ours is looking for a dog and after telling her about the success we've had with our dogs from Homeward Bound I thought I'd just send in a note to tell you how much we've loved our dogs. Our first was a Pit/Australian Shepard cross named Puppy. She came to us as Starla but we called her Puppy because we couldn't think of anything better. She was about two years old and was afraid of steel grating and stairs. Puppy liked cats, occasionally disliked other dogs (especially in her old age) but always loved her family, her total devotion went out to Ali. She also had some sort of bond with Ali, Puppy always knew when she was getting ready to go running and would get excited and head for the door, she knew Ali was going before Ali knew. Puppy developed kidney failure and had to be put to sleep. We tried to keep her going as long as possible, but we knew it was time to let her go when she stopped running for more than a few blocks and had to be hydrated daily. She was 12 years old.

Bully came to us at about a year old, he looked like a tough guy and everyone remembers him for being much larger than life, he had a big funky aura around him. He loved all other dogs, with the exception of bully types. We had to return him to Homeward Bound after the birth of our first child, Bully wanted to be the alpha dog, which worked out fine with him and Puppy but didn't work out so well with Bully and the baby. We miss him very much and wonder how he's doing today.

Prince came to us at about a year old, our son claims he and Prince have the same birthday and are the same age, five. Prince is a Boxer/Pit cross and a super athlete. He has no problem jumping our six foot fence so we had to install an invisible fence around our yard too. Prince is extremely good with kids of all ages, loves to sleep with anyone who will let him in the bed but especially loves the kids bottom bunk. Puppy and Prince loved to play together but Puppy's personality really overshadowed Princes. It wasn't until after her death that we realized how incredibly great Prince is. He is very protective of his family and house, loves to do anything that involves running or tugging, and thinks that snuggling should be the national past time. Prince has the most expressive eyes and looks at you like he understands every word coming out of your mouth and talks back to you in a series of grunts and groans. We are planning at staying at one dog now. After seeing how Princes personality grew to fill Puppy's space we would want to make him take a back or side seat to a new dog.

Thank you for the great dogs!

-Dan, Ali, Echo, Roan

RUGGLES (formerly known as doxie puppy)
We adopted Ruggles (a dauschsund/terrier cross?) in July of 2006 when he was only about 10 weeks old. He came to us very sick (worms and more), but after a few visits to the vet and some love he bounced back to be a very active little puppy!

We had no idea how much work we were in for getting a puppy, but it has been very rewarding! Though he still has "puppy ADHD," Ruggles has grown up nicely and has learned tons. He loves to do tricks for treats. His other favorite activities include going on walks/runs, chasing squirrels and rabbits, destroying stuffed toys, going for car rides, giving kisses to everyone he meets, and eventually, after long days of playing, snuggling up with us on the couch for a nap. Ruggles is extremely agile (he can climb chain link fences... though we try not to let him!), he's fast, and he's a great jumper, so we're thinking of taking him to agility classes next summer to work off some of that extra terrier energy. He'll love it!

We can't begin to thank Homeward Bound enough for rescuing Ruggles for us. He had a hard life before he came to us, and we're glad we can make the rest of it full of fun and love.

-Kate and Dan Diehn
St. Paul, MN

P.S. As I was looking at pictures and the other success stories on Homeward Bound's site, I think I found Ruggles' brother: Louie!

ACE
Hello,

My name is Katelyn and first off I would like to thank you for giving us such a wonderful dog. Three summers ago I got a black lab/golden retriever cross puppy from you and it was the best dog we have ever had. From the time we brought Ace home at only 9 weeks he got along great with our other dog which was only one years old at the time. Ace was such a great dog; never play bit always listened to us. At first he was cautious to let us in because I think he was scared to trust since he was left in a box however he warmed up to us and slept in my room every single night. Ace would always wait up for me to come home at night and help me eat a snack. He enjoyed going up to our cabin and swimming and playing fetch with our other dog in the water. Ace loved going on boat rides and meeting new people. He would always sit to be pet without even being asked and was the favorite dog in the neighborhood amongst the kids. We have a decent amount of land, but Ace loved to sit right out front and watch the world go by and hoped the neighborhood kids would stop by after school to give him pet.

