Cooper

We just wanted to send you an update on how our new family is doing. We adopted “Mugsy” – now known in our house as “Cooper” on January 10th. He adjusted to our home quite quickly, and we were very pleased! It has now been 2 months and 3 eye procedures later (that pesky cherry eye did not want to go away easily)…. but we are pleased to tell you that he is fully healed and happy!

He loves going on his walks and the snow doesn’t even slow him down…he just plows right on through it. His favourite toy at the moment seems to be the large bunny we picked up for him at Pet Smart.

Shopping on Saturdays is his favourite hobby (mine too I guess)… we tour around London going into all of the pet stores that allow dogs to shop in … he is acquiring a lot of outfits and goodies during these trips.

Cooper and Jackylegs (our cat) seem to be getting along pretty well… except that they will both try to outdo the other to get the most attention when it is time to sit on the couch and cuddle. Otherwise they have both adjusted well… Jack even seems pleased to have a new “brother” in the house.

We wanted to thank you again for choosing us to become Cooper’s adopted family. We couldn’t be happier! You have made my life long dream of having my own cuddly dog to love come true!

Thank you to everyone at the Chatham SPCA for what it is that you do!

Cathy, Neil, Jackylegs and Cooper

Cashmo

A few years ago I was looking for a pet dog. I wanted to get a boxer, but my dad thought that a boxer would be too expensive. We decided to check out the Humane Society not thinking that they would have a boxer to adopt. When we arrived, we walked into the dog adoption room, and there he was! The cutest little boxer i had ever seen! "Gordy" was his name at the shelter. He was a little bit underweight, and had suffered from a broken front leg (which has a plate in it) but it was love at first sight.

We had to wait a couple weeks to adopt him because he wasnt quite ready to leave just yet. We waited and came in just about every other day to see him and bring him treats while we waited to adopt him. Then finally the day came and we were able to take him home! I decided to name him Cashdog...or Cash for short. He also has the nickname Cashmo which alot of people call him.

Cashmo is such a well mannered dog. He rarely barks unless you are playing with him, he gets along well with other dogs and cats, he loves being around people and he loves to be pet and cuddled. Sometimes he thinks that hes a lap dog and will get up on the chair with you and lay on your lap. Everyone loves Cashmo and wishes that they could take him home with them!

Recently he has been diagnosed with a heart condition, but takes medication daily and seems to be doing a lot better! Cashmo is the best dog and I'm so thankful that I found him!!

Jake

It was love at first sight when our family saw Jake at the OSPCA. Jake had just arrived as a stray 10 minutes before we walked into the shelter and ................ at that time we knew he was the one!

As you can see from the attached picture, our newest family member is adapting quite well. He already has claimed our Lazy Boy couch as his bed and he loves all of us. He loves running around in the back yard, going for walks and has already learned a few tricks. He is signed up for "school" the end of March, which should be quite an adventure. He met our vet for the first time this week for the rest of his shots and tests and he received a clean bill of health, which made us all very happy.

I think his favourite activity is going through the Tim Horton's drive thru. He cocks his head when we drive up to the speaker and he gets very excited when he gets his Timbit. He loves going for car rides and he really enjoys going to the pet store. He knows right where the treats are behind the cash register. Every time we take him there, he comes home with new toys or treats.

He surely is a joy to have and he has brought a tremendous amount of love and affection to our family. He really likes our cat Patches, but I am not sure if the feelings are reciprocated. I am sure everything will be fine, once Jake realizes that Patches has seniority and she is the boss!! We would like to take this opportunity to thank Cathy, Dave and all the Chatham-Kent OSPCA staff for all your help and guidance in our adoption of Jake!

We truly feel blessed to have been able to adopt Jake and we are looking forward to many more years of spoiling him and loving him.

~~The Meurkes Family~~

Ballie

We lost our dog about 4 years ago at the age 17 years old. At the age she was, she had several ailments and finally we had to let her go. I have made a couple of trips to the Humane Society to look at the dogs and last Tuesday, December 26th, I was in and as I walked through, all the dogs were excited and barking and Ballie was sitting, not barking but trembling. I just fell in love with her and knew she was the dog that I wanted to adopt.
She has made a seamless transition into our home. She listens well and is housetrained. We have several cats and although she seems quite interested right now, we hope she will get used to them (and them to her!).
We are so happy to have her as part of our family now and we can see she is very happy to be here!
Thanks again!
Happy New Year!
Pat & Ron

Leia

“The “Do not touch animals” sign seemed redundant as I stared at the growling, snarling little dog behind the bars, so I moved on.