Unfortunately about 3 weeks ago he passed away suddenly. Both of our dogs got sick and we were going to bring him into the vet first thing the next morning since when we called the vet they didn't think it was too serious. Sadly he passed away over night on his favorite beddie and in his comfortable sleeping position. Our family is greatly saddened by the loss and our other dog just yesterday had to go back to the hospital again. It is mystery as to what happened, we have talked to many people in the neighborhood, vets and even had a specialist come from the U of M to see if it was something in our yard but nothing could be found. Our other dog, Sadie, truly misses Ace and everyone who knew him misses him as well. Although he only was with us for a short three years I wanted to let you know he had a great life, an ideal dog's life. Surrounded with people that love him and other dogs to play with and walks every day. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to help a dog in need, he gave us so much happiness in return and will be missed forever.

I could go on talking about him forever, we miss him so much and he really is the best most beautiful dog anyone could ever hope for. Thanks for all the good work you are doing,

Katelyn Johnson

MOJO AND ZOEY (formerly known as Reese)
Dear Homeward Bound,

I would finally like to fill you in on our success story. We have two of the most wonderful dogs from Homeward Bound, Mojo and Zoe (like Joey with a Z). Mojo (formerly Reese) was adopted back in August of 2002 and Zoe in September of 2002. Zoe is the sister to Buddy and pup to Francie (see the last page for their success stories).

So here's the update... I'll start with Zoe (ladies first). I will never forget when we went to see her for the first time; she was only about five weeks old. We took her outside, she went potty, came over to me and sat right down in between my feet like she was claiming me as her new mom. We picked her up a week or so later and she hasn't stopped following me since! She's mama's little helper. And nearly every night she curls up on my lap and falls asleep. We've been doing that since she was a little puppy. She sure loves her Daddy too! She climbs all over him and gives him lots and lots of kisses. He plays ball with her and Mojo every night. It's her favorite outside activity. She is just the sweetest, most loving dog. She loves to be hugged, squeezed and kissed and she gives it all right back. We are so lucky to have her and all the love that she brings to our house. She is truly a special dog.

And, of course, there's our wonderful dog, Mojo. He's so smart you'd swear he's human. We think HE thinks he's human! He's very vocal, he's always got something to say. If we don't get what he says at first, he just keeps repeating it until we do. He will occasionally tattle on his little sister, Zoe, for eating his food when we're not looking. He was thought to have been abused when we got him because he was hand shy. It took a while for us to be able to hug him and for him to show any type of submissiveness...but now he's all about the lovin' and he loves to roll over for his belly rubs. He's become a super snuggler; something we didn't know would happen. He's just such a sweet, sweet dog. The transformation is amazing! We're so blessed to have such an amazing dog. Actually we're extremely blessed to have both Mojo and Zoe. They each have their own unique personalities that make them special in their own way. I don't know what they would do without each other, and I certainly don't know what we would do without them. Thank you, Homeward Bound!

With Tons of Love and Continued Success Stories,
John and Julie Elsberry - Champlin, MN

CHLOE (formerly known as Downy, a Puppy mill survivor)
Hello,

I just wanted to give you an update on how Downy is doing (I renamed her Chloe). I am so happy that I adopted her and just love her! She is the sweetest little dog...

It has been 2 1/2 weeks now since she came to live with me and my toy poodle, Baby. The first 4 days she did not want to come out of her kennel and in order to get her outside to potty, I had to take the kennel outside each time and put it on the ground (amazingly only one potty accident so far !). But things soon changed a few days later when she no longer wanted to go in her kennel at all and just wanted to stay in her little sheepskin bed. And she loves to sleep with me and Baby in my featherbed on my down comforter.

Now she takes some naps but also roams the house looking at everything. It is so cute as she is fascinated with the t.v. and sort of smiles and wags her tail as she watches it.... I have never seen a dog wag its tail so much. Her tail is wagging constantly and she sort smiles... She is so very happy.

Chloe loves my fenced in yard but at first was scared to explore and would follow Baby around. But now she loves to be outside and doesn't want to come in....When she is in the backyard and I come out to bring her in, she sees me and runs like a little puppy into my arms.

She and Baby are getting along well. Baby was a little jealous at first but is fortunately a very passive dog so it hasn't been a problem. Chloe sometimes runs circles around the yard with Baby and has been attempting to try to play with Baby but isn't quite sure how to do that yet....I do think though that soon they will figure it out and play together...She does get excited and runs around in circles around the back yard just like a typical poodle.

Chloe is now interested in rawhide bones and does awkwardly try to chew them even though she only has a few teeth... Speaking of teeth, or lack of them, it has not hurt her appetite. She is a little chow hound. I grind her dog food in my bullet blender and then soften it with some pureed vegetable beef soup or other broth. She eats well. I also give her liquid organic vitamins and omega 3 oil. I do believe this is contributing to her speedy recovery. Plus her fur is starting to look much better....

Last Friday we went to see Dr. Tom. He took the stitches out of her eye and said it looks pretty good but wants to see her again in a few weeks to take another look. So, we are keeping our fingers crossed that he will be able to save her eye. He gave me some ointment to apply every day. She squirms so much that I have to wait until she falls asleep and put in her eye so she doesn't see it coming.....

Thanks again for everything. I admire you both greatly for the work you do!
Thanks!

SADIE
Dear Homeward Bound Rescue:

In September of 1994, I adopted a beautiful two year old female German Shepherd from a Homeward Bound Rescue adoption at Petco. Her name was Sadie. Sadie was excruciatingly smart. She embodied every single positive trait a German Shepherd was supposed to have. She was my very best friend from the start and even protected me in a few scary situations. She loved everyone in her family, especially my six grandchildren. Sadie passed away November 30, 2006 at the ripe old age of 14. She went with dignity and grace and I will miss her forever.

Thank you Homeward Bound Rescue for providing me with the best 12 years of my life. Please post this along with Sadie's picture as a final tribute to her memory.

-Jo-Ellyn Pilarski

HESTER SUE
I don't think you will remember me (you help so many animals) but my family and I wanted to say "Thank You" for finding me and helping me find them. My name was Yizzy and I was rescued from a puppymill several years ago. I have to admit I was a mess when you rescued me. My mom and sister saw your website and called because they were looking for a playmate for my little sister, Pippi. We are all so glad you found me and they found you. We are a very happy family and I love being warm and clean and well fed (especially the well fed part). I am sending you this years Christmas picture of myself (I am on the left), my sister Pippi (in the middle) and our nephew Andrew (the guy on the right). As you can see, I am quite beautiful now that I get to the beauty shop on a regular basis. I have lots of energy for an old girl and my heart murmur and bad hips don't give me much trouble at all. I hope lots of other people will decide to adopt special critters from you. We make the very, very best companions!!!
-Love, Hester Sue

RITA
Hi there,

I thought it was time I submit our success story! We adopted Rita one year ago today, and that year has flown by! She is the best addition to our family and we couldn't imagine our home without her. She has chewed on everything inedible in our house, constantly annoyed the cats, and made us very thankful for our Bissell steam cleaner- but we love her and understand that growing up is hard for a puppy!! We have had a blast swimming with her at the cabin, going to obedience and agility classes, and just goofing around with her. We are thankful everyday that Rita is in our lives and so grateful to Homeward Bound for taking her into their rescue.

Thanks HB!
Justin, Tina, Stephanie and Rita!

OSCAR MEYER BENNER WEINER JOHN
Hi,

Do you remember me? I was adopted in the middle of December. My new mommy changed my name to Oscar Meyer Benner Weiner John (weird name I know).

I am loving my new home. I have a hundred different toys and mom plays with me all the time. For a week, my cousin Sady came and stayed with me. She's a minature pincher. We had lots of fun, but I think she was glad to go home.

I just wanted to thank you for giving me a foster home and finding me such a good new mommy. I'm very happy and well taken care of. I sent a picture so you will remember how appreciative I am and know that I'm doing well!!!!! It is so wonderful to know that there are people who care about homeless animals and are willing to help them find their forever home!!!

Sincerely,
Oscar Meyer Benner Weiner John (Oscar for short)

LOUIE (formerly known as Skipper)
When we adopted 'Skipper' he was a little bit under the weather. He had bad diarrhea and didn't want to play that often, but I had to have him. We took him home and all he did was sleep and when we were watching a baseball game we decided to name him Lew after Lew Ford (we call him Louie). Anyways one Saturday morning he wouldn't drink or eat at all, and he also had very bloody stools, so we had to take him to the emergency Vet Clinic. He had to get a water pack underneath his skin to keep him dehydrated. He seemed to eat and drink the rest of the day. Then a couple days later he did the same thing, so we brought him back in and he got many tests done. We were so sad and just wanted him to feel better. They put another water pack underneath his skin and they diagnoised him with pesticides. We had to give him medications every day and was eating diet foods. He then gradually became healthier and one day, it was like we had another puppy in our house. He was so energetic and fun we were so excited and to know he was feeling better, made us 100% more happy.