In spite of myself, I found myself asking questions about “Scoobie”, as the dog was called, the only “smallish”, mature dog on site and on a whim asked the OSPCA staff member to bring her outside on the leash so the children could look at her. I counted on the dog’s reaction and the children’s fear to bring the session to a quick end. I could go home, satisfied that I had done my duty looking for a dog (I was probably too busy, really, to take on any more responsibility). Knowing that my husband was lukewarm to the idea about adding another member to the family an unsuccessful visit to the OSPCA would not disappoint him.

I was in for a surprise! On the leash, “Scoobie” was perfectly calm. She didn’t try to lick scared faces, jump up or back away. She just stood there with her tail held stiff at half mast. The children liked her instantly. “Mom!”, they all gushed, “We HAVE to have this dog!” Personally, I was a little disappointed by her lack of enthusiasm (did she even have a personality?) and she struck me as being not very bright. (Oh, well, I consoled myself, next time the children won’t be so scared of dogs and I will get to pick a bright rambunctious dog.) Still, it was a dog they all finally agreed upon, so I signed the papers and we settled back to wait for her arrival.

We chose a new name for her in a matter of minutes - “Leia” as in Princess Leia from “Star Wars” which made both the “princess” fans and “Star Wars” fans in the family happy.

I could not have been more wrong about her! We had her for a day and I couldn’t believe that we hadn’t had her forever. She is everything we wanted in a dog. Leia does have a great personality. She loves to play! At first, she needed constant reassurance. Now, her tail is carried up high with pride and wags frequently. She will give kisses if she’s asked. She is calm in a noisy house filled with 4 busy children and is affectionate with them all – even putting up with being used as a pillow by our 2 year old. A week after she arrived ‘home’, we took her on vacation with us to a cottage in the Adirondack area of New York State. She was a great traveler and soon took to fishing, canoeing, swimming and camp fires.

Not very bright? Since Leia has been with us (3 months) she has learned about 27 commands and hand signals – including “Hold It” holding a cookie on her nose, and playing “Hide and Seek” with the children (they “Hide”; she “Seeks”). She is doing great at dog obedience classes.

As for my husband? she is now his jogging partner. They head out at 6:00 a.m. every morning for 20 minutes (3 miles). When we got her, she could hardly go for an 1/8th of a mile without a break.

Thanks OSPCA for a terrific dog, a great companion and family member!”

- Monica Bacic

Haylee

"My family adopted our kitten Haylee 6 years ago. I had bugged my parents that I wanted a silver kitten to join our older Tabby, who needed a playmate! I even had three names in mind, Sterling, Tessa or Hailery, just to keep me on track when I walked in. I was disappointed when I walked in, there were no silver kitties up front .. then they took us back to the cat room, and there as soon as we walked in the door, we saw the cutest family of Silver tabbies. Haylee came right up to the front, and I knew she was the one. I brought her home with me and haven't stopped loving her since! I'm also happy to report, she sees her sister from time to time, who was also adopted by my neighbour, we didn't know we had adopted sisters for almost two years!"

Attached is a photo of Haylee, the silver tabby laying along her bestfriend, my older also adopted Zeppo.
- Heather Boyce

Westley

Westley was picked up as a stray in downtown Chatham. He was adopted March 2004. His owners, Stef & Sean share his story:

"We had recently moved into our first apartment and decided that we needed a furry family member. The small black puppy looked so tiny in the huge run, and managed to convince us with his puppy antics to take him home. Two year later he's now a very happy member of our family - busy with obedience and the best jogging partner. He's been a wonderful addition to our lives. We added a 'younger brother' Tux who was adopted from a breed-specific rescue in Michigan in 2005. Tux also works in obedience and is usually the class clown. We are so happy to have our two dogs and are very thankful for the help and support of the Kent Branch of the OSPCA."