Today Louie is the best puppy we have had and also the first. He is so fun loving, and such a people puppy we couldn't be anymore happier. We are so glad he doesn't have those pesticides anymore and we are so happy we could adopt him!

BUSTER (formerly known as Lois/Lola)
Hello,

I am Buster. Why am I called Buster? Well, I do get busted if i try to be mischievous. I have tried but i don't get very far. Anyways, I am in a new home with a child and i get lots of love. I also i have lots of children around me to play with me. I have my squeeker toys I play with as well as I get to eat my rawhides, pig ears and treats. I look so different when i was in Homeward Bound. I get combed out, take bathes and get clipped too. Now my fur is nice and soft. I even get my owner's bed to sleep on during the night and car rides too. I have even gone for vacation with the family. I have made a remarkable change since i was with Homeward Bound Rescue. I certainly have the Cairn Terrier personality as well as a little Lhaso Apso mixed in. I have been a joy for my family as well as the kids here where I live. The kids love to come over here and play with me. Wow! I am the popular dog now especially with my family. My family came to look for a dog on July 1st in Maple Grove and they found me. I seemed to be the perfect dog for them( and i was). I wanted to write to you to let you know I have a good home now and that i look great with some combing, bathing and clipping.

Sincerely,
Buster and the Guenther Family

BENNY (formerly known as Specks - adopted Dec. 2004)
After 16 years of pleading with my mom to let me have a dog, she finally consented with the condition that this dog would be mine, and I must take care of it. I knew that only a rescue dog would do and immediately began my search. I came across the Homeward Bound website and saw "Specks" a special needs beagle mix. After emailing Katie, I learned that he was very sick, but she would bring him to meet me, even though he wasn't planning on coming to the adoption originally. We drove to Petco on Saturday and "Specks" was lifted out of Katie's car sneezing and coughing from pneumonia and so emaciated that I could count all his bones. Although I couldn't take him home for another week becau se he was so sick, I adopted him of the spot. Now it might seem a little strange to have adopted such a sick little guy when there were healthier dogs, but there was something in his eyes that had me from the moment I looked at him. They were so dull and sad from never having anyone to love him; he seemed just like a shell of a dog who wasn't sure whether he wanted to live anymore. And who could blame him after how he'd been treated. He had been terribly abused and neglected. Because of this, he was so afraid of people, and if anyone reached towards him, he would cower and close his eyes waiting to be hit. He was also grossly underweight - 17lbs when he should have been about 30lbs.

Benny has changed so much, but he has maintained the sweet, gentle personality I first met. He has gained much needed weight, and although he is still shy, he no longer runs away from people - which is very much thanks to the help of Katie! Benny is my little shadow; he puts all those "follow-your-nose" beagle traits to shame! In fact, he rarely lets me out of his sight, as he always wants to make sure he never loses what a good home he has now. He is a smart little boy-and knows the words "sit," "shake," "come," "lay down," "rollover," and "wait." And if I say "dinner," "walk," "car ride," or "bed," he absolutely jumps out of his skin with excitement!

Benny has so much personality...he actually burps for attention. If he feels that he needs a little more attention or if he is nervous, he burps-and I mean loudly! He even taught his sister Abby (formerly Wobegon) to burp too! Benny is such wonderful companion - so loyal, loving, and trusting...it is amazing that he can trust anyone after what he went through, but he trusts me to do anything to him - brush his teeth, clip his nails, pick him up, etc. I can't imagine how anyone could hurt him. Benny did take a lot more work than most, but I wouldn't trade him for any other dog in the world! Thank you so much to HB for taking care of both Abby and Benny and allowing me to adopt them. I can't imagine life without my sweet, furry shadows!

Love,
Laura, Benny, and Abby

ABBY (formerly Wobegon - adopted June 2006)
After adopting Benny (formerly Specks) and working through his fears, I really wanted to rescue another special needs dog - as they have such a tough time getting out of rescues. My mom gave me permission to adopt another dog for Christmas, but I felt I should wait until school was over so both dogs would have time to adjust to the change with me being home most of the day. I don't think that six months have ever dragged by slower! When it was finally close, I went out to look at the dogs and fell absolutely in love with Wobegon, a chocolate lab/weimaraner mix. Even though I felt that I couldn't take her home for another week, Cheryl and Megan let me adopt her and agreed to hold her in her foster home. Wobegon, now Abby, lived a very hard life. She came to HB with her puppies after being fed only corn her whole life. Needless to say, she was super skinny and was blowing her coat due to such poor nutrition. She also was terrified of everything in the house, as she had never been in one before - what a poor girl! Her biggest fear was of cars due to the fact that the farmer who owned her would tie his dogs close to the road so they would be hit by cars whenever he didn't want them anymore. He bragged to rescuers that Abby had watched her mother, siblings, and many other dogs die like that. It makes me sick that someone could actually do that to an animal...I figured that something bad must have happened to her involving cars, but never something as horrible as that. Whenever a car would pass us, she would scream...seriously, it was neither barking nor whining, but...screaming - I don't know how else to describe it, but it was so terribly sad!

Abby is doing so much better-thanks so much to the help of Megan and Katie! She no longer screams at cars, just barks if they are loud or if they sneak up behind her, and of course right at the beginning because she is so nervous yet excited. All things in the house are no longer scary - even the stairs, although it took her a while to go down them. However, once she realized that I went down there to do the laundry she had to follow! Like Benny, she is another shadow to me - never wanting to lose the good home she has now! Abby's coat has blown completely and she is a gorgeous dark chocolate color, which go so beautifully with her yellow-green eyes!! She has also gained weight as well as lots of muscle from our daily walks! She knows "sit," "shake," "lay down", "wait", and "come", but she had a hard time with "come" at first because it seemed that she associated it with something bad...when I'd call her, she would belly crawl up to me, wanting to be near me, but not so sure! She and Benny have absolutely loved each other from day 1. They are so good to each other. He is such a good teacher for her-helping with her training and of course teaching her to burp! They play together, snuggle, and even trade places halfway through the night in order for each of them to have cuddle time right next to me! Abby hasn't quite learned how to play with toys, but Benny is beginning to teach her the joys of tennis balls! She chases them and the other night actually picked one up and batted it around with her paws! Both dogs are my sweet, furry shadows and, although they needed a lot more training and love due to their pasts, I wouldn't change a thing about them! Thanks so much to HB for all the work you do...special needs dogs are so expensive and hard to find homes for, yet you rescue them and love them anyways. I am so grateful to you for being the first people who ever loved both of my dogs and for taking care of them even when it might have been less work and less expense just to euthanize them. Thank you so much!

Love,
Laura, Benny, and Abby!

OLIVER (formerly known as Ollie)
Hello! We just wanted to let you know how wonderful Oliver (we call him Ollie) is and how well he is doing! We adopted Ollie (the wheaten on the left next to his best buddy, Quixote) Oct. of 2005. He was sad and unsure of things when he came to us (I think he missed his previous family), but soon became the happy, boisterous and HILARIOUS fellow he is today! He did come with some behavioral issues (he was only 1 yr. old after all!) - stealing food, for example, but he has improved tremendously! (Now he only steals leftover food that is unattended - and we can't help but admire his talent for silently getting empty cereal bowls off the counter without dropping them or spilling any leftover milk!) He loves every person and every animal he meets and is just full of joy and life. He keeps us all laughing with his antics (jumping backwards up the stairs, the way he races around the furniture, how he leaps 3 feet off the floor when he sees the leashes come out in preparation for a walk, and the way he flops down on his back and rolls around under Quixote to entice him to play). He loves our 3 kids and all their friends and especially seems to love elementary age boys. When our poodle became ill (he was finally diagnosed with Addison's disease and is doing well now, thank goodness), Ollie was very gentle and quiet around him. He's a very special dog with ALOT of personality! We love him very much and want to thank you for the opportunity to adopt him and give him a "forever" home, and we want to thank you, too, for saving and finding homes for so many wonderful dogs and cats.

TUG
Megan, remember Tug, we adopted him from you two and a half years ago in March 2004. You told him as we left the pet shop that day that he had hit the jackpot. Well you were wrong, we did. He has been so wonderful. Sorry, but we spoil him rotten. He has flown first class (several times), traveled to more states that most Americans have visited, taken long road trips across the country, and now lives with us in Paradise Valley, AZ. In Minnesota he lived with us in one of the oldest restored Victorian era homes in Minneapolis. He had a bed on each of the three floors, and loved to cuddle by the fire on cold winter evenings. Here in Paradise Valley he chases lizards, barks at coyotes, and lays out by the pool. He now has an adopted brother, Eddie. Eddie is a Jack Russell terrier we adopted six months ago. He came from an abusive home in California and he is still in recovery, improving daily. Both Tug and Eddie get plenty of attention, and they are completely spoiled. Of course, having been through what they have been through, the deserve it.

Please keep up the good work. You are making a big difference in the lives of human and "animal" kind.

- Crosby Smith and Earl Nelson

DENVER (formerly known as Slim PhD)
Denver (aka Slim PhD) adopted our family in the winter of 2003. When we found him, a lab & collie mix, on the Special Needs page of the Homeward Bound web site we knew he was the perfect fit for our home. In spite of a health problem (on medication for neglected teeth) and his advanced age (vets estimating at least 10 years old) it was how his personality was described in his bio that made us certain he was the right "puppy" for us. Denver doesn't require a 5 mile run 7 days a week. He chooses to burn his energy "cheering" at little league games in Maplewood or football games in White Bear Lake. In the summer he slowly makes his way down footpaths through the forest of Itasca County to check on the cousins or what Uncle Jay is up to in his garage - he is a social butterfly! Denver loves being plunked in the middle of the commotion of little kids or big kids so Halloween is his favorite holiday. He is certain all the kids in the neighborhood come to his house just to pat his big head as he greets each one through the open window of the screen door. As the fall air gets chilly Denver wears his comfy, red or blue quilted coat all the way through winter until spring. We love his goofiness and gentle nature and regret he had to spend so many, many months between two rescue shelters before he found his way into our home. We have heard that reluctance to adopt a pet of advanced years is common. Please don't hesitate to give an older pet a chance to blend into your life - with patience and love they are wonderful.

- The Altrichter Family
- White Bear Lake, MN

MAGGIE (formerly known as Fidgets)
We adopted Maggie, formerly Fidgets, a black lab/terrier mix at the Eagan PetCo location on February 26, 2005.

I knew that I wanted her from the minute that I saw her on the website, but it took 2 weeks to convince my husband that Maggie was the dog for us. I hoped every day that no one would snatch her up before we could get to her.

Maggie was so quiet when we first met her, I think that she was on her best behavior. We took her out back to get to know her and play some, from that moment on we knew that she was the one. Since we adopted her Maggie has learned to sit and wait, she loves to play ball in the backyard and has discovered that swimming is so much fun, especially when there is a ball involved.

Maggie has brought so much joy to our lives, she is full of energy and ALWAYS ready to play with her ball. She can jump as high as my head and loves to bounce around when she is very excited, especially when it is time for a walk, time to eat or a ride in the car. She has had some struggles with meeting other dogs, but we have been doing a lot of socializing and she is getting better. Maggie is terrified of thunderstorms and has found that she is most comfortable in the bathtub when it storms. She is so excited just to be with people, she loves to be with us all the time. Maggie is our first dog and we have really enjoyed getting to know her and having her become part of our family, she is our four legged child and we love to spoil her.

We are so thankful that we were able to adopt Maggie and bring her into our home. She is very special to us and we feel very lucky to have her in our lives.

Thank you to Homeward Bound for bringing Maggie into our lives!

—Heather, Michael and Maggie Morris

UPDATE: Maggie has learned so much since our last update. We adopted her from Homeward Bound in Feb. 2005 and haven't had a dull moment since. Maggie now knows how to shake with both paws and is a great little walker, we try to get out at least twice a day. She actually broke a leash a few weeks ago when out on a walk with her "Grandpa." They were walking in the woods and came upon some deer, as any normal lab would do, she went after them. The impressive thing was that as soon as she was called to come back, she did. Maggie now comes with me to work once a month on "Dog Day's" and has a great time leering what the "real world" is like. Maggie enjoys visiting with her Homeward Bound friends when we bring her back for dog washes or to adoption sites. She feels very lucky to have been taken in by Homeward Bound. We try to refer as many people to Homeward Bound as possible as adopting Maggie from rescue was the best thing we have done. Thank you to all the Homeward Bound foster homes, volunteers, etc. You do a great job!